The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-08-12
By WALTER HAGEN (FOrmer British Open Champion)

l have just finished my fourth con- secutive year playing in the British open championship and other big tournaments on this side. Evidently this was not my year to reach the greater heights over here as in three important events, including the Brit ish open at Troon, l have finished in second place.
 There is some glory in this, but the golfing fans, and the outside public IS well, are too. apt to forget who it naturally are more interested in the winner than the pacemaker.
 l wanted to win this year, even more than l did last, because it has been long time since any man ever won two straight British open cham pionships. l am in this respect like the duffer who has just won his first golf cup. He is not wholly satisfied until he wins another, just to prove that it can be done.
 Difference in Style of Play.
 We have been playing more or less international golf ever since the war ended and the visits of the British golfers to America, and our trips over here have helped both of us q great deal. We have been able to learn much from the British golfer and l am pretty certain that they have learned something from us; at least the boys over here have told me so and l am not surprised.
 For years, even though many Brit ish players went to America to make their future home and played in our as well. the style of play in the two countries was totally diSslmilaI. When Barnes and myself played our first exhibition match in England they told us we had shots that were not like the rank and file used Tn England and Scotland. We played the back spin to the green bet ter, they said, than they did.
 Another department of the game in winch We eXcelled was in getting the little ball into the cup, a problem that has veXed the British golfers for years. They do not take putting as serlousiy as We do, and the reason, I think, is because the greens here are more undulatinG and uncertain. There are rev Hat surfaces left to putt on; at least there is precious little satis tactlon putting or practieing on greens where the ball rolls every which way. This is true of the sea side links more than the inland courses.
 What We Learned from the British.
 We have all learned a lot in iron club play and in keeping the drive up in the wind, a shot that Duncan is master of. The long iron 10 the green is played here mostly with n fadeaway. coming in from the left to the right. Americans as a rule play the iron or spoon shot with a little pull, but this sort of shot would not do at all over here. Critics of the game at Troon held their opinion of dene Sarazen In reserve until they saw him play his irons. They knew then that Gene had the goods and many of the best player insisted that he was a finished product.
 The greens are construed over in this country for the fadeaway from the left to the right. Any other shot will hardly do unless one has a lot of luck with it. They are still talk ing about the failure of Sarazen to qualify and all express regret at not seeing him in the fight to the last minute. His failure, of course, was due 10 an accident pure and simple and l might have suffered the same