Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-09-22
SPEEDS HIS PLAY
UNDER PRESSURE
Golf Champion Makes Most
of Every Opportunity,
Jones Observes.
BY BOBBY JONES,
Former Emperor of Golf.

Despite the confusion of the first
few days when the procession of 10
hole matches seemed endless, the anna
teur championship at Cleveland now
stands out as one of the most inter-
esting Of recent years. Certainly the
display of golf the last two days was
worth going long way to see.
The tournament was dominated by
one man, Johnny Goodman, in the
semi-final, and Walter Emery, in the
final, pushed Lawson Little closely
enough to make these matches ex-
tremely interesting. Had Little allowed
his game to slip even ever so slightly
against either he must inevitably have
been beaten.
That he did not suffer any such
lapse, and because he has been able
consistently t. answer every challenge
with something little better than has
been flung at him are the chief rea-
sons for his winning 81 consecutive
matches.
Impressive as his scoring was, for
five days Emery had matched it. But
on the sixth day ii was Emery and
not Little who fell away.
When Goodman hauled Little back
on Friday afternoon. the latter re-
sponded by playing the last eight holes
of the match in 5 under par.
When Emery held him even through
the first ID, he found himself forced
to match 5-under-par score in the
afternoon. One can hardly be blamed
for wondering how such player can
be beaten.
Length of Tee Counts.
T TITLES driving has been more
~ glowingly publicized than any
other part of his game. Although
Emery said that it was his opponents
putting rather than his tee shots that
broke his heart, it is still difficult to
over-value such length with control.
For Little the spar holes were only
big tWo-shotters. and on the others
he rarely had more than a long pitch
left. 1t is quite true, as Emery said,
that there is little advantage in play
ing a No. against the other mans
No. T.
But when this relation continues
through an entire match, the cumula-
tive effect is important. The differ.
ence may be so small as to be negli-
gible in one or two instances, but
somewhere, some time it is likely to
mean a stroke and hole, and this
NAV be enough.
OF course. Titles length would
mean little if he we're not straight, or
if the rest of his game was not good
enough to enc BILE him to capitalize his
driving. That he must also be flne
iron player and a great putter is eve
dent.
Why Little Wins.
RUT, as I said before the tournas
- ment and see no reason now to
take it back. his greatest asset is his
ability to hold his concentration upon
shot after shot through a tournament
week.
Emery, Goodman. and a few others
can play every type OF shot that Little
or any one else can play. But Little
can keep on playing them just a bit
longer than any amateur in the game
today. And this is why he wins.
Every time one allows his concen-
tration to slip he loses back what q
birdie has gained.
When Goodman hit his tee shot of
the course on the twenty eighth hole
he did so because his concentration
had been shaken by Little's 2 at the
ninth. And this was the break in the
match.
1t is a plain fact that Little, better
than any one else, is able to resist
these influences.