Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-19
|MER|ON FEAT BEST,
FREDDIE DECLARES
Tells of a Play by Roland
Squaring Won Elm Match
on 36th Hole.
BY w. r. McCALLUM.

III really great golf shots he
~ has seen Freddie Mcleod,
pro at Columbia, simply is
unable to make up his mind which
Is the greatest.
But when you casually mention
Roland MacKenzie's shot on the
thirty-Sixt hole of his match
with George Won Elm at Merton
Cricket Club, in 1924, the little
Scots eyes glow with fatherly
pride, his face beams and he de-
clares: There, without any ques-
ton, is the greatest golf shot that
ever was made"
Now Freddie has seen them all-the
long procession of them, from Jones and
Hagen, down through the Anderson
brothers of two-score years back, the
lSmith brothers, Of whom Macdonald Is
the outstanding modern competitor;
Johnny McDermott, Vardon, Ray,
Mitchell and all the giants of the past
and present. And from all the shots
that he has seen in the fierce heat OF
man-to-man combat, he picks out that
shot made by Roland Mackenzie more
than six years ago as 'the greatest golt
shot ever made"
TT just happens that Roland was litar-
i ally brought I'D at Freddie McLeod'S
knee. That the Columbia youngster
imbibed most of his knowledge of the
game from the "little doctor" of Colum-
bia. Had Roland been the pupil OF any
other professional Freddie would be just
as quick TO give his unqualified COM
mendation of the shot.
And right here Freddie lets us in on
the secret Of why Roland went so strong
for the birdie on the first extra hole
tAat he three-putted the green and lost
the match. ROLAND had had four
straight IS on the long second hole, "
Freddie said. HE wanted to end the
match quick, for he was afraid OF the
second hole, and he went so strong for
his 8 that he missed the one coming
back"
The great shot of Tommy Armour in
1927 to tie for the open championship.
Tommy's great mashie niblick shot at the
seventeenth hole in the play-of against
Harry Cooper. Bobby Cruickshanks
great iron shot and putt to tie Bob
Hagen on the thirty-eighth hole at Pei
ham in 1928. Jones' iron shot to win
the 1926 open, his putt to tie at Winged
Foot last year. All these great shots
pale alongside that Of Roland against
Won Elm In 1924, In McLeod's opinion.
And Freddie has seen them all come
and 90.
WE saw the shot, and agree with
w Freddie that it is the greatest golf
: shot under the circumstances we
ever have seen. But let Freddie tell the
yarn.
consider the situation" Freddie said.
ireland had qualified in the champion
ship for thu first time, Just kid up in
the big tire, and his second appear
ance In the amateur championship.
Won Elm shot a II against him in the
morning and had him Z down at noon.
Tt looked like an early exit for Roland
by something like 10 down. And when
he lost the fourth hole In the afternoon
and became 8 down, it apparently was
"But then something happened. I was
watching another match and I heard
that George had slipped a little and
that Roland was picking up q hole or
two. I caught them at the fourteenth,
where Roland had gained back five OF
the eight-hele deficit and was only
3 down. And I saw George miss a
1-footer to halve the fourteenth.
Finally, they batt1ed down the seven
teenth to halve it in 3, after Roland
had won the sixteenth, and Roland
was dormie / down with the honor.
The last hole at Merton Is a great
finishing hole. Woods on the left,
bunkers on the right, and in those days
the green was tightly trapped. The back
tee at the eighteenth required a fairly
long carry over the quarry, and Roland
skied his tee shot trying to knock 1t
down within q masl1ie shot Of the green.
Won Elm hit q fine tee shot out to the