Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-09
WALTER
HAGEN
II AL S
1T OVER
BY WALTER HAGEN.
tAmerican Professional Golf Champion. the
Only PLAYER TO Win Both American and
British Open Championships Twice.


Only PLAYER TO Win Both American and
British Open Championships Twice.
Between puffs of his pipe, holding
the solid gold Ryder cup just before
delivering it TO America, Ted Ray,
captain of the British team, told the
crowd about the home green at the
| Worcester Country Club that the
| American professionals. as team,
were the greatest putters the world
ever had seen.
Putting was a most important fac
tor in our victory over the British
at Worcester, and putting will be
big factor in the American open
| championship to be played at the
Oakmont Club. in Pittsburgh, next
week. The British were hole shy"
on the greens at Worcester. They
appeared to be afraid of the hole and
failed to hit the ball firmly at the
cup.
l remember that in Britain last
Summer a London writer complained
to me because all American golfers
ever thought about was figures or,
being translated. getting the ban into
the hole in the least possible number
of strokes. lie did not think the
British concentrated quite as hard as
our boys in an effort to get the ball
into the hole, and said he was aston
lshed at the manner in which our
men stood up TO long putts-just as
II they expected to hole the ball from
practically any distance.
This London writer said our BOYS
were out for brides and We're linking
OF brides, whereas a par figure
seemed to satisfy the British players
Punch Is the Thing.
/ have heard many comments that
British pugilists are boxers. and that
Americans are hitters-hard hitters-
trying TO put over knockout punch.
Perfect boxing form and perfect golf
ing form both are nice to watch. but
think that for results the punch il
the thing. both in golf and pugilism.
The American Ryder Cup team have
all been trained in our school. which
teaches them to keep hitting that ball
at the hole from all angles and dis.
tances.
MY thought in this particular has
been that if / keep everlasting4y al il.
hitting the ball at the cup, trying to
hole them all, a percentage of puts
will drop. and this has been nv eXperi
ence over number of years in which
| have had my share Of long ones
tumble into the cup. Golf pars are
based on the theory that a PLAYER
does well to average two puts to a
green, and while this is q high stand.
ard, it is not enough,
L realize that q golfer who can get
around is holes and average two
puts TO the green has done well, but
as most medal-play tournaments are
being won with better than par fig.
ures, two puts to the green NAV be
perfect golf, but it is not good enough
to win. And those of us who must
make a business of winning have to
concentrate on something better than
the generally accepted two puts per
green. More strokes off par are saved
on the greens than anywhere else.
Always Seeking Brides.
This is important, because we have
in mind the desire to obtain a birdie,
which is especially good for us when
playing shots to the green. If par
was uppermoSt in our thoughts, all
that would interest us would be hit
ting the ball somewhere on the green.
knowing that two puts would give us
the par. But with brides in view we
naturally are trying to get that ball
as close to the pin as possible, to
make the first putt easier. If the
shot does go wrong and. the ball nm
shes a long way from the cup, there
is no reason why we should not at
least be ambitious and try to hole
with the next stroke.
Spectators were very much amused
at me at Lytham and st. Anne's last
Summer in the British open, when,
needing to hole a 140-yard mashie
shot to tie for first at the last hole,
sent my caddy ahead, to remove the
flag from the cup. Well, it may have
looked silly, but stranger things have
happened at golf than 14O-yard
mashie shot being holed, and that was
the only chance / had. So though /
might as well get the stage all set,
even if the act didn't come off. 1t
didn't. but it might have, and at any
rate 1 had the satisfaction of giving
the ball rap at the hole.
The spirit which dictates the great
desire for brides was displayed by a
negro golf professional when the
negro open championship was played
last Summer in Boston, with 35 play
eps from IA cities entered. One Of the
favorites was going good. He started