The Washington times., 1925-06-03

strGcted about q woman. Mrs. n
is thus installed as our central fig
fifteen years ago. Macdonald
Smith, then a youngster, blazed
across the ragged rim of the gol1
skyline leaving shattered golf repu.
tafions and course records piled
high in his wake. Starting on the
coast, he swept eastward and tne
country reverberated with his
praises. Just as Paavo Nurmt Is
today hailed as the miracle man OF
sports, 80 then was Macdonald
Smith hailed as the wonder man OF
American golf.
The skill Of the youngster was
amazing. He handled his clubs
with the rare artistry Of a great
Riolinist. Nothing seemed beyond
his scoring capacity. He stood head
and shoulders above everything IN
the country.
Then the Eyes man" chorus got
him.
He could beat anything in gOlf,s
but he couldn't heat the White
Lights. Their radiance, figured in
kilOWatts, was stronger than ms
current Of human resistance. Be
sides. he was only q kid.
If his upward dash was spectac-
uIar. his downward plunge was
lust as rapid, and q good deal
more complete.
Turning the pages Of life so as
to skip the details, we find Mac
Donald Smith, eight years later.
floundering on the rocks. He had
tossed everything away, money,
golf and strength, in one magnifi-
cent spree and now we find him
broken in mind and body, an out
cast.
In the interim, the world of golf
had pivoted merrily about its axis,
and new idols had long since re-
placed the old. Macdonald Smith
was now but a myth to all but one
person.
OF a wealthy family, had traced
his career from the day when he
had set the realm Of golf ablaze.
When they were seventeen, he
was her hero. He was romance,
spelled In boldface caps.
Unlike the rest. she did not de-
sert him when adverse winds rip
ped his standard to fragments. Ana
81 the very moment when he had
reached the very bottom OF nus
she met him by chance
On the coast. Gradually she ac-
his regeneration ana
shortly after they were married
She was intensely religious and
through her magnificent faiti1,
Smith found his ambition ana
courage renewed. Timidly, ne
went back to gO1. His shots
had deserted him, but under the
spur, he found the courage 20
make the long uphill climb. Fl
naIly he entered competltlon ana
from the start he was the Mac
Smith of old.
In every tournament he has
in since that time,
proud figure stands on the out
skirts of the gallery, roofing MIN
home. It is Mrs. smith.
Today he stands on the threshold
Of . championship he could have
had for the asking fifteen years
go. And when the firing begins
~ Worcester, Mrs. Mac" Smith
will be out on the course some
where. following his progress with
enarklinp eyes and an anxious
'aThe golden spring when he was
king,
still exists for her, and for her sake,
we hope he wins.
However, there is more than sem
tinent to gclf, and championships
are won on something more tangible
than emotional displays. 1t is be-
cause Smith is a rare mechanical
golfer that he Is favored to lead the
pack at Worcester.
He is one Of the great stylists
Of golf. His swing Is pure rhythm.
Hagen and Leo Diegel and Sara
ZEN, while great golfers are slash z
ers. pure and simple. They hit
the ball at q tremendous physical :
cost.
Smith depends upon perfect tim
ing for results. The contrast be-
tween Smith and Hagen is the con.
trast between Ty Cobb and Babe
Ruth.
another factor which sets Smith
apaFt from the field is that he uses
longer and heavier wooden clubs
than any entry in the champion
ship. His wooden clubs weigh about
16 ounces AMI are about As inches
in length. Hagen, Jones and the
rest use wooden clubs weighing 13
or 13h ounces and about AZ or 43
inches long.
Through the use of longer,
heavier clubs, Smith gains an i'm.
portant amount of leverage that
results in added ya1dage from the
tee and through the greens. In
the hands Of another golfer, these
long. heavy clubs would be disas.
trous. but Smiths perfect timing
enables him to attain maximum
results with a minimum of effort.
Hagen and Bobby Jones loom as
his most formidable rivals at Wor,
cester. This pair can't be disre
garded in any championship fore
cast. Both are wonderful golfers
under pressure and both have the
shots. Hagen is without doubt the
greatest putter in the game, and IL