Evening star., 1928-05-13

was In the stands at Forest Hills watch
ing her girlhood idol go down to defeat
before Helen Wills in the finals Of the
tennis tournament.
Then fate took a hand. It arrayed
Gienna Collett against Miss Browne In
the semi-final round Of the national
golf championship at Providence. Nat
urally Glenna. at that time on the crest
Of her game and with a national title
behind her. wanted to win. Nothing
else could have given her the same sat
isfied thrill and sense of achievement
that would have been hers had she de-
feated her girlhood idol In their first
meeting on the links.
But Miss Browne was an indomitable
golfer, and this duel between the two
tennis players turned golfers Is listed
as one of the most dramatic and SEN
sational In the 30-year history OF wom-
ans golf In this country.
The match went to the nineteenth
hole. There Miss Brownies ball hit a
tree and detected toward the green,
rolling to within 20 feet OF the cup.
Glenna's putt stopped dead just a few
inches from the cup. Miss Browne
coolly tried her 20-foot putt. The ball
vent wide OF the cup hit Glennas sta.
tionary ball, caromed off-and dropped
into the cup. winning the match
OF such things are championships
decidcd-~and champions tested
k
CINCE that discouraging defeat Miss
~ Collett has been both favored and
neglected by Lady Luck. More than 81
titles and championships are now listed
to her name. With Miss Joyce Weth-
cred. the great English golfer, retired
from championship play. Glenna Col
lett is the brightest star In the firma-
ment of woman's golf. Her most for
midable rival for the American woman's
title this year Is Miss virginia van
VIE. the sensational l9-year-old Chicago
girl who had been winning titles right
and left In the Southern tournaments
until she was defeated In the East Coast
championships by Miss Collett. These
two sterling golfers have met four
times and are now even up with two
victories and two defeats.
The one person who has followed Just
behind her throughout those long years
of tournament play has been her
mother. just as 1t was her father who
first saw the championship possibilities
In his l4-year-old daughter and saw
that she got the instruction and prac-
tice 10 develop her natural ability to
the fullest, SO II has been her mother
who has stayed by her side In the trying
ordeals OF championship matches
cheering her alike In victory and defeat
When the tournament opens at Hun
stanton tomorrow you will find Mrs
Collett IN the gallery again, Just behind
Glenna, watching her daughters every
move. her every mannerism. She was
there three years ago when Glenna lost
her sensational match 10 Joyce Weth-
cred at Truon In her first attempt to
lit the British crown. And she was
Just behind her daughter In 1921 when
Glenna, just l7-year.old girl then,
faced her first real test against tSe
great English players In her match w..A
Cecil Leitch
At the end of the sixteenth hole
ulenna sank a treaeherous putt which
made her up and 2 to so, she
reached the green Of the seventeenth
hole One little shot would winl II
was a moment Of quiet control, Seem
ingly without nerves and cool under
the stress of tournament play, she non
ehalantly dropped the putt and won the
match,
But the strain was too much for her.
Suddenly blinded with nervous tears.
she turned and reached for her
mothers shoulder, THAT was the only
time In her career that 0lenna Coilett
has shown any emotion ON the links.
and no doubt II Ia the only time she
ever will, even should she win she
coveted English title this week,
Outwardly dlennas nature Ia apen
and democratic, hut ON the links she
has developed calm detachment,
She has not the poker face" ot
Helen Wills, but she resembles the
tennis champion In many other ways
Both girls are demure and unnhtrilsive,
both are retirent and retiring by
nature The bland eNpressionless faces
which they wear IN competition conceal
threbhlng emotions and highly strung