New-York tribune., 1922-08-19

|
professional in this country has ACHE
The professional championships in IL
1t was only about month ago that
I, sarazen stepped out and won the ma
tionai championship against the great
est field that ever competed for any
goif title. In winning the professional
| titie to-day the youth completed a
stFing OF victories scored against the
| pick of the American professionals.
Only twenty-one and already double
champion, this youngster, who pos
sesses one of the finest golf games any
man ever had, has certainly a bright
future
IN Sarazen's own mind there was
never any doubt about the outcome of
thls tournament. The lad felt from the
start that he would be the winner.
ana while great many doubted his
abillty to come through the final test
a1ter his strenuous struggles against
hutchison,. Cruikshank and the others,
tmhe m champion himself was always con-
iaent, always at ease and always in
.uii control Of his nervous system, II
ne has any.
A Remarkable Triumph
Sarazen's victory over French to-
aay really was greater triumph than
n. ms WIN over Hutchison or Cruikshank.
ror , the Lad was not in the best of con-
aieion In this final round to meet one
| country,
French had been scoring wonderfully
Wen and had been walking right
through his half of the field. It might
De said that he got into the final round
without ever having been extended,
fresh and ready for the last biz test.
moreover, French is a stalwart indi-
Vlduai, rugged and strong and an ex-
cePtionally fine match golfer. On the
! other hand Sarazen had to face the
straln Of beating a man like Jock
Eutcthisto1n, who is probably the worlds
most brilliant performer. That terrific
battle with Hutch would have killed off
many harder soul than little Gene,
VINO is virtually starting life's struggle.
Again, French had the experience of
some ten or more years Of competitive
golf, whereas this is only the third
year out for Sarazen. These things all
count, particularly in match play. but
Sarazen overcame all handicaps to-day
Having played perfect golf all week
Sarazen was due for anreaction. And
1T came this morning. Thus the young
ster had his own game as we'll as
French's to contend with Only won
derful nerve and marvellous control
Kept him from cracking wide open.
Nothing seemed to go right for him in
the morning. He was having trouble
with his driving-which incidentally
has been the feature of his game this
week--and his iron shots were not
coming off the way the lad intended
or would have liked them
Course of Many Traps
Oakmont is course that is very Sc
verely trapped--some Of the pros COM
planned they saw nothing but traps in
their round-and when one is not play
ing his shots properly he is due for a
deal of trouble. Sarazen managed to
escape trouble going out-in fact,
might have made the turn with a lead
dropped long puts at the sixth, sew
enth and eighth, which gave the
Youngstown pro three winning holes
in succession.
On the incoming round the youth be-
gan visiting the various traps along
the route. His game may have been
Slipping, but his nerve he had with
him always. Consequently the gallery
saw some of the most wonderful re-
coveries ever made on this course, or
any other, for that matter. Hagen, the
/
his ability to recover from bad shot.
But even Hagen could not have equaled
the boys skill in this respect to-day.
Those spectacular recoveries--there
were some six Of them in all--on the
last nine holes enabled Sarazen to keep
pace with his sturdy opponent and to
finish the morning round all even. Sar-
azen started auspiciously in the after
noon and won the first hole with per-
feet golf. But on the second hole he
tired, and, playing under great
nervous strain, the youth again began
to find trouble with his tee shots.
Once more Gene had to resort to his
niblick to keep him in ahe running.
But, whenever he had to make an ex-
ceptional shot to keep stride with
French Sarazen invariably made it,
all of which proves his caliber as a
champion.
Gene played the fourth hole poorly,
so that they vent to the fifth all even.
French played this hole we'll enough,
planting his second shot almost dead,
but his putter failed hin, smd sarasen
| was able to halve the hole. At the
sixth, q short hole, French caught a
trap and Sarazen went over the green.
But the youngster had his wonderful
ch1p shot to rely on, and that gave him
and a win.
Sarazen Spurts to Win
But the champions lead was short
lived. He lapsed again on his next
drive and had considerable difficulty
extricating himself from the trap into
which his drive had run. The eighth
was halved. Then Sarazen suddenly
pulled himself together and the crowd
of some 1000 people saw far differ
ent golfer from the one it had been
following for the first eight holes.
The champion, playing as such, had
now recovered mis- drive, and he began
smashing the ball straight down the
lane, his confidence and his buoyant
spirit returned. French himself real
lied change had come over Sarazen.
At that ninth hole he changed from
an erratic, indifferent player to the
bold, aggressive, sharpshooting player
he is generally. Once he started
Sarazen never stopped. He trav-
eled the last seven holes in even
fours. French tried nightly to
hold that pace. But he, too, was spent
tired and laboring under considerable
strain. He simply could not come back
like Sarazen, try as he would. And as
French began TO slip, Sarazen got bet
ter. The last two holes were indica-
tive Of the kind of golf the champion
was playing at the finish.
At the fourteenth, after having be-
come UP, Sarazen laced q long drive
down the middle pitched his second