The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-03-05

creed or political leanings.
In these parts this event Is peIlg
rointed to, with boisterouS pride, not
so much because it is the rlchest
professional tournament in history
as that 1t tops the California open
in It's monetary aspects, the latter
event offering only scant $lO'ooo'
y y It
While the State may not be
what it was back in the boom
days when even the Negro gentle
men in the streets could change a
quarter for you, so fluent was the
currency, its position in regard
to California remains as 1t always
was.
THE surprise is that the boys
voted to top the California total
by only $4,000. Generally when they
step out to demonstrate their CIVIC
superiority, or whatever the issue Is
between the two States, they operate
on a double or nothing basis. Maybe
the money situation here is tighter
than anybody cares to admit.
Still, $4,000 is a lot of money Tor
the pros, even if It Is just nickels
and dimes to the Tunney's ana
Ruth's, the most important go1
tournament in the world is the pro-
fessional open, and the winner there
gets considerably less than $1,000.
There are probably twenty minor
tournaments that pay the boys
plenty more than their greatest
championship offers.
Practically all the big leaguers OF
the game will compete in the local
battle, including Tommy Armour,
present holder Of the open cham
pionship. So far, efforts to induce
Walter Hagen to compete have
failed, and he happens to be the one
golfer who is most wanted.
n II
Although the Rochester Dutch
man no longer is the golf genius
he once was, he still is the most
glamorOus figure among the pros,
and they know it.
y =
TTAGEN is the show man OF the
II links. He has made more
money out Of golf than any flve
players in the game. No champion
has succeeded in capitalizing his
skill and personality to anything
like the extent Hagen has.
Hagen hasn't held the title for
years, yet he has consistently out
drawn the title-holders in exhibition
matches played to a paid gate.
There's a dash and daring to his
play that catches the golf gallerys
imagination Also his reputation as
a fighter in the tight spots has built
him UP into something Of miracle
worker.
Like Dempsey, winning or losing,
Hagen puts on a good show. The
local promoters will be disappointed
if he doesn't compete. But if he
doesn't they can console themselves
with the knowledge that he didn't
compete In the California Open
either. This will be something.
= =
The tournament will be played
over what probably is the most
unusual golf course in he country.
Five years ago it was a wide ex-
panse Of water backwaSh from the
bay. Carl G.. Fisher, the resort
city builder, decided it would make
a nice spot for a golf course, SO he
ordered the land reclaimed.
t. =
CAPTAIN H. E. G. TTPPETS, well
~ known English gold architect,
was called In, and was told to go
ahead and build a golf course and
stop at nothing. In those days stop
ping at nothing was a native char
acteristic hereabouts.
The Captain had good break TO
begin with. There we're no undulat-
ing bills, towering trees and racing
creeks to disturb his constructive
plans.
To be specific, he took the dimen-
sions of the acreage on which the
course was to be built and made a
clay model of the entire layout.
Even before the water had been
pumped from the boglands, the Cap
tain had completed in exact detail
the course as it was later to appear
It cost $250,000 to reclaim the land,
another $250,000 to landscape it and
$125,000 to build the club house. 1t
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