Evening star., 1932-12-10
AGREE THESE TWO
/. TOP PAID PLAYERS
Success of Both Due to Toh
In Adverse Weather In
Printing for Tests.
BY WALTER r. McCALLUM.

IIIH the proposed three
N/ cornered match for the
Y Y worlds professional golf
championship apparent
ly having fallen through, there's
plenty of argument going on these
days In golf shops throughout the
length and breadth of the Nation
as to the leading professional of
the year.
From Aqua Caliente a few weeks ann
came feeler proposing that olin Dutra.
Gene Sarazen and Bobby Jones meet
in three-cornered match for the world
title. All 1t needed was the assent Of
Jones and Sarazen, and none of thesa
players made any gesture toward Ac-
cepting the challenge, so 1t probably
VIII not be played If the challenge
had been accepted there would have
been fanfare of publicity and Aqua
Caliente and its accompanying ventures
would have reaped headlines thereby.
Jones is sticking close to business In
Atlanta, and Sarazen is at Miami, where
ne Is on the staff at the Miami-Bilt-
more, latest Of the Florida resorts to
DO a comeback, what with Henry Z,
Donerty's millions behind 1t and the
loea OF a Florida Year Round Club"
being pushed in the public prints.
Among the better informed pros YOU
cant nnd any unanimity of opinion as
to which Is the better player-Sarazen
or Dutra. Some hold with the swarthy
caballero from California, and Others
string along with the equally swarthv
little New Yorker. In their one great
meeting spot this year Sarazen came
OUT on top, putting on a great last
round to win the open Championship
at FRESH Meadow, when 1t seemed that
Dutra had 1t all bottled up. Dutra won
the metropolitan open and the P. G. A.
In neither OF which Sarazen competed.
RUT there isn't any question that
- these two top the PROFESSIONAL
this year, Sarazen with the Amer
ican and British open CHAMPIONSHIPS
safely tucked away. and Dutra with
the p. G. A. and the Met" title. And
strangely enough. their methods of
training for the bigger Championships
this year were similar in every respect.
Long before Gene went abroad for the
British open, he deliberately chose the
worst weather in which to practice,
knowing that the well known fickleness
OF the British climate might find him
both.
Day after day, in Florida and around
New York Gene went out under the
worst weather conditions he could find
and practiced diligently with all his
clubs. That is exactly what Dutra did
out on the Pacific Coast. Brentwood.
near Los Angeles. is not far from the
Pacific Ocean, where the West winds
come roaring in of the water, ana
Dutra chose the days when conditions
were at their worst to do the bulk Of
his practicing. Weather conditions did
not daunt them, for those days Of
practice had prepared them for any
thing the weather I'm could produce
in the way OF nasty conditions.
A NYWHERE you go you can find an
"A argument as to the better of the
pair, but the general consensus
among the pros seems to be that Dutra
has little something on Sarazen. They
point out that Gene won his American
open over a course which he had played
steadily for three years as the resident
professional, course on which he knew
every shot under all conditions The
way the wind blew up there at Fresh
Meadow for the first two days was a
severe test for the training which
Sarazen and Dutra had undergone In
their practice sessions. But 1t paid
dividends.
Have you heard the story OF how
Dutra lost half a grand $500 to you)
by quarter-inch of grass. 1t all hap
pened out near Chicago last August,
according to Francis J. Powers, man
ager OF the p. G. A. Tournament Bu-
-reau. Albert D. Lasker of Chicago who
used to be in Washington when Presi-
dent Harding was leading the golf
parade over local courses, maintains a
private golf course up on the exclusive
North Shore. This course measures
around 1000 yards in length and Is
said to be holy terror on which to
score.
I ASKER, it is said, humbles all the
IL pros by inviting them out to bust
the par of 10 on this layout, and
has standing offer of $500 to any
man who can perform the feat. He
invited Dutra out to play the golf course
one day and Olin, true to form, was
well on his way to do that very thing
and collect the half grand. The main
drama centered around the sixteenth
hole, dog-leg affair with a tricky
green to reach. Here Dutra failed to
quite get on the green with his second
shot. He needed a bird here to crack
20. And his chip shot ran I'D to the
edge OF the hole, looked in and then
curled away, failing to drop by a mere
quarter inch. He went on to score 10.
That quarter inch Of greensward robbed
the caballero of the $500.
Next year Dutra will come East again
to play in the big tournaments, notably
the open championship at Chicago.
That duel between the Californian and
Sarazen will be great one to watch,
Tor at present 1t appears that Dutra
Will not be in the East and South for
the Winter tournaments, and Sarazen In
going to stick around In Florida this
Winter.
THE early issue of the Pinehurst
L Outlook, official magazine Of Pine
hurst, gives the recent Midsouth
open lot of space, but fails to give
al Houghton more than a casual mem
ton, although Houghton tied with
Henry Picard and AL Watrous for the
individual title. The yarn describing
the open gives a lot of credit to Erie
Ball and Picard, but Houghton is
barely mentioned. They will hear more
about Houghton In the future, If he
continues to improve as he has done
over the past year.