The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-06-16
BY HAROLD HILTON
Editor Of Golf Illustrated


TROON, Scotland. June 15.-Arthur
Havers, son of a golf club steward at
Norwich. England, who began slap
ping old golf balls with throw-away
clubs at the age of 4, won the British
golf championship Friday from the
great international field Of airy
youths and sober veterans. BY one
stroke he displaced Walter Hagen,
the glorious Senatorial spectacle
from the United States, who won the
championship Il year ago.
Havers turned in a final card of
295. which was a valid requisition on
the gods of the game for the riches
and acclaim that fail to champion.
Ilagen's 296 was followed by the 29I
score of Macdonald Smith, playing as
u member of the American team, but
Il scotsman with humorous roll in
his "rs,%
Joe 7 Kirkwood, the Australian
meadow magician, who also played
with the Americans as one of them,
scored 29S, and thus it may be seen
mat of all that formidable company
and all those portentous regulations
nhich came here from the United
states, only one man placed among
the first four.
Havers Began EarIy.
Havers is % years old. He was
born i'll Norwich. lie knew it was a
cardinal sin to leave a divot out of
place before he learned that boys who
swear don't go to heaven. When he
was 10 and had set of sticks of his
own, he made IS on the Norwich
course, which was a new record. 4
year later he qualified for the cham
pionsnip. In 1920 he tied for seventh
place III the British open. The fol
lowing summer lie was fourth. lie
also played with the British team
against the Americans at Glen
Eagles. but between his attempt to
win the open IN 1921 and his phe-
nomenal golf at Troon the last few
days, he did nothing especially brill
liant.
In fact, IIavers was worried about
his driving in this championship,
and, being no wiser than his elders,
was not above asking advice. Thus
it was that Havers got another pro-
fessional to take him aside after the
days playing was done and instruct
him how to correct his faults
Arthur is the professional at the
Coombe Hill club, where he recently
OF many tournaments. He formerly
taught at the " est Lanca shire club.
lie was three years within the royal
air force during the war.
Won From Field Or S22.
law CTS WOH from an original IlelQ
OF 80, embracing the holders of
many titles, and finally came out
ahead OF a great group of So quail
Tiers. Under rather depressing con-
ditions Friday afternoon, he took
d %, but i'll his first three rounds he
played perfect golf, turning in 10
each time.
leaders finished thus:
ia ers, Britain 10 IS 10 76-29o
h4gen. Y. S. A. -. IS u a 15-296
smith U. S: A. -. 50 10 50 75-297
hirkwood, U. S A.. ~ 10 50 7S-29S
ernie, Britain 80. 10 rs "A 1900
{. \. Whtcombe, who was runner
up last year and who led this years
field at the end of the first cham
pionship round Thursday night took
SOP.
In the box score it will be noted
that Smith and Kirkwood, although
they shot patchy golf, were brilliant
in the morning round, scoring each
So which bettered Whitcombe's re-
cord of 10 for the course, established
only the day before Smith was dead
ly accurate in this round and re-
trieved much of the handicap which.
he had imposed on himself by his so
in the first championship round.
The other Americans in the show
finished: John Farrell sos; Leo Die
gel, S0S; George Aulbach, 329.
George Duncan, one of the old
Britons, matched Whitcombe's 302,
and Winate made 304. Jim Braid was
bad off with 317.
Hagen shot a magnificent brand of
golf in the morning going out In 80
one under par But on the way home
he had bad luck at the tenth and
fifteenth, expended three strokes to
get out of trouble and finished the
round in "A. malicious wind faced
Hagen and resisted him all the way
home in the final round when he was
trying to shoot the course in par
to WIN by stroke. He met the chal-
lenge of wind and adversary as
bravely as a golfer could but two
strokes made all the difference and
Walter Magen, first American home
bred to win the British open cham
lLinuS shin Is now a 20 ha II niou