Evening star., 1924-03-25
CHAPTER 16 (concluding).
The British Open i'm a Gale.

THE number OF American entries
fighting for the British open in
1922 was comparatively small. There
had been a little army the year be-
fore, but this time only four of us
went over. The party consisted of
Jim Barnes, Jock Hutchison, Joe
Kirkwood and myself, and I was the
only one Of the four who was a born
and bred American.
had been playing pretty good golf
that year. The new set Of clubs T
had mad made for me that winter
seemed to improve my game. partic-
uIarly my driving. was knocking
them a mile and keeping the bail
good and low, which was going to be
Dig advantage in playing the wind
swept course at Sandwich MY form
was still with me after we landed.
l never remember having driven bet :
prior to the starting of the match.
IL seemed to affect my whole mental
attitude for / felt convinced right
then and there that it WITS going to
pc my tournament. I guess I had a
hunch about it.
We. played the qualifying round
over both the Princes course and the
sandwich links, and it was my good
fortune to tie for leadership with
Joe kirkwood. This was only the
did not count in the final seventy
Sandwich is a course that provides
q variety OF play. The first nine
holes are mostly blind, but the course
was not entirely strange to me, as !
had played it when I visited England
the first time. The Princes course is
on the pther side of Sandwich, only a
stones throw away, and it is long and
dificult: Sandwich happens to be the
place where Walter J: Travis won the
British amateur title just twenty
years ago, so it is a lucky course
for Americans.
Gale Drives Rain.
1 never. remember experiencing
Such weather before or since. II
rained most of the time and stiff
gale blew across the field.
MY most dangerous rivals in this
championship were Barnes and Hut
Gibson, who were right at my heels
all the way, but my game was work
ing like a charm and 1 managed to
1t was not until the last few min
George Duncan had a chance. George
came down the stretch in the last
nine like whiriwind and struck the
nnai hole with q par left to the
cup cinehed. Furthermore, I had pre-
viously made preparations to sail the
next day, so / was more than anx-
ious about his eauaIing my score.
Right here a funny thing happened
s,ns ! had u played from .S. exactly the same
for his third shot. There was lit
tie dip and then a mound to play
over. I had failed to hit the ball
hard enough and had taken three
puts as a consequence. When George
was preparing to play 7 told one OF
the. boys standing near me that if
he Knew as much about that putt as
I did he would hit pretty hard; but
Duncan repeated my mistake and his
ball bal; dig not GO anywhere near the
and I was declared the winner.
Barnes was only a stroke behind
duncan and Jock was a stroke be-
hind Barnes, so, after all, the In
vasion OF 1922 was even more sue
I was rendered a fine reception or
my return to America by the West
ehester-Biltmore Country Club, my
home course. l saver will forget the
boys at the dock the gray, foggy
morning that we returned and the
automobile trip through the. rain
TO the club at Rye, where a ban
quet, was held. 1t was a grand ad-
venture.
Since then have played in exhi-
billions all over the country, as well
as returning to England to defend
my title at Troon. Those who follow
golf and read this article know that
finished second in 1923, but they say
a miss Is as good as a mile and that
extra stroke, that might have made
up a dozen places along the line
had / only khown-kept me from a
tie. Strange to aay, I have never los.
a play-en after a tie. and I would
one:
In that tournament, you will re-
member, Sarazen failed to qualify,
which must have been unmitigate ed
hard luck, for Gene would surely
have been in the fight had he made