Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-30
BY WALTER r. McCALLUM.

~ TRANCE things happen in golf.
AS, for example, in two big tour
naments within week the sur
prising paradox has been Wit
messed of a supposedly poor put
ter uncorking an unbeatable putting
streak, while the stronger putter sud-
denly has gone haywire on the greens
far enough to lose the match.
It happened in the final Of the wom-
ems championship of the Middle Az
lartic Golf Association, where Mrs. j.
N. Hodges, theoretically mediocre put
ter. suddenly found her putting against
Mrs Dorothy White Nicolson and beat
her almost unaided by the magic in her
putting blade. And it happened again
Yesterday when j. Monro Hunter. the
tall Indian Spring professional. who Is
one of the very best putters in the game
with a stroke that is smoothneSs itself,
suddenly completely lost his putting
touch, while Bob Barnett, who Is an
ordinary putter, outStead1ed the 1nolan
Spring mentor to beat him Tor the
match play championship of the Middle
Atlantic Professional Golfers Assocla-
ton.
Barnett Beats Spencer.
Most golf matches are decided on the
greens. And this truism never was
better borne out than in yesterdays
final between Barnett and Hunter at
the Suburban Country Club OF Balti-
more. Barnett had taken the measure
of the mighty hitting Glenn Spencer
the day before, registering a rs over
the first round, while Hunter had shot
a IL to take a commanding lead over
Alex Taylor of HagerstoWn: Natura4!y,
in the face of such dlnerehce III
scoring, Hunter was the favorlte: buC
early in the match yesterday HunIer
found himself unable to hole the wee
NUTS while the persistent Barnett OUT
putted the supposedly better man
around the greens. On five occasions
over the first 10 holes of the 36-noIe
final did Hunter miss puts OF louT
feet and less. And Barnett did not miss
a single putt of this length. Inc up
shot of the first round was that par
nett went to lunch with 2-hole Ieau'
And in the afternoon 1t was mucn
the same story. For on the very nrse
hole Hunter threw away a great VEG
shot by pitching short of the green ana
then blowing another easy putt for the
half in 4 when he might have mao
2. The Indian Spring pro won tne
second and third holes and nnaliy
squared the match at the NTH by moi
ing a 25-footer for a birdie 3. But a.
the next hole along came that eVn
ink of the short putt to put MN In
the rear once again. This Time ne
missed putt of barely IL incnes an III
length on the slippery green. And after
halving the seventh it appeared he
would lose the short eighth, for ne put
his tee shot into a bunker, put
magnificent explosion shot got MIN
half. Barnett won the ninth when
Hunter put his tee shot into the tennis
courts out of bounds and the little
fighter from Chevy Chase retained his
tWo-hole margin. But Hunter got
great half at the tenth, and won the
eleventh when Barnett played his sec
! ond shot far TO the right and then
blew a putt for a half. And Hunter
squared at the thirteenth, where Barnett
shanked his second shot.
Then came the putting let down on
the part of one of the best putters IN
the business. Barnett laid chip shot
Hunter conceded him the putt, leaving
himself a putt about 4 feet in length
for the half He struck the ball firmly
and 10 hit the back OF the cup and
| Tipped out Barnett was up with
| to play. The fifteenth hole saw the
same thing happen. Hunter made q
/ bold bid for birdie 3 and the ball
ran feet past the cup. Barnett had
! 15-footer for birdie, but missed.
Then Hunter blew the wee enc for the
half the ball again hitting the edge
of the cup and Tipping out.
Barnett now was up with 3 TO
play, and he never has hit better
| iron shot than he hit to the l70-yard
sixteenth. The ball landed just short
of the pin and rolled 10 feet past.
Hunter also hit a beauty, but at the
end Of Its flight 1t hooked q tribe and