Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-06

and George Won Elm this far
In advance is the haunting ap-
proach Of the two 18-hole
matches that must be surmounted on
the first day of match play.
Neither is bothered In the slightest
over the thought of qualifying among
| the first 80. Both are quite willing to
take the full risk of any 36-hole test.
But these forced shorter marches turn
into another song.
Jones 1ust slipped through three of
them by margins thinner than the seq
ment of q toy balloon. He beat Dick
Jones Just one hole at Baltusrol by
boiling good putt, where Dick missed
shorter one. Mccarthy almost had
Minikahda, being 2 up and to play,
and Rae Gorton carried him to the
nineteenth hole at Braeburn.
Won Eln's 16-hole career has been
even more depressing. Ellsworth Au-
gustus almost nailed him in the first
round at Baltusrol. Then Harry Legg
stopped him at Minikahda and Ducky
Yates checked him out at Braeburn.
Quite naturally after these some
what somber and melancholy cpl
sodes you won't find Jones and Won
Elm, the two stars of the champion
ship, cheering for the shorter hikes.
Yet these two 1S-hole matches carry
most of the action of the championship.
1t is here that most of the drama is
lodged, that most of the excitement
takes place. 1t might be argued that
golf championships are not arranged
for drama and excitement, but to find
golfer must be able to sprint as well
as to jog. Having perhaps the better
swing, he must also be able to adjust
his nervous system to the Job at hand.
He must make himself, II possible, face
the assignment that demands action
from the jump.
The Other Side Of the Debate.
~ ERNARD DARWIN, the able golf
- has the following interesting
1.-The question of 36-hole matches,
though 1t has lain more or less dor
mant for some time, is not new one,
either, nor are the arguments on either
side. It may be that my view of hui
man nature is lamentably low one,
but cannot help feeling that the de-
sire for 36-hole match springs too
often from the smart of recent defeat.
Everybody has at some time or other
lost a match as to which he has felt
that If it could have gone on longer
he would have won 1t. Everybody has
| felt q sudden Qualm of nervousness In
confronting on some more or less I'M
portant occasion o player whom he
usually can beat. These sentiments are
not only to be discerned In the breasts
of champions; 1t Is one of the glorious
privileges of the humblest Of us that
we share them with champions; they
are eminently human; they are not too
harshly to be condemned: but cannot,
| for the life of me, see that they are
admirable or deserve any great measure
of practical sympathy.
"A few of these surprising de-
featS of the mighty undoubtedly
/ come from the humble player over
whelming his adversary under an
irresistible avalanche of IS, but this
| is not the common case. Far more
often the big man gets bad start,
is given chances to retrieve 1t and Is
not sufficiently master Of himself to
take them.
eff he knew that he had plenty Of
time in which to recover from his
alarms he would not be alarmed, but I
am not convinced that he should be
pandered to on that account. There Is
not one of us who In his own limited
sphere has not a greater reputation
than somebody else. When we meet
| that somebody 1t Is good for US to be
reminded that the match Is not to be
decided by reputation; the ball 'maun
be hit"
The All-Round Test.
THE British have 1s-hole matches
up to the final round. But the
l. present arrangement OF the
| United States Golf Association provides
the best all-round test that golf offers.
First there is the test of medal play
| in the 36-hole medal round. Then
| there is the test of a golfers ability to
swing into action from the start, which
is more of a test Of nerve control and
adopting the right mental attitude than
anything else. -
After this the remaining golfers have
their shot at the longer routes over
the double round.
The golfer who can survive all three
tests has proved his place beyond any
argument.
To have the qualifying rounds
| and then the entire show at SO holes
extends the tournament beyond all
| bounds. It becomes tireSome affair
! with little action. There is certainly
no thrill for player or spectator in
an afternoon where one Of the play
ers is 6, z or 8 down In hopeless
| spot.
There Is no reason why the better
and stronger golfers can't hit their top
| pace from the first hole. The better
golfer ought to win at IS holes just
the same as at SO, if only he starts with
the right mental attitude-that of vast
| ing no time in swinging under way.
This possibly isn't as simple as 1t
sounds, but it is the main solution OF
the better players problem.
The test at Pebble Beach is quite
| severe, especially in the way of certain
carries against the wind. The harder
the test the better chance the stronger
entry has, for the weaker golfer can't
depend so much upon putting luck and
the run of the greens. He has to get
these first. Upsets may happen, but
this also is big part Of the game.
- Avoid
.*'ALOPECIA