Evening star., 1934-01-14
AMATEURS HELPED
|. BY MORE MATCHES
Revised System Paves Way
to 'Iusets in National
Crown Events.
BY LAWRENCE PERRY.

Nj SA6 eSSAS A&eAASA
l y carefully, the only persons
have been able to find
who deprecate the change in the
plan of holding the national anna
teur golf tournament are fogies,
young and old, fundamentally
opposed to innovations Of any
sort-and players who are better
at medal play than match play.
As to the fogies, they may be inter-
ested to know that the new scheme u
not such a novelty as they think. It
was, as a fact, employed 30 years ago,
worked very well and why 1t was aban-
doned Is not clear.
Players who oppose the change have
q more personal, hence q more legitt-
mate reason for their attitude.
It is q fact long demonstrated in
tournaments that some golfers are bet
ter at medal play than at match play:
They prefer to play against pencil
In match play. So they have liked the
medal play phases of the national
amateur.
Others do much better in match play
and thus will get Q better break under
the new system. Johnny Goodman OF
Omaha, for instance, Is at his best
against human opponent. Take his
victory in the open last year in asso-
ciation with the fact that the 1882
amateur was the only one In which he
has made strong showing.
Jerry Travers and Jess SweetSer, 70
name two notable examples, we're grand
in match play and not so good at medal
play. And SO 1t goes.
Match Play Was Restricted.
4 s THE amateur has worked out
~ under the plan now abandoned. or
4 specifically as it worked out last
year, some 500 golfers entered the sec.
tional tests held IN some 20 districts
throughout the country. Medal play
obtained.
The number In these qualifying tests
was cut down to 100 golfers eligible for
the main tourney. This number, Of
course, had to be reduced and this was
done in two days Of qualifying rounds
still ON the basis Of medal play.
With the number of golfers dtmin.
ished to 80, as q result Of two days Of
play, it Is clear that Of all the lead
ing amateurs in the country only this
number had any chance at all to test
their skill in match play.
In other words, more than 30 per
cent Of our players never got chance
at match play. In this percentage were
included last year two Of our greatest
golfers, Francis Ouimet and Don Moe,
neither of whom got by the sectional
qualifying rounds. Moe, In truth, has
not got by the sectional tests In the
past two years and so has had no ex-
perience of match play IN national
competition, If any.
Sets Stage for UpsetS.
VYyHAT will now happen Is that
w - national amateur will more
closely suggest the British anna
teV which has never had any medal
qualifying rounds. every man coming
into the championship having q chance
at match play on the basis of 18 holes
until the final match at 36.
Our plan differs from the British In
that We will have the two semi-nnals
and the final at So and the rest at Is.
This means there will be occasional up
start who gets lead Of three or four
holes may not be overtaken by a moro
gifted and better known player in the
course Of Is holes
But If this serves to overthrow some
idol, 1t cuts both ways, inasmuch as IL
gives the upstart chance to emerge
by no means an undesirable occurrence.
Certainly, the 18-hole sections Of the
program will insure nippier competition
than under the old 36-hole arrangement
and if upsets did occur what, may ask,
, Is more thrilling in sport than an upset?
All this medal play at 36 holes now
eliminated was designed to make golf .
more precise game in its results, where
Z fha fart ic that f~. ~.
nature cannot be as precise as some
would like to have it.
Here you have 120 acres of land,
topography varying with every link you
play on, and over this expanse you have
to propel a very small ball with various
ungainly implements. Breaks, chances
Of various sorts, of course, creep In. You
cannot keep them out. And who
wants to?