Evening star., 1931-06-24

event OF the year in golf, and
tournament that this year
lacking the presence of the one and
only Bobby Jones, Is sure to be packed
and charged with a drama that has
been missing over the past decade
This year the pros Will have no Jones
complex. They will 60 out to shoot the
works, knowing that of in the dim
distance somewhere there will be nc
Bobby Jones plowing along to catch
them at the home hole. The open
pionship-one of the great dra-
matte moments Of American sport
and no Jones in there with a better
chance than any other man in the
field. What tournament that will
be out there over the tree-bordered
fairways Of Inverness, where Ted Ray
wrote golf history IL years ago-the
last invader from England to win our
open title.
Three Washington golfers are going
to Toledo to try for the open cham
pionship and all Of them have one
thought only in mind. This is that
four rounds Of 73 will come fairly close
to winning. For the history of the
open Is crammed with stories Of IA
nous "blow-ups." OF men who should
have won the title by several shots
but blew on the third or fourth round.
The competitor who goes to Toledo
and shoots himself a quartet of 73s
will be pretty close to winning with
his 292 total.
A. L. |Houghton, pro at the Kenwood
Country Club. is to be the vanguard
Of the local invaders. Houghton will
leave Washington by automobile for
Toledo next Saturday or Sunday. j.
Monro Hunter of Indian Spring and
Fred Mcleod of Columbia, the other
two local qualiders, plan to leave the
Capital by train Monday night, arriv-
ing in Toledo in time for two days
Of practice before the opening of the
big show the morning Of Thursday.
July 2.
WHAT chance have the Washington
w entrants to go anywhere in the
open? To be perfectly honest,
not one of them has more than an out
side chance to win, and the odds
against any of them finishing in the
first 10 are large. When you gather to-
gether the cream Of the golfers Of the
world, all shooting at a pot of gold
which may total up to 5000, with
the monetary rewards that 60 to the
winner after he has won, the chances
OF any individual are small. Not that
Houghton, Hunter and Mcleod are not
fine golfers, capable Of performing well
in any field. They are fine golfers, but
playing and winning local tournaments
Is a far different thing from winning
a national. Nevertheless, it Is q fine
thing for Washington to be represented
by three such fine players as the three
who will 60 to Toledo next week to
play for the national championship. II
one of them goes out and shoots him
self four 73s he will not be so far away.
But it is that round Of 78 or 30 or
worse that. ruins any competitor. II
they can keep away from IS they are
bound TO do well. All Of them are tax
ing the championship very seriously
and one of them may do well.
ITO any man who has not played in q
i lot of big tournaments the job of
holding his game together through
four rounds of championship play Is a
far different task than that of the men
who have been playing in many big
events. He may have a good round or
two and then his game may fall apart.
With the men who have been under
fire all Winter and Spring it is differ
ent, for they are toughened under the
frequent tests and know what they have
to do. Furthermore, the Washington
entrants have not been playing a great
deal of golf. Freddie Mcleod, for ex-
ample, has played exactly three rounds
of golf in the past two weeks. For
the balance of this week he will play
frequently, but the playing Of golf, to
him. is incidental to his main job-that
of giving lessons. The same thing ap-
plies to Hunter, who is the working
pro at Indian Spring and only plays
golf once, and sometimes twice, week.
Houghton probably plays more golf
than either of the others, but even he
this year. When you compare their
jobs with those of the touring pros
who are playing every day, you can see
why they have only a slim chance to
60 anywhere. You can't win national
championships working at bench or
teaching toiling buffers how to swing
out there under broiling sun.
ENTRIES for the competition for the
II Herald Golf Trophy closed this
afternoon with Mrs. Frank K.
Keefer, president of the District Wom-
ems Association. A few post entries
will be accepted late today if telephoned
Immediately to Mrs. Keefer. The tour
ney will be played on Friday over the
Chevy Chase course and is to be at Ii
holes medal play, with handicaps up
to IS to count.