The New York herald., 1922-08-31
BRITISH GOLF TEAM
HAD CHANCE TO TIE
Opportunity Was Lost in Cup
Matches Through Poor Put
ting Of Leaders.
BY KERR N. PETRIE.

While sent here primarily for the
Walker cup matches the members of the
British golf team are anxious to do well
in the national amateur championship
which begins at the Country Club. Brock
line. Mass. on Saturday. BY this time
the BGitish players probably are ready
for a preliminary survey OF the title
circuit. Yesterday they were to be con-
veyed as far as Hartford on board one
of the private yachts which lay anchored
throughout the tournament in Peconic
Bay beneath the bluff on which stands
the clubhouse OF the National links.
Completion of the journey was to be
made by special train.
The only member of the British team
who is ndt thoroughly enjoying himself
in the United States is Robert Harris,
who had TO be left behind in the hospital
at Southampton, where IL was said he
would undergo an operation to his nose.
The Illness Of the captain is regrettable.
The British were inclined 10 think with
this player in the lineup they would
have done better in the Walker cup
matches.
How near the British players came to
gettlng an even break in these may not
be generally realized This would have
happened had Tolley ana Wethered been
able TO seize the many opportunities Of
fered them on the greens in their matches
with Guilford and Jones respectively.
Wethered actually beat Jones all the
way to the holing out or to be even more
critically analytical, around the greens,
f.n ine
was the master, while the reverse was
the case on the driving and long irons.
Time after time the British star placed
his ball inside that of his opponent
Then, as likely as not, Wethered would
miss and Bobby would hole.
AS for Tolley ne ought to have had
his match won in the morning round
Instead of being only two holes to the
good his advantage should have been
half dozen. But it was the old matter
of the potency or pusillanimity of the
putter. For long driver Guilford has
a wonderful putting touch. Tolley, on
the other hand, emphasizes the rule that
a hard hitter from the tee seldom is
reliable man on the green's.
Perhaps the most interesting dis
closure made by the Walker cup
matches Is that Great Britain Is not
quite so weak as she looked on paper.
One who has followed the championships
on both sides of the ocean for several
years tells that the Improvement in
British amateur golf this year has been
most marked. Two years ago 1t was
admittedly at very low ebb. There
was little change last year. but this
summer, he declares, the Improvement
has been quite noticeable.
Britain by another year no doubt will
make an even better fight for the
Walker cup than she did this and it is
conceivable that before long the Ameri-
can team may be found making the
transatlantic trip with the object OF
regaining the trophy.
Everything considered the British in
vaders have done remarkably WELL For
reasons which they considered good
and sufficint the selection committee
dropped two of their strongest players
in T.. e. Carter and w. /. Hunter. Then
Holderness. the British amateur cham
pion, was unable to make the trip to
America and. to cap 1t all. Harris. the
team captain, was unable to play on ac-
count of illness.
Having lost five years through the
world war it has been calculated that
British golf will take that long to get
back on its feet again.