Evening star., 1931-06-25
COURSE, NEW BALL
HARD FOR BRITISH
Visitors Not Likely to Have
Cotton-Duncan Is Out of
T'rim-Same Line-upS.
BY ALAN GOULD.

~OLUMBUS, Ohio, June 25.-
The balloon ball goes up for
~ an international trial to-
morrow in one of the big
gest golfing shows of 1931-the
Ryder Cup matches between teams
of homebred British and American
professionals.
Capt. Walter Hagen's forces,
completed only after Densmore
Shute had beaten Frank Walsh
at the ninetieth hole of the COM
petition for the tenth and last
place, will carry the home colorS
into battle as favoriteS to win
the two-day competition over the
rugged layout of the Scioto Coun-
try Club.
The Americans, whether they like the
diversified ball or not have the advan-
tage of greater familiarity with it plus
the confidence of being on home soil
and the fact that the British likely will
start without the services of one OF
their best professionals, Henry Cotton,
and with another seasoned campaigner,
George Duncan, in poor condltlon.
Find Course Troublesome.
The invaders, led by Capt. Charles
Whitcombe, have found Scioto an eX-
/ ceedingly troublesome battle-ground, in
addition to manifeSting a marked preju-
dice against the American ball. They
have confidence, nevertheless, In their
team strength and the record OF having
beaten their rivals in two of the three
1903
first of these affairs was not for the
Ryder Cup, however, so that this is the
third series for the trophy, won by the
Americans at Worcester in 1927, by the
British at Moortown in 1929.
Cotton'S arrival in Columbus revived
rumors that laSt-minute measures would
result in his inclusion on the team, de-
spite his previous refusal 10 play De.
cause of the restrictions imposed. Fred
Pignon, manager of the British team,
declared no changes were contemplated.
Choose Players Today.
The rival captains, after q good deal
Of iockeying and maSter-minding, were
slated to pick their line-upS today Tor
the four Scotch foursomes Friday and
the eight singles contests Saturday, all
to be over the 36-hole route.
Hagen hopes to settle an old feud
with Duncan if the latter is drawn for
the singles The 47-year-old Br1ton,
dean of the invaders, has never lost
singles match in the international pro
battles. Twice he has conquered Hagen,
the last time by the lopsided margin
Of 10 and 8.
for q place on the American team
may mean the benching OF Horton
Smith or Craig Wood.
The expectation was that Hagen
would pair his men in the foursomes
as follows: Gene Sarazen and Johnny
Farrell, Leo Diegel and AL Espinosa,
Hagen and Witty Cox, Densmore Shute
and Billie Burke.
Sarazen, Diegel, Farrell and Hagen
are veterans of all the Ryder Cup COM
petition. Cox, Shute and Burke won
places in the homebred ranks for the
first time.
The probable British pairings for to-
morrow based upon the way they nooKeo
up in final practice rounds: CharleS
Whitcombe and sgd Easterbrook. APE
Mitchell and Fred Robson, Ernest Whit
conbe and Bert Hodson, Archie Comp
ston and Billie Davies One OF these
pairs may be replaced by Duncan and
Arthur Havers, but 1t appeared llKey
these two would be reserved Tor the
singles.
older group, averaging close to 40 years
of age. The Americans are nearer the
3O-year mark on the average. Duncan,
Al. is the Oldest and HodSon, 20, the
youngest of the invaders. Hagen, SO,
and Horton Smith, 49, represent the eX-
tremes of age and youth on the Amerl-
can side.
While the competitors had a day OF
rest today, the newspaper men, critics,
artists and journalistic associates waged
a nrivate war labeled the Johnny
Walker Cup" tournament. Nearly three
score were entered for this preliminary
battle with the bunkers.
The British-Am forces will be
the guests of honor tonight at civic
banquet