Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-26
SUCCESS IN SOUTH
/! IS BOON FOR GENE
Regains His Old Swing and
Rivals Mark Made by
Horton Smith.
N TOT since Horton Smith
M burned up the bunkered
landscape two Winters ago

4 landscape TWO winters ago
with q par-shattering burst
Of victories In a large group OF
Southern tournaments has any
competitor been so Overwhelming
ly outstanding in Winter competi-
ton as has little Gene Sarazen,
the unaffiliated Italian-American,
who has Just won first prize Of
$4,000 in the La Gorce open, and
has rosy dreams of succeeding
Bobby Jones as the open cham
pion.
Starting his campign last Fall over
at Woodholme, near Baltimore, where
he cleaned up the best Of the local field
to win the Middle Atlantic open title,
Gene has romped through field after
held. picking up the dollars where they
lay and packing away enough money to
assure him q comfortable season on the
links even If he does not win another
tourney, which Is not at all likely.
Straightens Tee Shot.
Gene has been tinker1ng with his swing
for nearly nine years now. Back in
1922 he won the open championship
with q great last round of SO to nose
out Bobby Jones and old John Black.
And that year Gene-always on the
watch to better htnSelf-got an idea
that he might straighten out his swing
to get away from the hook that had
cost him few matches. He went to
England in 1923 and there he learned
Cor thought he learned) that he must
play the ball from left to right to get
anywhere. So he went to work to learn
the shot with little fade at the end.
Ever since, until last year, Gene has
been struggling to get back in the old
groove, picking up tournament here
and there, but not doing as well as he
thought he ought to do. Now he has
the old swing back, but he has modified
his old slug from the tee and no longer
do his tee shots go wandering of into
the rough on the left as they used to
do when he tried to hit one hard.
With the realization that he can
knock EN- far and straight has come
back the peak of the confidence that
Gene lacked to make him open cham
pion again. He always had plenty of
confidence, but it seemed that he was
Is q lad whistling In the woods to keep
the DOGGY man away. With Gene it
was that apparent confidence that
lacked the driving punch Of 1922. But
now SaraZen has his old stroke back,
and judged by the way he has gone
rampaging through the Florida tourna-
ments he Is due to win lot Of North
ern events this year and possibly the
national.
Has Proper Physique.
Gene has the stocky, sturdy build to
stand lot of golf. It takes that to
win tournaments. In build he and
Jones are much alike. Both are built
close to the ground, and both have
ample power and stamina to stand the
long grind Of a tfree-day grueling
medal play tournament. The North
and South open. which starts at Pine
hurst tomorrow, and the Southeastern
open ct atlanta next week will give
Sarazen his last two chances to clean
I'D in the Winter League.
The stocky little ex-caddie has won
about everything in the way of profess
sional events around Miami this year,
with the exception Of the international
four ball, where he and John Farrell
took It on the chin at the hands Of
Willie MacFarlane and Whify Cox. But
where Gene has been mixed up In in
dividual golf he has proven that the
Sarazen Of 1922 and 1928 Is on the
comeback trail. It looks like his year
to howl.
Meanwhile, Horton Smith, the bright
younEster OF 1928, Is in eclipse. It must
be n temporary eclipse, for no player
with the capabilities Of the Joplin youth
can stay under cloud for long. He is
too good to remain out OF the lead
over any considerable stretch. Smith
cleaned up almost everything in the
South IN the Winter of 1929 and
then came North to win exactly moth
ing. Sarazen has won about every
thing In the South to date this Winter
Is he Winter golfer only, or will he
go on to win the big tournaments in
the North?