Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-06
NEITHER APPEARS
WILLING TO WIN It
Each Has Title in Grasp
in Marathon PIay-off
to Continue Today.

championship, but you wouldn't
think George Won Elm and Billy
Burke cared a hang about wear
ing the open crown, judging by
the way they are booting it
around out here in Ohio. They
are in there again today in an
other 36-hole play-off for the title
a lot of other guys would like to
have, setting all sorts of golf
precedent and trying hard.
To date the net results of their strug-
giles over the last two days has been a
tie. They battled SO holes to another
tie in a scheduled 36-hole play-of yes
terday, which now stretches cut 20 p
holes And at the end of that 36-hole
play-off George Won Elm got another
birdie on the eighteenth hole of the his
toric old Inverness golf course and
again there was tie for the champion
ship. If they go on like this we'd bet
TER break out the Winter clothes. but
most Of the boys predict they'll get out
Of the trenches by Christmas If they
don't break the tie today they may as
well put on a brother act call them
both champions and send them out over
the country touring under the colors OF
the United States Golf Association as
twin American open golf champions.
IT'S all right TO say that never before
i has such a thing happened as a IL
hole play-off for tine open cham
pionship The real truth of this scrap
at Inverness is that neither Billy Burke
nor George Won Elm cares boot about
winning. At least, you wouldn't thlnK
30 If you looked at the way they tossed
the ball around that last nine holes OF
tine 36-hole play-off yesterday, and
aratn ended in the inevitable tie. New
ertheless, they are out there To-Day,
starting at 10 am. and pm. play.
ing for the national endurance golt
championship.
Billy Burke. the American born Pole
Who strengthened his wrists and got his
tough determination as puddlers as
sistant in an iron mill at Bridgeport,
Conn, had the championship all locked
I'D and sewed in at the twenty-fourth
hole of the play-off yesterday. At that
point he led by four shots. Then George
Won Elm, the blond tiger from Cali
fornia and Detroit. stepped in and told
Mr. Burke where to get of by shooting
four brides in a row at him. And after
the boys came out of the furry OF
brides and squared away for the f1nal
nine Mr.. Won Elm had picked up six
shots on the Pole and was two strokes
in the lead facing the last nine. Up
to that sixth hole Burke had the cham
pionship all bedded down. And after
Ton Elm ended his hot streak he had
the championship all laid away, leading
by two shots with nine holes to go.
Now you wouldn't think any man in
the world could spot George Won Elm
a tvo-stroke lead with nine holes to go
and catch him. But that is what Billy
Burke did, and. furthermore, he picked
them all up and went into the lead
within six holes. Then Burke had the
championship all laid away on the six
tenth green.
TT was that kind of play-off, quite
i the weirdest exhibition of in-again.
out-again golf we ever have seen.
Some one remarked that the boys were
out there shooting craps for the title.
And that is just what it looked like.
But had Billy Burke holed the 4-footer
he missed at the sixteenth he would
today be the open golf champion Of the
United States. And, as the cards finally
lay, had George Won Elm holed the
Shooter he missed at the seventeenth
cannot tell about these things.
The first round Of the play-of was
merely a warm-up for the boys. They
got around in 10 and IS. with Burke
leading by two shots. George picked
up one Of them at the first hole of
the afternoon round when Burke half
topped his iron second and got to
Won Elms 4. But then it became
Georges turn to look like a dub golfer,
he fad frrn of he
hole and Burke picked up two shots
with a against Won Elms 4. They
split the third and Won Elm picked up
a shot at the fourth, only to lose two
more at the fifth, where he fought
his way to the green via the rough, and
took s. At that point Burke led by
four shots and looked like sure win
ner. But Burkes tee shot at the sixth
hit tree and George started his run
of brides with 8 and whitfield of
Burkes lead
Won Elm scored his second birdie
by canning a 1o-footer at the seventh
while Burke was putting the green,
and they were all even within the
short space of two holes. Then George,
still coming strong and looking like
a champion, holed a 40-footer for his
third birdie at the short eighth, while
Burke blew 4-footer for par 8, and
got down good puts for birdie As at
the ninth, and Won Elm was two
strokes in the lead with nine to 60.
At the tenth he hooked his second
shot and lost a stroke, leaving HIM
in the lead. They halved the eleventh
and twelfth in par and Burke stuck up
a great iron shot feet from the pin
at the fourteenth to get his birdie 8
and square when Won Elm's 20-footerr
trimmed the cup: So they were all
even facing the fifteenth or thirty third
hole. And here Won Elm made the
tee shot and third shot that should
have cost him the championship and
didn't. He pushed his ball into the
rough so deep he had to blast 1t out
with niblick. Playing safe to avoid
the ditch which crosses the fairWay,
he dumped his third shot into trap
and finally got down in 6, while Burke
took a 5 to go into a l-stroke lead.
GO they came to the sixteenth, where
y the ex-ironworker blew the putt
that may cost him the title. Here
they both spanked out fine tee shots
and Burke knocked his second shot
within feet of the pin. Won Elm
barely missed. Then Burke stepped up
to the 4-footer. If he holed 1t he would
have a 2-stroke lead with two holes to
60. enough to bring him home the win
ner. He forgot to hit the ball, and it
didn't go up to the hole. The seven
tenth was much the same. with the
situation reversed. Here Billy pushed
his second shot to the rough at the
right of the green, while Won Elm
banged a great iron shot to within
feet of the pin, leaving him a straight
uphill putt for birdie. Burke Clipped
down 8 feet away and holed the putt
for a par 4, and George obliged by
missing the putt that would have
squared.
They stood on the thirty-sixth tee
with Burke leading by a shot. Won