The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-02-20
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AMERICAS BEST AMATEURS
 7@OHNSTON

7JOHNSTON
 once attended heavyweight championship prize fight to see the huge champion of Fistiana in action. In the first round his fist whizzed past his opponents face with such terrifying force that the wind, il seemed. almost blew the other fighter over backward.
 The bout ended officially in the second round, but in really it ended the instant that great, mauling fist was slammed through the air a thou sandth of an inch or so from the other fellows chin. That effort, though wasted. revealed to all of us. and particularly to the fighting op- ponent up there in the ring, just how the champion went about his busi- ness. He was a hard fighter, pos sessed of a grim look and the de- termination that meant hard day for anyone who contested his might.
 Johnston a Hard Golfer
 When l think of Harrison Johnston of St. Paul, who is. in my opinion, the seventh best amateur golfer Tn America today, l instinctively think of the afternoon when beheld that powerful slash of the prize fighting champions fist There is nothing about Johnston to suggest the pro- fessional pugilist, but somehow his Whnla Temfndc terrific, powerful punch.
 Johnston is a hard golfer. He plays the game hard. He steps up to his shots with hard, set face and he hits his ball hard, resounding blow that sends it almost unbelievable dis tances. l saw him drive his ball over 400 yards in the western amateur championship in Chicago last sum- mer. managed to beat him in the smei-final of the western amateur. put had as good golf edge on that that day as I ever have been pos sessed of, or l should not have beea able to do it.
 Downed Outmet
 Then. too, western amateur was ir carly summer. By the time the na- tional amateur came on at St. Louis in September. Johnston had improved his game a lot. The word passed around at the tournament that a whale of golfer from St. Paul was likely to be among the fireworks at the tinish-Johnston was the man who was meant. Then this superb shooter stepped forth and downed the great star of the east. Francis Ouimet With that victory Johnston estab- lished himself thoroughly as one of Americas leading amateurs. I ques- ton in my own mind if his game isn't worth perhaps a higher rating for him in my list of the leading anna tours, but I cannot in fairness to the others give it to him right now He has no championship, except that of the state of Minnesota, to his credit. However. 1t should be explained that he Is very young and was not cham ptonship contender until last summer. He no doubt will be on this year at Brookline with bagfull of stuff that will be hard to beat. Johnston is one of the youngsters of the game who is of championship timber and just as likely to take. it this year as any other time.
 Johnston has a most peculiar way of addressing his ball. l have never seen any other player go about things in quite the way he does 1t. He rests his clubhead just inside the ball. in the address, and to see him getting ready for a swing you would think he would surely miss the ball entirely on the down stroke But he fools you. He not only hits it. but he connects with it for a terrible wallop. He has a fine ability to put touch of pull or slice on the far end of his drives. too, I noticed-a golfer is in the finished-off class, in- deed. when he does this at wilA It is useful ability in curving around dog leg holes, especially for the very long driver of Johnston's style.
 With this peculiar manner of driv- ng-unfortunately did not feel that l knew him intimately enough to in- quire just, why he did it that way he also uses palm grip of his club for long pushes on the bali. The reader can perhaps get a picture o. how nightly this boy goes at his game from that significant fact about his grip
 A Sterling Shot Maker Johnston nevertheless is sterling shot maker. In the western amateur he turned in a qualifying card of IA. which tied him with Ruby Knepper His opening chapter at the Westmore- land event last year was 70, which is a low card indeed for tho first time over that testing course.
 Johnston's facial expressions and his style of play indicate that be means business on the course and every time he looks T. his opponents direction his whole manner will flash the tip that he is out to win and doesn't intend to be beaten if he can help 1t. There is nothing common place about Johnston on the links. He has All the earmarks of coming champion