The Washington times., 1930-11-20
ON Thin
ICE WHILE
AMATEUR
By NAN OREnLY


Bobbie Jones. Professional
blferl Looks strange, doesn't it?
For the worlds greatest shot
aker, considered the purest OF
rnon-pures, the man who ranks
ead and shoulders above all
nksmen, has amazed the golfing
orld by publicly announcing his
btermination to,openly capitalize
he game he plays so well.
And Bobby is no piker. The
ory is that he is going to collect
me quarter of a million dollars
b IL one-reel talkies' q fabulous
mount even in movie circles
here they talk in telephone num-
ers. If Jones has made any such
eal as that, he is to be congratu-
tied; for balanced against $780,
DO, what's an amateur standing?
Jones knows, better than any
Dlfer living. what a farce anna
eurism is under the present con-
ltionS.
BY making a deal with the
Warner Brothers, Bob proved
himself q smart young busi-
ness man by quitting the
game while he is at his peak,
with four major titles in his
possession.
For who knows what will hap
len in a years time? Although
he public considers Bob an anna
EUR above reproach and resents
my implication that there are
everal blots on his escutcheon,
|ones recognizes the truth about
himself. He knows how often he
las skated on thin ice and just
low much money he has made
hut of his golf in one way and
mother.
There is, for instance, that lit
le real estate proposition in 1925,
rhere he and Tommy Armour
canned up to represent Sarasota
nd sell lots in Florida.
That was BOb's first
"Overt" act as Bernard Shaw
would say, and it was fol-
lowed by that exhibition
match with Walter Hagen
which caused the u. s. G. A.
| to frOWn on all future anna
teur-and-prO meetings.
That $4,000 house that Jones
,uilt in Atlanta didn't help any,
md the powers-that-be, to say
lothing of newspaper criticism,
orced Bob to make the grand
.eSture Of returning the check
,ronto. But Dame Rumor hath
t, truly or not, that the house
5 now recorded in the name of
FRS. Robert T. Jones, Jr., and no
ne could object to that, now,
ould they?
There's the matched set of
lubS, initiated "R. T. j." sold in
soston during the national am
.teuA in 1927 the cheap, paper
overed, so book of instructions;
he syndicated articles; the spec
81 car to California, and the
ecent circular letter from Scot
and sent to the pros in this
ountry, soliciting orders for "R.
:. j." clubs. Put them all to-
ether, they spell commercialism,
of the stamp Of ap-
Droval by the U. S. G. A.
But Jones knows the U. s.
c.. A. does strange things,
. and even if he is their big
. drawing card and their
white-haired boy, there are
certain facts that even IN
autOcratic association can't
,flaunt in the face Of the
public.
Jones, in his statement, says:
~ am not certain that the
itep I am taking, is, in a strict
enSe, a violation of the amateur
'ule."
In plain words, that's hooey.
Bobby knows, or should know, as
lawyer, how far he can go, and
le went that far before he fcl-
owed George Won Elm's example
nd threw his cap over the fence.
7 The U. S. G.. A. kicked Francis
0uimet out of amateur golf in
he days when he was the Bobby
tones Of his time; they barred
Walter Travis and George Won
Elm. and Mary Browne and
Johnny Dawson-So even a Jones
nay not be exempt! If the U.
J. G.. A. were ever forced to the
duty of expelling Bob
rom the ranks, his amateur
handing wouldn't be worth
Slugged nickel; today it's worth
j cool quarter of million. Cham
cups are all right, but
money pays for little Clara's
hoes.
To get down to business, Jones'
,ig appeal to the Warner Broth
RS is as a great public character,
md for that reason, if for no
Dther, I predict the Dixie golfer
vill be out in the heat of Inver-
less on July 4 of next year.
The movie people didn't sign
i'm because of his overwhelming
/. A., or because he looked like
ralentino; his name went on the
Iotted line because he is the
reatest living sportsman and has
tremendous box-office appeal.
II Jones competed at Inverness
s q professional among profes-
ionals, what a stampede he
Tould cause!