The New York herald., 1922-08-23
Hagen, 4 Down at Turn,
Beats Mitchell, 2 and l
American Holder of British Open Golf Championship
Trumphs Over English Professional Star in Thrill
ing Match on Westchester-B -Biltmore Links
ny KERR n. PETRIE.

ny KERR
Two up at the end of the first nine
UP at the finish OF the morning
round. . up at the first in the after
noon, four down at the turn. up at tn,
seventeenth. Such in a nutshell is tn,
record OF Walter Hagen OF America
In his tbirty-six hole golf match agains
Abe Mitchell of England yesterday oveI
the 6.605 yard course Of the Westchester
Biltmore Country Club at Rye. N. Y
1t is the synopsis OF a drama such al
is seldom enjoyed or suffered by those
who thread the links. story Of two
men who came back a tale Of smiling
faces turned to countenances OF gloon
and OF yrins OF chagrin transformed
to grimaces OF ghoulish glee.
The ups and downs OF this humblin
game of golf have been burned intt
the souls OF men from time immemorial
Men with cleeks and brasstes In theli
horny fists have been toboganning dowr
the ages, screeching along the rocky
roads. whooping gleefully uphill almost
to the crest OF human happiness and
then tumbling headlong from theil
dizzy pinnacle down into the bogs OF
despond. Not living golfer but car
tell tale OF shattered hopes and scat
tered dreams.
hill before you tee up for the next
hole, ye joys and glooms! Face towards
the hills OF Rye and witness these great
men of the links as they grapple with
zach other and tribulation. Watch the
mighty Abe Mitchell miss an eighteen
inch putt at the first hole Of the after
noon round and become 2 down to the
doughty Walter Hagen. Watch closely
also as Mitchell reels off string OF
winning holes that leaves him up al
the turn.
Like a Pair OF Gladiators.
It is inconceivable, Of course, but you
can see 1t in the flare up of that remark
able macth which Hagen finally won on
the seventeenth green by 2 UP and tc
play. 1t is inconceivablc. too, that after
Mitchell has won six Of seven holes, be.
ginning with the second. Hagen on the
last nine, beginning at the tenth, should
maui Abe for six winning holes and two
halves on the first eight Homecoming.
Such things are not done, of course
but here is something that actually hap
pened: The golf miracle Of the century
two giants OF the links, the accepted
greatest in match play, smashing each
other to fare-the-well like q pair OF
gladiators OF the roped arena arising
from the crimson stained resin dust tc
hammer each other alternately to a
etandstill.
1t was Hagen who finally dealt the
knockout blow. and It cano at the end oi
a devastating attack that scorched par tc
a crisp. Mitchell had gone out in S5 as
against Hagen's 40. Coming back Hagen
III ha vi IN a
Mitchell was making them in 80. And
in this Hagen took 5 ut the homo hole
while the man from North Foreland
holed 4.
And SO once again. ye glooms, forget
your petty troubles. When there Is need
to stress golrs ups and downs remember
this classic case. Tell the story Of how
Abe the Sugger became up in eigh,
holes on Walter the Battler after stand
ing down. and of how, then, the Ameri-
can proceeded to take the Englishmar
into camp in eight holes more.
Almost Misses the Match.
There will be a lot Of turf trampled
beneath the hobnailed brogan before
golfers see again such a match as this
At the finish of this flamboyant fiesta
tho man who regularly leaves a ball
the home team Is In the lead was found
among the shrubbery bedecking himself
in laurel He would have deserted the
match at the ninth hole had he been
able to find the road out. He caught
the cavalcade coming around corner
and trailed along after hearing that
Hagen had won back hole on short
missed putt by Mitchell at the tenth.
"B'gosh. bgosh To think of how
almost missed It," he chortled. Il
thought old Abe had Walter by the neck
and was dragging him down to the
pond"
Those who followed the international
stars on their first eighteen holes con-
sidered they had been given q treat
Hagen was around I'm as and Mitchell In
rs. Only the glittering strokes Of that
round now linger in the memory. Com
pared to the afternoon round It was like
a fight between two longshoremen stagei
beside the battle OF Waterloo. Mitchell
came in ! down, the result OF the miss
ing of one OF these silly two foot puts
That happened at the eighth
Then at the twelfth Hagen hopped Q
stymie A really wonderful shot tbs
was, little bit of Joe Kirkwood''
thunder. For, finding the balls abou
two feet apart and that of Mitchell foul
inches from the hole. Hagen did not tr,
to hurdle on the fly. The only chance
was to drop his sphere In front OF tha
Of his opponent. The shot was mas
terpiece.
There were some mighty shots in thai
first eighteen holes, some Of them BY
Hagen, some by Mitchell. Abe was or
the 523 yard fifteenth in two and hs
scored his 4. Hagen duplicated the feai
in the afternoon and In manner which
presently shall be told. To summarize,
the morning round Mitchell was KEEP
busy squaring the match for the firs
seven holes. then Hagen went out IL
front and practically remained there (,
| the end.
Mitchell began TO look something lik,
n bad bet when tho missed that littl,