The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-03-22
CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Up 70 tue spring OF 1S1os SOih uau
been rather specialized sport, II
may use the term. 1t had not yet taken
the grip on public fancy that 1t did the
following summer. The year 1920, how
ever, was a banner season. Many new
courses were constructed. thousands of
people who had never thought of play
ing golf began to haunt the links and
golf widows multiplied. It was in the
newly awakened International phase Of
the game that the greatest interest was
shown.
On my return to America that sum-
mer I found a number Of British play
ers already on hand, most Of them
planning to compete in the American
open scheduled for the Inverness
course at Toledo, o., in August. Among
the British invaders were the star ANA
teurs Cyril Toliey, who had just won
the British title, and Roger Wethered,
the present holder, who came across
an enthusiastic golfer. Tommy Armour
was another contestant who arrived at
the same time did.
Interest At It's Height
Interest In professional golf was at
It's height. Harry Vardon and Ted
Inverness and to make a tour of the
country, were here ahead of me.
played against them at New London
the day after arrived. The British
ers defeated Barnes and myself In this
| match. but before the season was over
| we had played five matches altogether,
| three of which Jim and ! managed to
win.
| The tour of Vardon and Ray aroused
great interest. They played many
matches while here and were very pop
| ular everywhere thew went. Ray Is a
has tremendous force behind It, /
think he Is one of the longest hitters
have ever known. Harry Vardon
made an ideal partner for Ray. He
Is regarded as the worlds supreme
styiist and. with his easy stance and
graceful stroking, certainly lives UP to
his reputation. AS six times winner
Of the British open he impresses one
as amply deserving his titles.
| Only One VardOn
| played lot of golf with vardon
| In 1890. One cannot help but hold so
fine a golfer in the greatest respect.
am afraid there will never be another
as great to take his place.
| The links at Toledo, where the open
championship was played, is very diff
ficult course. 1t happened to be, Incl
| dentally, the first time in the history
Of American golf that a championship
was held In that city.
American golfers were keen to stop
| Vardon and Ray, as they had proved
themselves a formidable combination
and experts thought that they had an
excellent chance. 1t Is true that they
had not figured very extensively in
| the British open, but neither had i, and
yet 1 managed to come back and win
the French open and, shortly after my
| d q n
event, which was played at Green
witch.
| Held Tito For Five Years
All of which goes to show that the
thing which bothers golfer in one
tournament he may find OF no conse-
Metropolitan open annexed this
championship for the third time in sue
cession. With two years out for the
war 1 thus held the Net title for five
straight years. 1t Is interesting to note
that Jim Barnes and tied again in
but luck, II you like, was with me,
and won out both times in the play
off.
vardon and Ray had been playing
exhibitions right up until the open at
Inverness. AS the tournament was in
August, the weather was anything but
appropriate. Under the scorching sun
we did not think that Vardon, or Ray
| either, would hold out,
The former started off like a world
| beater, however, and at the beginning
| Of the last round he appeared to have
the championship sewed up. But cham
| pionships are never sewed UP, find,
until they are completely finished.
| Along came an unforeseen element OF
chance in the form of a terrific wind,
which completely upset the veterans
game on the last few holes, and his
lead was dissipated.
CIOse-FOught Game A Classic
| There followed one Of the greatest
fights / ever saw Tor championship
honors. I had wasted a few too many
strokes on the last IS holes and was
out Of the running, but was playing
with Jock Hutchinson, who had
chance, and 1 paced him in. Strangely
enough, Jock had been in a position
to do this same thing for me the year
before at Brae Burn. / was not des-
| tined to be as successful in this role
of pace-maker as Jock had been, as
the best could do was to see him
finish second. I set him a good ex
| ample on the last green, when / sank
long putt for a birdie three. Jock
had harder one to negotiate but failed
| to get II down.,
! In the meantime. Ray had come in
with what was later to prove the
close on his trail. One of these latter,
Leo Diegei, very good player. seemed
to have an excellent chance to win, as
he arrived at the twelfth hole with
score that looked unbeatable. A big
gallery began gathering around the
new star, and / think probably the
tenseness of the moment made Diegel
little nervous, for he failed to hold
his game together. A couple of bad
shots sent him behind again. Vardon
came sailing along then and finished
just one stroke back of Ray and was
| followed by Burke, Diegel and Hutchi
son. 1t was a grand battle.
Bobby Jones. last years winner. was
one of the sensations of the tourna-
ment, not only because of his extreme
youth, but also on account OF his re-
markable playing. On one round he
was paired with the veteran Vardon,
who praised him highly for his excel
| lent showtng-which meant something,
coming from six times British cham
pion.
Clubs Send Delegation
That fall and winter golf seemed to
take a leap forward in America. With
the new courses there sprang up a
new generation OF competent players,
many of whom have already figured in
| championship events. So much interest
was manifested in the International as
| pect of the game that a wholesale as
sault was planned on the British open,
which was to be played the next sum
mer at the famous old st. Andrews
| links.
Various clubs got up subscriptions
| to send players over. think the team
of 10 that sailed to play in that cham
pionship was as fine a lot of boys as
one would care to know.
| / was glad to get another oppor-
| tunitV to NAV overseas. but / had in
| tended going whether anyone else went
or not, as l felt another chance was
due me. liked st. Andrews better
than DAaI and was almost certain. IL