The New York herald., 1922-12-11
RESTRICT ENTRIES
FOR WOMEN'S GOLF
Field for National Tourney to
BE Limited to Players Of
IA Handicap.
BY KERR ". PETRIE.

BY KERR ". PETRIE.
The making public of the minutes of
the annual meeting OF the women's COM
mittee of the United States Golf Asso-
citation. held at the Greenbrier. White
sulphur Springs. W. Va. last September.
shows how It might have Jared with
the Westchester-B Biltmore Country Club
had the Ekwanoll. Country Club of Man.
chester, VT. been in a position TO stage
the next national tournament. In their
resolution presented TO the u. s. G. A.
the women name in order of selection
Ekwanok. Westchester- -Biltmore and the
Rhode Island Country Club. asking that
preference be given to the aforesaid
courses in the above order.
Continuing, the resolution instructs
the secretary OF the womcns commit
tee to ascertain which of the three
courses is available. From what al
ready has been learned the women have
as much as stated that the Westches-
ter r-Biltmore Country Club will be the
venue of the national championship al
though notification of the selection of
the new course at Rye still has to te
made by the L. S. c.. A. The resolu-
ton will show how close even the West
chester Biltmore was to missing out.
White Sulphur many OF the women
players made no secret Of their prefer
ence for Ekwanok. Even then 1t was
said. however, that there was doubt
as to whether the Vermont organization
would care to have tournament of
that kind there. Ekwanok won the
award of the mems amateur champion
ship in 1914 and appears now 10 be
resting on its laurels
Limited to II Handicap.
Over and above the naming Of the
course selections for the championship
the most important action taken at
the meeting of the committee was the
decision to restrict competition In the
title event to players having handicap
not greater than II strokes. This Is
sign of the times, an unmistakable
hint that women's golf in the United
States is bounding along. Not 50 many
years ago it was difficult to assemble
a field of respectable dimensions IL a
women's national championship tourna-
ment unless 1t was padded out with
players whose golf was in a very ele-
mentary stage of development
No one would have though. of chasing
these performers of mediocre ability
from the links. Those behind the tourna-
monts were glad to see them.
The first time that the entries for
the woinen's golf classic crossed 100 was
in 1915 at the Onwentsia Club links.
There was decided falling off at Bel
mont Springs the following year when
only fifty Eight started out of sixty
three entries. but since Miss Alexa Stirl-
ing began to set the pace the fields have
rapidly increased both as to quality and
numbers. Now 1t is necessary 20 re-
strict the entries to players OF a GER
tain degree of proficiency.
So that 1t can live up to the recon-
mendations the United States Golf As
sociation now will have TO keep on
hand an up to the minute handicap
list. The national body used to have
such a LIST for the men but discarded
this for an eligibility list The COM
pilation OF the handicaps for The women
will be facilitated by tho work of the
feminine golfers themselves. Tho list
will be a consolidation of the district
lists
Districts TO supply Lists.
Each district handicap list will be
expected to show all players within the
territory whose handicap during the
current playing season was II or less.
In certain cases II is conceivable that
the present lists win have to be ex-
tended.
Provision is made for any player
whose name does not appear on the
handicap receiving rating that will
enable her to compete In the national
championship. TO become eligible she
will have to prove her ability to the
satisfaction of the women's committee or
the u. $. G. A. ly submitting her five
best scores made during the playing sea-
son over her clubs course. duly certified
to by the president or secretary OF her
club, with statement by the certify
ing officer of the par OF such course.
Another very important recommended
tion by the women concerns the pairing
for the qualifying round of the national
championship. The women naturally
feel that players OF the first rank should
not have their chances of welldoing In
this important competition jeopardized
by receiving n partner Of Inferior rank.
The women do not ask that all scratch
and low handicap players be paired, but
by way of determining a dividing line
recommend that three classes he formed
and that the palrings be made as fol-
lows: From ! TO 6, from TO 10 and
from IL to IA. In this way will the
players OF an almost equal degree OF
skill be sent out on the medal play
rounds.
New Order of start.
Further. the women consider that II
will be advisable 20 have players so
paired sent out according to the order OF
merit. each pair taking precedence over
other pairs whose handicap, determined
as above indicated, shall aggregate a
greater sum.
Upon the motion OF Miss Eleanor w.
Allen, representing tho Women's East
ern Golf Association, and seconded by
Mrs H. Arnold Jackson OF the w. NJ.
@. A., Il was resolved that the side events
held at the women's national champion
ships be limited TO the match play
against par, tho best ball event and the
mixed foursomo. and that said sido
events be played In the order named on
successive days, beginning with the sec
ond day OF the tournament week.
Others present at the meeting at
which the above set of resolutions we're
drawn up we're Mrs. David Gaut OF the
Southern Association. Mrs. Caleb f. Fox
OF the Philadelphia District Association
and Mrs Hathaway Watson of the
Western organization.
Cardinal O'Connell Donates
Cup for College Relay