The Topeka state journal., 1922-11-01
Hagen and KirkUood
Won Their Match and
Admiration OfT0pekd
In Steady Downpour the Famous Golf Pair Pleased
Soaked Gallery at Country Club Tuesday-Hagens
Driving a Feature of the Exhibition.

Topeka golfers last year enjoyed
the British and American open cham
pions, Hutchison and Barnes. This
fall Mike Brady and Watrus were
here. Tuesday the local linkers fol-
lowed thru a driving rain, joe kirk
wood. famous trick golfer and Aus
tralian STAR and Walter Hagen, Brit
ish open champion.
of this array of golfers Topeka has
selected her favorite. She is heart
drives the longest ball ever seen on
local course. He plays the most con-
sistent golf. He is strictly orthodox
in his game. He puts out on every
green, And he is an AmeFfcani
There is something refreshing about
Walter Hagen. He talks without an
accent-which is pleasing to Amert-
cans who have been led to believe that
turaIs he was not of the "old school,"
He plays with a snap and a vigor. He
is cognizant of his opponents. He Is
not grumpy On the other hand he
doesn't kid his shots with an air OF
naughty supremacy. And he doesn't
depend upon conceded puts to make
a m edal score-he holes 'em out.
Never has a visiting player achieved
such instant popularity in local golI-
dom as Walter Hagen. His game in
the future will be followed with in
tense long distance support
The match Tuesday?
Oh. yes, certainly. The home
boys" lost. No one expected the local
guard to win. The purpose of the
match was TO see the quality of world
championship golf as compared with
the variety exhibited in this locality
Hagen and Kirkwood were opposed
Tuesday afternoon by Chick Trout
Country club professional, and Harlow
Hurley, Country club champion ana
for many years star golfer of the Mis-
Sfce vail and kIrkWOOd
brought in 7O's on the Country CLUB
course. Trout has shot better golf
than this. So has Hurley. Both have
turned in better cards than Hagen and
Kirkwood. But in a driving rain and
on a course that they never saw until
their match balls went soaring thru the
mists, the visitors came within = OF the
club par 6s. This. of course, is be-
yond the everyday accomplishments
of Trout and Hurley.
Topekans were proud of the show
ing of their professional Chauneey
Trout Time and again his shots were
alongside the shots of the stars. And
Topekans understood Hurley'S little
batch of troubles. Hurley is human
so is golf. Tuesday was his bad day
bad for Hurley. His 79 is not up
to his game, but it is a better game
than SO out of 100 other Topeka golf
ers would have shot Tuesday. There
were no apologies necessary for Hur-
ley's game. Wading thru the water,
soaked TO Lne Skin III the ram NluD
grips slippery, footing uncertain he
wasn't in need of explanation.
Scores of the match were
out ............... .554 s45 $50
In ....................4 .4s5 554 345-s4-Tot
out ...................e .ea4 ss5 S4t-$5
In ;.--......--4S5 AS 244-S5-4O
Out ...,..............5 55s 44s $50 =
In .....--.............44 AS $40 S45-ss-TT
iotIt" Out .......e........e I GA 45e 4ss-41
In .........-........-.54 .545 4f0 254-Ss-19
How Hagen does hit the ball!
A quick stance, a squint down the
fairway, a perfect backswing, wonder
full timing and then the zip OF. the club
shaft as it goes into the ball. That
snap does the work. There is nothing
for the ball TO. do but disappear in the
distance. Many times Tuesday the
ball went out of sight into the rain
only to be seen bouncing in all ats
whiteness in the wet grass 800 yards
away. His drive on No was the
greatest ball ever driven from a Coun-
try club tee No is a south hole.
The 200 yard stake is at the bottom
of a long hill. A good local drive is a
ball that oozes its way a short dis
tanca up the incline. Hagen sent
screamer into the ram. 1t hit the
side of the hill S25 yards away from
the tee-think of it! 325-yard
carry! The force of rne drive carried
the ball 25 yards more thru the wet
grass. His second was on. He holed
his third for an eagle on par 5
hole.
This may happen some day on a
hard, dry course with the wind IN the
north and a gobbled putt. 1t is doubt
full.
Kirkwood's trick stuff was not
available in the match Tuesday aft |
fr. har or fV-saTN
off No. green he turned his club over
and entertained the gallery. The shot
fell short. Again he played out of Il |
tree. But he wasn't tricky-he was
playing golf in driving rain. 1t was
no time to play fancy tricks.
The gallery was disappointed at not |
being able to see the Australian star /
perform in the afternoon-but every |
one was soaked, gallery and players, |
and the disappointment was lost in an /
effort to get into dry. warm clothing. |
KirkwoOd'S stunts in the morning I
gave the early gallery a cnance to join /
with the rest of the golfing world in |
declaring him to be the real master of /
golf trickery.
1t was a small gallery. An all day /
rain was too great a handicap. The |
huddled group, however, pranced /
from the first hole to the eighteenth. /
watching. eagerly for every shot. Mrs. i
Charles Hunt of Concordia and Mrs I
c. p. Buck of Shawnee were the only /
women visitors. Country club fair /
golfers included Mrs. Charles Wolff, |
Jr., Mrs. c. w. Kouns. Jr., Mrs. Sam |
uel E. Lux, Jr., Mrs. Dana Davis and l
Miss Clyde Bonebrake- After the five |
Country club women had bestowed the /
yellow tickets emitting the gallery to i
witness the match they followed the 1
shoes. silk stockings,
sport costumes and sparse umbrellas.
1t was a real exhi-
bition of golfing spirit among the wo
men players.
Long before Walter Hagen became
the first American born golf player
to ever win the British open cham