Evening star., 1924-07-06


Hagens win of the British title
runs his championship total up to
four. He is Well on the road to
equalins the record of Harry VardoR.
master of them all, who won the
British open title a half dozen times.
and the American open once
Hagen still is comparatively
young man, having just passed his
thfrty-third year and probably is
playing better golf now than when he
lothian back in 1914. He has many
more championship years in front of
him, and, unless he drops out of COM
petition, should equal or surpass Var
don's great mark.
Not Supreme in U. $.
Hagen, however, is not supreme in
our national championship. His star
has been in eclipse since 1919. when
he won lat Rraeburn, for he was well
back at Toledo in 1920; second many
strokes behind Jim Barnes at Column
bia in 1921; well down at Skokie in
s3s, far behind at Inwood in 1923,
and. third at Oakland Hills a few
championships over the last five
Years is not particularly impressive.
On the other side he has done much
better He won in 1929 after two un-
successful starts. claiming the cup as
lttnropped from the hands of Jock
Hutchison: finished second last year,
a'shot behind Arthur Havers, who
won the title. and won again this
year. That sort of golf cannot be
dlsGounted, for not only had Hagen
professionals. but he also had to beat
q sGuartet of the best from this side
ln,,..!Gene Sarazen. Mac Smith, Jim
BaEnes and Abe Espinosa
bpen championship does not match
the marvellous consistency of Jones.
However. if Jones could show the
consistency that has attended Ha-
gsn's efforts in the title chase in
years-Robby d MT do so we'll in
England the one time he crossed the
pend to play in the British cham
pionships.
lisy His Temperament Tells.
No small part of Hagen's great. golf
n,be attributed to his temperament.
which close observers of the game ad--
nit is not paralleled by any living
golfer of the first rank Hagen is
less worried by bad shot or bad
break than any one else on the golf
course. After a bad break or a miss
ed2shot he goes right along hoping
and believing the next shot will re-
trieye the mistake. And it usually
does for Hagen is not the fiawless-
more shots than the southern young
stsrs but somehow Hagen always
comes back. He is a great putter,
probably the greatest among the pro-
fessio3als and when he hits a putting
streak is invincible.
Long from the tee, Hagen does not
give the impression of precision and
ACCURACY of Jones, but he has it on
Bob in the matter of temperament,
although Bob's temperament these
day is nearly perfect. Hagen pos
sesses that attribute of great golfers
the ability to follow a bad round with
a great round Witness his qualifying
rounds at Hoylake. He gave many
Americans heart failure for fearing
heswould not qualify, and then went
through to win the championship
Again the Hagen temperament, never
worried and never ruffled, no matter
how the game went, proved victorious
in.the struggle with par.
EVERY year or so crops up the old
story-'Hagen is through And
every year in some fashion Walter
Hagen sets at rest the fears of the
doubters by doing the amazing thing
1.-The thing that definitely sets him
aside as the leading American pro-
fessional at medal play. Not as good
perhaps as Jones' but Bob is an am
ateur. and perhaps not as good at
match play as Gene Sarazen, but still
the leading American professional at
medal DlaV