Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-07

back again at the snort thirteenth.
where he was trapped, and Won Elm
missed a 10-footer for 2.
That's the way 1t went all day. F1rst
one and then the other went into the
lead, but no one could get far enough
in front to hold it. A..
Burke picked up the stroke that
finally won him the championship at
the fourteenth, which he played in par
4. while Won Elm lost a shot gettlng
out of the rough to take ouzzaro o.
They halved the fifteenth In par As,
with Burke getting down curling =
footer. And then came that si LS,Aes I'm
the hole that twice cost Won Elm tne
championship Here he struck hlgn
iron Shot Is feet past the. pin. Burke
putted from the short edge OF the green
and nearly holed his 3, getting down
in 4. Trying to pick up that stroke
deficit with a birdie Won Elm putteo
2la feet past the hole and missed the
putt. He was two strokes down Win
two holes to go.
Sensing victory, Burke rif1ed tee
shot down the seventeenth fairWay ana.
taking no chances, played deliberately
to be short of the pin, leaving him an
uphill putt. George had to take the
chance of a downhill putt, and he
blazed a magnific+n Mt iron shot to with
in 8 feet of the pin. Burke nearly
holed his 20-footer and was down IN
4. Won Elm played too much slope
and barely brushed by the cup, getting
down in also.
So they went to the eighteenth with
Burke two shots in front. Both smacked
fine tee shots down the fairway, and
Burke, careful not to repeat his mis-
take Of the morning round, knocked his
mashie niblick pitch 80 feet past the
pin. 1t was almost sure 4. Just as
Hagen did in the British open several
years back, George knew he needed
: to tie.
Tries to Sink His Pitch.
He had to hole a pitch from IS yards
away. He asked Robert Cutting, vice
president of the United States Golf AS
ISOLATION, to hold the pin, and while
the biggest crowd OF the tournament
looked on Cutting walked up to the
flag That was a picture. Out there
on that Ohio hillside were 1000 folks.
Up on the club house porch were two
broadcasting set-ups, carrying the news
to millions Of people all over the land.
But Georges dramatic shot did not
come anywhere near the hole. He over
pitched by SO feet and was also of line.
He made brave bid for his birdie 3,
but the ball barely missed the hole
Burke putted boldly and overran by S
feet. Won Elm holed his fourth shot
and Burke missed his 4, but still the
championship was his by a stroke.
The guy who used to be an iron pud-
dler's assistant back in Connecticut
was the national open golf champion Of
the United States.
They showed microphones into the
hands of both contestants, and both
mumbled few words, Burke happy
and tired and Won Elm detected and
beaten.
What a pair of game guys they we're.
They took plenty of beating yesterday
from an unruly crowd and a hot sun.
and they put on the gamest and finest
exhibition of golf ever have seen I'M
der the conditions. When you play for
$50. 1000, you can't forget it.
The analysis of the final 18 holes
shows that Won Elm missed 4 puts
of 4 feet or less. One Of them was not
as long as his putter shaft, the one
that cost him the championship. Burke
holed a 3o-putter and did not miss a
morning round. The old punch still
counts, and the guy who can knock
EN- in the hole Is the winner.
Play Raggedly in Morning.
Plainly cracking under the tremen-
douS nerve strain, their puts going
astray and their tee shots going into
the rough, both contestants put on a
most ragged exhibition of golf in the
morning round. The putting was the
worst that ever has been seen In one
of these play-offs. Burke missed half
dozen puts of 4 feet or less, while Won
Elm topped off the exhibition by blow
ing one of less than 10 inches. This
came at the eighth hole, where they
were even, and then Burke blew a
3-footer to 60 into the lead.
Won Elm went into an early lead, but
Burke soon knocked it down, and they
were out in 81 for Burke and 38 for
Won Elm. Burke had brace of IS on
the inward journey, while Won Elm
took a on the par thirteenth. The
comedy or errors brought them 20 the
home hole all even in strokes, but Burke
fiubbed a mashie niblick pitch and
took a S. enabling Won Elm to win the
hole and 60 to lunch / stroke in the
lead with rs against II.
The round was the worst Burke has
played in the last Is rounds of golf in
Ohio, and he took his first of the
tournament on the second hole. Appar-
emily he liked them, for he took more
en the last nine.