The New York herald., 1922-03-16
But for Him Foreign Born
Golf Pros Would Have Per-
feet Score in Journeys.
ny JOHN G. ANDERSON.

The last ten year history OF nomeprcu
golf would have been entitled the Rise
and Fall IL II had not been for last
seasons display by Walter Hagen, who
alone kept the homebred golf In the
forefront by winning the Rodman Wan
amaker trophy and the title of T.. g. A..
champion the Western open champion
ship and a tie for second place in the
national open at Washington, to say
nothing OF a few minor events which
carried with them plentiful shekels.
Teller, Frenchman, wins the Mas
sachusetts State open after tie with
Scot, John Cowan: Walker, an English
man, takes the Pennsylvania open; Bob
Macdonald romps away with the metro
politan title; Barnes outplays the field
in the national championship, and
Scot ties Hagen for second place Few
indeed outside OF Hagen have kept the
homebreds IN the running in this coun-
try. Kerrigat performance at st.
Andrews IL Hutchison had not won the
title would have been proclaimed as the
banner performance of the year. But
we are taking account only of the dis
play in this country In the last several
Years, and have come to the conclusion
that homebred golf passed its low point
last year and now is on the upward
bound.
Ten years ago many of the then
prominent homebreds did nothing but
play golf unhampered by family ties.
Since that time most of them have mar
ried and settled down at a club. with
less and less thought being given OF the
glory and more attention being paid to
the getting and the saving of the
monthly check. Which is the right
spirit But Cor half a dozen years
there have been only a tow to hold up
the homebred banner. and these flashed
only intermittently, with gradual les
sening of power. Instead of being
fighters for 72 holes they became what
we call SO or 81 hole golfers with a
chance to knock at but not open the
door, as they had in the past, to cham
pionshp honors. Nor have there been
UP TO two years ago any worthy aspi-
rants to the places vacated by the un-
fortunate Jack McDermott. Brady and
a few others. who, while capable of
golfing in the low seventies, do not seem
to have the motive power over a stretch
Of a four round contest.
Advance OF Foreign Born.
Now the strange feature Of the slump
In homehred stock Is marked not 80
much by lessening on their part as
by a great advance on the part Of the
foreign born. For years they have
knocked at the door only TO see a
visitor from their shores, or an amateur.
or a homebrcd close it gently in their
faces. And then suddenly many of them
came on to an improved game, which
in the case of Hutchison swept America
and Britain for nine months, backed up
by Barnes and others in more local
events.
How to account for it seemed prob
,em. II is a bit of guess at that, with
something besides game development to
study. We think that the constant
praise of the homebreds and their
series OF wins simply made the others
try harder than ever, and when deter
mnation is the foundation Of game
that game rarely can be gansaid.
Charles Hutchings. beginning golf at
the age OF forty and winning British
amateur championship. and Travis,
whose history is too we'll known for
repetition. are well known samples of
what determination will do. Why.
therefore. should not this attribute be
the controlling point in the rise of the
Scots. the English and the irish golfers
during the last fve years both in the
play over Northern and Southern links
We believe that this is the reason for
their advancement, having particularly