Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-07-15
O|M|NUTVE SCOT
LEADS ALL STARS
IN OPEN TOURNEY
His Clothes Off Form, but He
Bests Celebrities in
Days Play.

Skokie Country Club, Glencoe, ILL.,,
July 14.-(By The Associated Press.)
John Black of the Claremont club of
Oakland, Cal, a little Scotchman with
a bag of rusty clubs and nothing IN
the way of conventional golf clothes,
Friday swept through the first half Of
the 72-hole national open golf tourna-
ment over the Skokie course and Fri
day night was well in the front of the
greatest links celebrities of the uni
verse-many of them only old enough
to be his sons-in the first for the
American golfing championship. Incl
dentally, he clipped q niblick shot 90
yards from a bunker into the fifteenth
cup this afternoon for an eagle two.
Playing a game that could hardly be
surpassed for both steadiness and bril-
lance, Black made the SO holes in 142
strokes, two less than his nearest rival,
William Mehlhorn of Shreveport, La,
professional, and three better than the
third score returned by Walter Hagen
of Detroit, holder of the British open
championship, and Gene Sarazen of
Pittsburgh.
Evans Has l48
Following in order were Bobby
Jones, Atlanta, amateur with an inter
national reputation. who scored 146;
Lloyd G%ulIickson, De Kalb, H., pro-
fessional, with 147; "Chick" Evans,
famous amateur; Laurie Ayton. local
professional. and Mike Brady of De-
troit, with 14S each; and Jim Barnes,
present open title holder, with 149.
Among dozens of other famous play
ers swept aside through Blacks great
club swinging were Abe Mitchell and
George Duncan, British professionals;
Jock Hutchinson of Chicago, formerly
British open champion; Jesse Guilford
of Boston. National amateur champion,
and Willie Hunter, former British anna
teur title holder.
Friday night Black confidently as
serted that Saturday in the final 36
holes of the tournament, he would re-
peat his two us of Friday, but. aside
from that, he had little to say of his
game
Questions on golf caused him to
switch the conversation repeatedly to
his 1R-year-old granddaughter out in
California, for he is prouder of being a
grandfather at A than of all the golf
shots ever made by himself.
Pressed closely on golf. Black proud
ly explained that in 1896 he caddied
for Harry Vardon in Scotland, and it
was plain from his tone that in his
opinion a man who had caddied for
Harry Vardon had done more than be-
come the chief executive of a nation
and had automatically seen everything
there is TO see in golf.
All Make One Slip
Fridays golf, as a whole, was of the
IN and out type-extremeiy brilliant at
times. but nearly every one of the stars
had one bad nine. with the result that
many totals were high where they
would have been record breaking but
for the one slip. The British profess
SIGNALS, Abe Mitchell and George Dun
can. played erratic golf, and Mitchell
now has little chance. Chick Evans
did some great shooting, but had 80 on
one nine. while Walter Hagen spoiled
an otherwise wonderful day. scoring
34-34-6S in the first round. with a 40
on his first nine In the afternoon.
Jim Barnes played fairly well. Bobby
Jones was brilliant at times. but bad
at others, while Jock Hutchinson ruined
two fine cards with a ~ on his first
morning nine and a 40 on the final aft
noe nine. Par for the first nine
holes. the ones that caused all the
trouble. is 81.
There were $500 paid admissions
Friday and n complimentary list of
1000. The admission fee was 81, plus
10 cents war tax.