Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-03
M'LEOD |SPULL|NG
FOR FELLOW SCOT
Carnoustie Native, Hard-Luck
Champion, Finally May
Land Major Title.

I try Club there sits today
~ a little, red-faced Scot,
his hand close to a tele-
phone and his mind across the
seas, 5000 miles away, on the
wind-swept links Of Carnoustie,
where Freddie Mcleod, the little
golf doctor" of the big Columbia
membership, is hoping that his
friend, Macdonald Smith, the
Carnoustie lad, will come through
to win the British open champion
ship.
Smiths phenomenal play in the quail
flying rounds for the British open has
more than a moderate amount of in
terest for quite group of Washing
tonians who saw Mac" Smith perform
here in the Bobby Jones benefit match
for Bobby McWatt last September
They still remember the unselfish way
in which Mac" waved aside all offers
OF expense money, came here from New
York, played through intense heat and
binding rain and said after the match,
Il vas glad to do it for Bobby and for
my friend Freddie Mcleod Give Bobby
McWatt all the money. He needs It,"
That's the kind Of guy Macdonald
Smith Is. He has been through the fire
OF human emotions, through the muir
derous test of war, has fought his way
to the top Of practically all the minor
championships in this country and
abroad: is acknowledged to be one of
the six greatest golfers in the world.
And yet he never has won either the
open championship of Great Britain
his homeland-cr Of the United States
his adopted country, where he is a
citizen.
Victim Of Bad Breaks.
Freddie Mcleod sat close to the tele-
phone today in the golf shop at Co
lumbia, awaiting the word that would
tell whether his bosom friend had got
ten of TO flying start in the cham
pionship proper as he did in the quail
flying rounds. For many years Freddie
Mcleod has predicted victory in major
title event for Mac" Smith and always
he has been disappointed.
why is it." Freddie asks, that he
always finds some one who is a stroke
or two less than he is? And he always
get the worst Of the breaks"
Freddie has followed Mac" from the
day the youngster from CarnouStie
landed on these shores, back in 1909.
He saw him tie with his uncle Alex
Smith for the open championship in
1910 and lose to the uncle in the play
of. That is the closest Mac" Smith
he's come to winning a national cham
pionship, even though he twice has had
the title of this country in his grasp
and even has had closer clutch on
the British open.
Every one who has followed golf for
any length Of time remembers how fate
knocked the British open out of Smiths
hands back in 1926 when he had what
apparently was a Strangle hold on the
championship. But has any one ever
heard a squawk from Mac" as to the
unwieldy crowds and unsatisfactory
method of handling that cost him the
championship? Not from Mac, for he
Is not a squawker.
In Scotland they have only now got
ten around to the idea Of charging an
admission fee to see major champion
ships. and the crowd at PreStwick that
day, unhindered by the gallery marshals
and the cloying thought of that So
badge they would have been forced to
buy in this country, fatally hampered
his chances BY treir attentions.
AS We recalle the tournament he
"cS 4dl OlG Ill ~IlJ Vi Ills llGiI, UStu-
ing only IS on a fairly easy course
20 win Something like $4,000 people,
turned out from nearby Glasgow and
c-ose-bv towns to see a fellow Scot
bring home the bacon. They literally
killed Mac" Smith by kindness. On
many holes he had to fire shots over
their heads toward an unseen flag, re-
lying on his knowledge of the holes to
get his ball up close. The upshot of
the whole thing was that he took 80 for
the last round and Jim Barnes coast
ed in with total Of 300 to win.
Was Bobby Jones' Shadow.
Last year, it will be recalled. Smith
was Bobby Jones shadow in both major
open championships, while the rotund
Georgian was putting over the grand
slam" In both the American and
British open title events the scion of
the Jones family whipped the offshoot
OF the Smith family by single shot
or two. In two national title events
only three strokes separated them. And
what might have happened had Bobby
Jones taken three puts at Interlachen
instead of knocking in the 40 footer
that won him the championship on
the seventy-second green?
But 1891 is another year. MAC"
Smith has been at Carnoustie for six
weeks practic'ng just to win the cham
pionship which really started today He
has more than an outside chance. for
this year there is no Bobby Jones in
there to pit his wizardry against the
best the pros can do.
And not only Freddie Mcleod, but a
host of other friends of Smith in the
National Capital of his adopted country
are pulling for Smith to win his first
national championship. Freddie Nc
Leod may have his ear to the phone,
but there are lots of Scots and plain
American folks who will be in there
pulling for the champion without a
title to become a national titleholder
before the years take their inevitable
toll, says Freddie of Mac" Smith. IF
he wins the world will have seen the
greatest swinger and the finest hitter of