Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-09-02

wv ASHlNGION, u. u, aug. Z0.-GolL
wv may have been an old mans game at
one time, but recent developments
In this greatest of outdoor sports indicate
that the youngsters are rapidly taking pos
session of it. Youth will be served, as
Grantland Rice insists when he chronicles
the Waterloo of a veteran in any sport
from baseball to boxing.
Since Gene Sarazen captured the title of
open champion of the United States in
the tournament at Stoke and followed this
up by carrying off the crown Of the Pro-
fessional Golfers association at Pittsburg,
1t remains only for Bobby Jones, or some
one of his years, to win the amateur cham
pionship at Brookline, September 20, to
demonstrate the complete supremacy of
youth in golf. Sarazen has barely passed
his majority, while the Atlanta prodigy is
year his junior. Johnny Farrell is an
other professional and Jesse Sweetser an
other amateur who rank close to Sarazen
and Jones, and there are hundreds of boys
daily the golf courses of the country
developing form and experience that will
make them contenders for the champion
ships of next year and the year after.
Sarazen's triumph at Chicago was at the
expense of all the veterans of golf, profess.
sional and amateur, who could be brought
together from England, Canada and the
United States. Black, the old-timer from
the Pacific coast, who is a grandfather
and old enough to be Genes father, had
the prize almost within his grasp, but he
slipped in the final heart-breaking test. 1t
may have been merely the break of the
luck, but the fact remains that it was a
contest of age against youth and youth
won. At Pittsburg in the last round
Sarazen was pitted against the veteran
Emmett French, who had defeated him in
score Of matches in days gone by. 1t
was a gruelling struggle, and again youth
was going strong at the finish with age
slipping.
The amateur championship at Brookline
will bring together probably the greatest
aggregation of golf notables ever contest
ing for prize that means nothing but
glory, and the experts who follow the sport
closely are predicting that again youth, in
the person Of Bobby Jones, will carry off
the honors. Jones led the amateurs in the
open at Stoke and is at the top of his
game. English professionals such as Mitch
ell and Duncan class him as one Of the
greatest golf players in the world. His only
weakness heretofore has been one of tenn
perament-or temper-and it is said that
he has succeeded in overcoming that until
he is now capable of playing through
tournament at the top of his game, and if
he does that it will take a miracle man to
stop him.
Why Youth Challenges
There are two reasons, at least, why the
youngsters are challenging the tradition
that golf is an old mans game. The first
OF these is that the boys have learned that
the game has more destinations than any
other ever invented and that proficiency
in it calls for all the qualities of mind
heart, skill and strength that can be put
into any sport. 1t requires study, pa
thence, persistence, self-control and perfect
coordination of brain and body. And any,
one who thinks that gGlf is not test of
nerves and physical endurance has never
played through the finals of tournament
For many years, in this country especial
ly, boys and young men looked upon golf
as game to be taken up when they were
too old for any other sport, and would be
content to dodder around the open fields
in pursuit Of health and senile pleasure
They were inclined to be superciHous and
patronizing when told that there was more
to the game than they thought. They
were cocksure. They didn't think-they
knew! Unfortunately, too, it happened al
most invariably that when one of these
youngsters took golf club in his hand
and essayed hitting a ball he had the
novice's luck and slugged it mile.
performance of that kind usually set him
back about ten years in developing his
game, for the inevitable result would be
that he was confirmed in his judgment that
anybody could play golf and nobody would
until he had nothing else better to do.
One such youth yielded to persuasion and
condescended to try round on Washing
ton course few years ago. True to tradi-
ton, he got off exceptionally long drives
from the first three tees. He was not SO