Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-19
ABOUT $4,000 WON
BY BUSINESS MAN
Aqua CaIiente Split With
Golden Puts $6, $50 in
Georges Pocket.
BY FRANCIS J. POWERS.

| ~ January 19.-Golf Is a pay
~ ing business when a fellow
can hew par as well as
George Won Elm. The former
United States amateur champion,
who instituted a new class Of golf
erS when he resigned from the
amateur ranks in September, now
is the big money winner of the
Winter season.
According to unofficial returns, Won
Elm has collected approximately $l2,-
900 since he became a business man
golfer, and that is no mean income in
these days of economic tightness.
Won Elm profited to the extent of
$3.50 in the Aqua Caliente open, after
| tying with John Golden and then
losing to the Connecticut professional
in the play-off, 70 to rs. The contest
ants in the play-off elected to split the
combined first and second money that
totaled $13.500. so Golden now ranks
second to Won Elm among the money
winers of the Winter season.
Won Elm Profits Elsewhere.
Won Elm also profited from the Salt
Lake and San Francisco tournaments
and, in addition. is drawing q nice re
| tainer from a prominent manufacturer
of golf equipment.
With numerous tournaments still to
be played, the Utah blonde has an ex-
cellent chance to become the big money
winner of the Winter which evolves
| few cheers from the professionals, for
in his position of a business man golfer,
Won Elm Is sort of hybrid, neither
professional nor amateur.
The Aqua Caliente prize was the sec
ond money ever won by Golden He got
$4,000 in the Southern open in 1928.
John has been one of the best profess
sional players for several years and par
ticipated in two Ryder Cup matches,
but never was rated among the leading
winers on the Winter circuit. He came
well on to his game at Aqua Caliente
and headed some of the best profess
SIGNALS in the sport.
Golden, with 1913, led the Aqua
Caliente field for two rounds, but on
the third he surrendered the lead to
Witty Cox of Brooklyn, when his putt
ing touch went wrong. He came back
on the final round, when Cox and Ed
Dudley began shooting wildly, to score
IA and tie Won Elm, who had q IL:
In the play-oH he maintained q steady
pace to defeat Won Elm, rs to 70.
| W.
for he is of the short, stocky type of
player, who well has been dubbed the
h"Joe Savoldi of golf"
Won Elm as Good a. He Puts.
Were Won Elm's putting more sound,
he unquestionably would be one of the
best in the game. When he is putting
well, few can manufacture more bril-
liant scores. But when his work on
the green fails, he is just one Of the
field.
Won Elm putted himself out Of the
Los Angeles open after starting with
par, breaking a 68, and at Aqua
Caliente he led off with rounds of "a
73-75. But on the final march, when
the field was well punched and the
/ going rough. he showed his real skill
to score II.
Both Golden and Won Elm missed
many fine chances for clear claim to
the $4,000 first prize. Golden, in the
fourth round, lost two strokes to par
on the fourth, where he took six imme-
diately after consuming a four on the
short third. Then he reeled off two
brides in row, but the lost strokes
messed up his own fortunes when he
took three puts from within Is feet
on the thirteenth and hit wild masfie
shot on the fourteenth.
On the paay-off Won Elms putting
again was off color, and while Golden
did not play nearly as fine golf as in
the first four rounds, he managed to
head the former amateur without any
worry. But for beating George he OBJ
tanned only glory and no additional
cash.
Breaks Into Money.
Horton Smith, who finished second
in the 1889 Aqua Caliente open, was
third this year, due to the tie, and col
lected $4,000. The Dutra brothers, Olin
and Mortie, who tied for third place
last year, were all square with scores
of 296, but shared the money with Ed
Dudley of Wilmington, Del, and Clar-
ence Clark of Tulsa, Okla. So each Of
the four received $1,012,50 for four
days labor.
WHY Cox, with victory at his cali.
blew up on the fourth round and tied
with Leo Diegel at 297 and received
smaller cut in the cash.
The play throughout the $4,000 Los
Angeles and $4,000 Aqua Caliente
opens had all of the Sensationalism OF
a national championship. In both
tournaments the final round found sew
eral players with chance for victory.
and in the final analysis 1t was the
fellow with the best putting touch who
won.
Ed Dudley putted sensationally at Los
Angeles, and here it was the work Of
Golden and Won Elm on the greens in
the crucial rounds that won them the
big purses.
The professionals now return to Los
Angeles, where they will prepare for
the motion picture industry match play
tourney, in which the gate receipts go
to charity. After that the brigade will
head for Texas and points East.
Leading Winners.
The leading money winners Of the
Aqua Caliente tournament
Johnny Golden, Noroton,
conn. ................ <SS-So,IoU
George Won Elm, Los
Angeles .............. 2s3-s6,75O
Horton Smith, New York $3.50, 600
Ed Dudley, Wilmington,
Del. .................. 1861, O12.50
Olin Dutra, Santa Monica,
Calf. ................2 1851, o12.5o
Mortie Dutra, Long
Beach, Calf. ........ .2e6-$1, ol2.5o
Clarence Clark, Tulsa,
Okla. ................ 1861. o12.50
Leo Diegel Aqua Caliente,
Mexico ............. 297-$635
Witty Cox, Brooklyn. 297-$625
Gene Sarazen, New York. 298-$500
Walter Hagen, Detroit. 298-$50o