Evening star., 1936-03-30
Winter Golf Jaur'ts "Whip" Pros
.L|TTLEN0W SEEKS
!. i. s. OPEN CROWN
Foregoes Defense of British
Amateur Title to Vie
With Pros Here.
By the Associated Press.

6s tue ASSOCletcO fICoc.
UGUSTA, Ga, March 3d.
~ Having mopped up the anna
~ teur fields at home and abroad
4 for two straight years, it
seems altogether logical to william
Lawson Little, jr., to seek faster COM
pany and turn his big golf1ng guns
in the direction of open competition
this Spring.
He's definitely decidedly, he said to-
day, to pass up defense Of the British
amateur crown so that he can COM
pete in the American open at Bal
tusrol, N. j., early in June. The CAL
ifornian and his bride hope to take a
belated honeymoon trip to England SO
that he can make a second bid for the
British open crown, but this is only
q possibility.
Here for his second start in the
Augusta national invitation tourna-
ment, in which he finished sixth last
year with 288. the amateur kings
prospective plan of campaign doesn't
necessarily mean Q) that he has be-
come bored with the monotony of
conquests among the simon-pures or
(O that he has reached any decision
as to the opportunities to be derived
from turning business man" golfer.
Future Plans Undecided.
CINCE he registered two little slams"
- in amateur competition. there
have been recurrent reports that the
Californian contemplated making a
career Of the game. Unquestionably
he has had attractive inducements.
He still has, but the main answer has
yet to be given to the question con-
corning his future.
He's a syndicate writer now, pound
ing out his own stuff and going in
for candid camera" studies on the
side. He already has had one
light brush" with the U. S. G. A.
over the extent to which he can offer
instructive matter or helpful hints to
buffers in his newspaper stories. This
situation still is an issue that seems
to concern John G. Jackson, the new
president of the national association.
If there's any significance in Little's
decision to pass up the British am
ateur, it isn't Immediately apparent.
This year I'm especially anxious to
see what I can do in the American
open," he said today. The dates for
this and the British amateur are such
that I could not play in both with
out making a transatlantic flight, so
I'll go abroad later, if at ALL"
In Few Open Journeys.
Little has competed in only five
open tournaments. He captured one
of them, the Northern California open,
two years ago. He first played in the
American open in 1884. Just of the
boat from England, he broke his
favorite driver on the first round, but
despite this bad start he was low
amateur and going strong at the
finish. Last year he was fourth in
the British open.
Little has shot subpar golf con-
sistently here the past few days, tun-
ing up for the tournament that starts
Thursday, with Bob Jones returning
to the wars for his one competitive
shot of the year, professionals con-
slider little among the six best BETS
in the alllstar field.
Lawson outclasses amateur rivals
and has everything necessary to make
a great medal player" said Tommy
Armour. He has improved 1000 per
cent in the past two years. He has
all the shots now, plus power. conf
dence and a new incentive"
The new incentive, Mrs. Little, has
taken up golf herself. She hopes soon
to break l00."