Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-07-28
GOLF is STILL A SPORT
HASKIN DECLARES
Daily Letter by Frederic }. Haskin

WASHINGTON, July 2S.-Golf en-
thusiasts throughout the country are
rejoicing over the result of the re-
cent open championship tournament
in the belief that it demonstrated
that golf Is still a sport and will con-
tinue to be essentially a sport. There
was a growing feeling that the game
was being commereialized too much
and that something should be done
to call a halt on the clearly defined
tendency to coin golfing skill into
money.
That something was done in the
| open tournament, it is believed, and
it was done by a youth from Atlanta
who had the skill, the stamina and
the daring to prove that an amateur
can beat the best of the profession
ais. the men who make a business of
playing golf.
It would have been worth at least
$4,000 to Cruikshank to have won
the big event that was staged over
the difficult course at Inwood, Long
Island. 1t was not worth a ickel to
Bobby" Jones to win it, but h
satisfaction he will get out of his
triumph will mea more to him than
any amount of money, for the young
man from Georgia is a genuine
sportsman.
1t is very much as if an amateur
were to knock Jack Dempsey for a
row of ash cans and acquire the
heavyweight championship. Prize
fighting would not be so entirely a
money game for some time after a
thing of that sort happened.
OF course the purse or money
prize for the golf premiership is not
$50, 900 or any substantial part OF
that sum. However, the winner, If
he is a professional, finds that money
fairly falls into his lap as long as he
can hold his title. In the first place
he is certain of an engagement from
some wealthy club at a fancy salary,
with nothing to do but play golf. The
clubs gets its moneys worth in haV-
ing the champion known as its pro-
fessional-playing under it's colors as
it were.
Next the winner finds that clubs
all over the country want him for
exhibition matches and will hang up
fat purses and pay him big fees for
contesting for them. Thus he can ar
range a transforming our that will
cover the entire country and occuny
all his time save that which he gives
to playing in the dozen or so big
tournaments that are held during the
year, Such a tour nets many thou
sands of dollars.
Meanwhile the champion gamers
Juicy commissions for using a certain
kind of golf ball. and for exploiting
| certain makes of clubs, and while he
is on the crest of the wave he always
becomes one of the literati, writing
-or at least signing-articles for
newspapers and magazines that are
paid for at top prices.
One of the leading professionals
even gathered unto himself a wealthy
| wife, and while it is not to be
thought that she was attracted to
him by his golf title alone, it is al
together probable Nat he would
never have met her if he had not
been a champion.
Amateur Gets Only Glory
On the other hand, the amateur
who wins the golfing crown gets
nothing but glory out Of his achieve
ment. He can not touch the money
prize in the tournament but must
take plate. II he plays exhibition
matches he can not accept fees, but
must even pay his own expenses, and
of course he can not accept commits
| sions from the manufacturers of on
dealers in clubs and balls. He may,
il he is so inclined, white a book to
tell the world what he knows about
the ancient and honorable game, or
syndicate a seSes of newspaper ar
ticles. but eve that sort of thing Is
frowned upon in amateur circles.
An amateur title holder might, of
| course, turn professional, if he want
ed or needed the money so much that
he would sacrifice his amateur
status.
No better evidence is needed of the
value of the open title to a profess
sional than is to be found in the size
of the entry list at the Inwood tour
nament. There were more than $50
contestants, and only a handful of
these were amateurs. Indeed. it has
come to pass that every professional
who can afford the expense is keen
to take a whirl at the title. Not more
than a dozen of those at Inwood
were figured as probably winners,
but golf is a game in which the unek-
pected happens and every one of
them thought he had a chance. 1t
is possible for any player who has