Evening star., 1924-11-30

" IGHT years of trials and or
- deals-the batterinC and crush
ing sting of defeat after de-
IL feat In the greatest champion
ship of attended for Robert
Tyre Jones of Atlanta just the other
day. on the tenth green at the Merton
Cricket Club, near Philadelphia
where the Southern youngster was
crowned amateur golf champion of
the United States.
Robert T. Jones. the Bobby" Jones
who has endeared himself to count
less thousands of golfers the country
over, and whose name IS known to
many thousands more who never saw
the brilliant Southern youth swing
golf club, just as is the name of
Walter Eckersall in bygone foot ball
days and the name of Harold Grange
today, at last took unto himself the
title which was denied him until this
year.
Away back in, 1916 a tow-headed
youngSter, then IA years of age, trav-
eled up from Atlanta to play in the
championship then held, as this year,
at the Merton Cricket Club. Big for
his age and bashful, except as re-
garded the hitting of a golf ball, the
youngster wore his first long trousers
on the golf links Of the Merton Club,
game from the knickers which were
his everyday wear at home.
So magnificent and unlocked for
was the game this 14-year-old lad
put up against the veteran golfers
whom he played in his first national
title tournament that the gallery,
ever on the watch for new sensations
in the golf world, went mad over this
new3luminary. Everywhere, in this
tVry oh
forth that a new golf star had arisen,
destined to eclipse the old stars, who
in those days were, even as today,
Chick Evans, Francis Ouimet, Jerome
D. Travers and Robert A. Gardner.
Bobby Jones led the field in the
first qualifying round that faraway
day in 1915. He didn't win the
medal in his first national champion
ship qualifying round. for the South
ern lad found the pace he set on the
first day a bit too hot to maintain,
but he qualified well up with the
leaders. And going into the match
play rounds. this amazing youngster
put away Frank A. Dyer, star Of
the New York district. in the first
round.
He then played against Eben NJ.
Byers Of Pittsburgh, the 1906 anna
teur champion, and more amazing
still, beat him at the thirty-second
green Of the match.
Then Bobby Jones. the new golf
wonder of the United States, came
against Bob Gardner. who had won
the title the year previous at De-
troit. Altogether too much to hope
for was that this lad, just passed
IA years. just going to high school,
but even then Southern amateur
champion, would eliminate the ma
tional champion. But Bobby, the
precocfous boy, z years short of his
majority, gave the gallery the real
thrill they had been waiting for
when he played Robert Gardner to a
standstill over the first half Of their &C.
hole contest, matching the champion
shot for shot, and only succumbing
in the end to the steadiness and golf
knowledge OF the man who had al
ready won the championship twice.
THAT was Bobby Jones beginning
in national golf. This year he
won the title for which he had
striven so long. But Bobby Jones'
been an easy one. Gifted by kind
Providence with a style that has
been the despair of countless thou
sands Of imitators, with a sense. Of
timing that Is the marvel OF the mod
ern golf world, and with a coordina-
tion Of muscle and eye that enabled
him, even in his younger days. to
enjoy the freedom from inaccuracy
of length that even the greatest
golfers find handicaps them, Bobby
Jones had to overcome a greater
handioap than tho physical one, and
had to conquer q greater foe than
the formidable human adversaries he