Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-08

II Willing had been holding the
same clip he had shown all week
he would have had the champion
ship locked up at the ninth green
against such scoring. But he was
only 2 up. 49,.
IN some ways I think the big turn
of the match came at the 180-yard
twelfth hole. Willing was 3 up and he
laid a long iron 5 or s feet from the
cup. Johnston reached the green and
got his 3, but Willing had his putt to
be 4 up. He. barely missed and the
expression of relief that came over
tory. The st. Paul star only had 3
holes in par when he reached the ninth
this morning. But after the tenth hole
he played the next Is holes in 3 over
par. over one of the most trying match
play courses in the history of golf.
Johnston was 3 down coming to the
sixteenth this morning and he then
won the sixteenth and seventeenth
holes. His play on the eighteenth, one
of the sensational features of the cham
pionship, will be described later.
Ragged at the Start.
Just before starting the afternoon
round 1 asked Johnston how he felt
about the last 18 holes. II was terribly
ragged at the start" he said, land I
don't think I ever played worse golf.
But l was lucky to be only down
when I was out in 43. After that I
suddenly felt my swing come back. I
knew I would be an entirely different
golfer and I wasn't worried about the
result. I know Willing is fine golfer
and I may not win, but at least know
there will be a good fight"
After webbing badly at the start,
Johnston played the course in even par
from the eleventh through the eigh-
tenth. The day was warm and Steamy.
The sun came through the fog and 1t
was hot enough to bake. pretzels. The
gallery, a Far Western gallery, was all
for Johnston. When he began to come
from behind and make his fight the
applause began to grow in volume.
Willing was serious and grim. john
ston was serious without a touch of
grimness and the gallery sensed this
difference.
The turn of the match came at the
first hole in the afternoon. johnson
sliced his tee shot to the right. He
was partially stymied by two Monterey
pines. His ball was 10 to IL yards
back of the pines and he had less than
tation he took the chance where he
should have used a rife and the ball
slipped through this narrow space to
find its way into open territory. He
missed the green but he won the hole
to square the match.
It was daring chance, a chance
that only confident golfer could have
taken. There was the sign that new
champion, one who had been behind
all day, was about to take over the
crown that Bobby Jones had won in
four Of the last five years.
Nerves Had Disappeared.
His morning touch of nerves had dis
appeared. His old swing had returned,
a swing governed by smoothness and
power He was back hitting the ball
as it should be hit. The two struggle
on even terms for the next two holes
and then the st. Paul star took the
lead for the first time on the twenty
second green. Here he became one
up, the first time he had seen the
light all day.
You could sense the fact that new
champion was on his way from this
point on. He became two up at the
short hole and the turn of the battle
came at the 480-yard sixth where
Johnston missed his second coming up
over the hill with the Pacific on beyond
and he then laid his 140-yard approach
three feet from the cup to win with
a birdie four.
That was the blow that killed Willing,
with all his hard fighting And 1t hap