The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-07-11
TALKING
IT OVER
BY JoE WILLIAMS

- most hendish invention trem-
bled violently in a seizure Of jan
Cling chimes. and at the other end
Of the line the throaty voice Of Mr..
Jack Doyle, the sage Of Broadway,
barked out:
@sav. l. this dope right what you got
In 4our uzpsr about those bookies out in
Minneapolis Offering only 3 70 5 against
Bobby Jones winning The open? Well.
veil. n Il is. all I gotta say Is that those
bookies out there aren't giving themselves
any the worst Of IT."
MR. DOYLE. who ought to know.
w professional wagering being
his racket. says that the price
against Jones should be no shorter
than 4 to /, which it develops is the
price Mr.. Doyle laid him at for the
boys at the Winged Foot course last
summer.
= AAaAA = ~ AAN1 " = EA4E vi NAN
And after what happened I was just as
happy ! didn't. though you gotta admit
that when a golfer shoots a 20 over kss
last round and then Is low enough to tie
for the open championship Of America he
is plenty lucky.
Most of the boys vent for Horton smith
against whom / laid is to ! to win. s 70 3
% place and 20 snow / even gave
s II a s9 9es. A. han han f % i %IEs BgI lsssS at S. :
one Of the sharpshooters who played Smith
four ways"
A S I see it, the point Mr.. Doyle
"A wishes to make is that most of
the boys figured Smith at IS to l
a better chance than Jones at 4 to /.
1t so happened the boys we're wrong,
as they usually are, when they try
their luck against odds carefully
contrived on the law Of averages
by the professional layer.
Mr.. Doyle tells YOU the price against
Jones winning the open and the amateur
in his native land this year should be no
shorter than 20 to 1. cat first glance
these odds look very attractive and ! have
no doubt that IL they we're offered there
would be a rush Of customers that would
knock you right of your stool. But study
the situation and you will agree the odds
are not out Of line"
For purposes Of controversy Mr.; DOYLE
assumes you have wagered $40 at ( TO / on
the result. To get to the finals in the
cmneAFW lines nHmEN NAV NnTnUnn nEn
matches. M. Doyle feels that it is rea-
sonable to lay s2.5o to 81 against eath Of
Jones opponents.
"A short price to be sure" admits Mr.
Doyle. "but then anything can happen in
one golf match and Ave times as much can
happen in i've Of them. particularly when
the first two are limited TO eighteen holes,
a distance at which Jones has never felt
comfortable"
A LII right, Jones goes ahead and
IA wins each Of his five matches
and ultimately adds the amateur to
the open he has alphabetically Won.
What do you collect on the $40 par
lay? Exactly 5000. And what would
have been the odds against Jones
WA1lllAAtb tic l6O DAAtAoll NAldAAAPAOAA-
ships as well as their American
counterparts at the start of the sea-
SOM
eff Jones was I to 1 in each Of the
tournaments. and that's shaving the price
closer than II ought 10 be even against
him. q straight pariay would show the
odds 70 be about 500 to =" answered Mr..
Doyle. Would he lay that kind Of odds?
No. but he would be as liberal as Lloyds.
And what did the English commissioners
oner7 All OF forty TO one. And legitimate
" the odds figure 500 to /! You can sec
vhz. chance a sucker has got. Isn't that
right Mr.-Hey, there central. you must
have cut US of.
= = =
Certainly 8 to 5 against even so con-
nstent q winner as Jones Is ridiculous in
an open championship where anything can
happen and there are from ten to nfteen
headlinerS eager to see that II does The
truth is Jones entered the tournament
Thursday facing the hardest task assigned
TO any champion in sport. Eighteen years
ago Johnny McDermott won his second sue
cessive open championship but since 1917
no golfer has succeeded IN winning TWO
oren titles in q row.