Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-14


Washington Golf and Country Club
golf committee, continues to inn
i prove his aolf game as he has for
the last two months, since the doc
tors who have been In constant attend
ance on him for year permitted him
to play, the tournaments next year will
have a new and a strong competitor.
Suffering from a serious illness for 10
months, during most Of which time he
was abed. Paxton began playing golf
about eight weeks ago and his meta
morphosis from mediocre golfer to one
who can hold his own with the best in
the Washington Club is remarkable.
In his youth Paxton was q skillful
amateur wrestler. He held several well
terweight amateur titles and was looked
upon as one of the toughest little men
in the amateur mat game In this part
of the country. From his wrestling he
developed strong shoulder and back
muscles. Then he took up golf and the
muscles that we're such an aid to him
in wrestling became worse than useless
to him as a golfer. With his unusual
strength, It would not have been sur
prising had he developed into tie
rnendous hitter, but. like some athletes
who go In for the more strenuous sports.
he was too strong. For years he SUI
tered from q severe slice and he was
what we would call q short hitter. A
fine putter and a good iron player, ne
still could not score because he lacked
distance from the tee.
But during the illness which now Is
past, those stiff muscles lost their rigid
ity, and became loose, and today Paxton
is hitting the ball as far as any man
at Washington, with the possible eX-
ception Of the very longest hitters. His
game on the average has improved by
from 8 to 10 strokes round, and he is
always around 80 and frequently below.
He has had several scores between 10
and 80 recently over the Soggy course.
He attributes his improvement to the
fact that he can now take a cut at
the golf ball without feeling that
muscular pull which cut down his dis
lance in other years, and today he Is
may or may not point to this moral: If
you want to improve your golf game
have a serious siege of illness and then
take it up again without any precon-
ceived notions of how the swing should
be made. Be that as it may, Fred Pax
ton today Is a very much. improved
golfer, and If the improvement con-
tinues he will be formidable tourna-
ment competitor next year. Somewhat
Mackenzie two years ago. Mackenzie
was i'll for time, and when he came
back to the game the quality of his golf
mad improved.
Little Fred McIeod of Columbia still
is the king pin of the local professional
brigade when they essay the tournament
test on the sand green's at PinehurSt.
Freddie won the North and South open
at the Carolina resort back in 1920 and
always has had fondness for the Pine
hurst brand of golf. He showed it in
convincing fashion again yesterday
when he led the local contingent in the
Midsouth open with 36-hole card of
las, which enabled him to tie for sixth
place in the tourney with Jack Forester
and John Farrell, and placed him at the
forefront of the Washington entrants,
six strokes in front of j. Monro Hunter
of Indian Spring, Alex Armour of Con-
gressional and A. l.. Houghton of
Harper. all Of whom carded Isl for the
twin round test.
Little Gene Larkin of Chevy Chase,
whom some of the pros believe is the
best prospect in professional golf about
Washington, had fine 70 for the open
ing round of the tourney, but jumped
to 30 in the afternoon for a total of
152. McLeod's rounds were IS and 20.
Arthur B. Thorn of the Town and
Country Club carded rs and II for