Evening star., 1938-08-31
THREAT TO YOUTH
IN JESS PUTTING
Title Meet Strain Against
Vet, but SIS at Maidstone
Warns He's Dangerous.
BY GRANTLAND RICE,

BY GkANTLAND RICE,
Special Correspondent Of The Star.
NEW YORK, Aug Silt isn't
likely that any of the veteran ex-
champs in golf will mop up the march
OF youth at Oakmont two weeks away,
but Jess Sweetser served notice lately
that he can be extremely dangerous.
Sweetser won the United States
golf championship in 1922 at Brook
Aine and the British crown in 1925,
1~hen illness forced him from the
field.
played round with Jess over
the famous Maidstone course, at East
hampton, recently where he was hot
ter than brace of furnaces. Maid
stone is seaside links, flanked and
/ guarded with dunes and usually whip
ped by a seaside wind 1t is one of
the best of the country's tests, with
six holes that Bernard Darwin once
described as ''the finest six consecu-
tive holes" he had seen in America
Yet 1t is over this course that
sweetser played the most remarkable
nine holes l have ever SEEN Going
out in 35, l over par. where he three
putted the 9Th green, the eX-champ
came home like roaring hurricane.
Par on the back nine is 38, with four
Spar holes from 500 to $40 yards.
Yet Sweetser beat par on this back
nine by just eight strokes. He came
in 30-a 80 that would have been
= % if he had not three -putted the
long 18th.
Great Finishing Drive.
It was Sweetser's finishing thrust
on the last five holes that wrote
the story. He opened his assault
with a birdie on the difficult
420-yard 10th He had a birdie on
hole number IL. He played the 18th
and 18th in par, blowing 3-footer
for another birdie on the 18th.
Then the assault began again He
had brides on the next four holes
2-4-4-3-and when he came to the
uphill 440-yard 18th, against a stiff
breeze, he hit fine drive and then
Aplanted his iron shot into.the cup for
an eagle 2, from ITO yards away.
His last nine, over 3,400 yards in
length. read 3-4-3-5-2-4-4-3-2-30
have never seen him hit the ball
better, even on the day he shot a 81
at Bobby Jones over the Brookline
He finally has found a true putting
touch and this is all that he needs
anywhere or any time to be hard
opponent to batter down. Sweetser
Away has been a star competitor.
Given the chance from business to
play more golf, he would be up around
the front rank again, IS years after
he won his first title. There are few
who can sink their teeth into a match
with the grip that he has.
Little Chance for Veterans.
Sweetser, Ouimet, Guilford and
/ Chich Evans will be four OF the most
famous ex-champs battling at Oak
mont.
Ouimet's first vistory goes back to
Brookline and 1913, when he stopped
Vardon and Ray in the games most
spectacular play-off. That takes one
back IS years.
But is isn't probable that any veteran
has q chance to beat back the younger
crop at Oakmont's long and weu-trap-
ped hike. Few of them get the chance
to play enough golf to get them ready
for double rounds in single day. And
the old transportation, meaning the
AeEs, begins to wobble after the first
Dday or two.
This will be tough tournament to
win. There may be no such outstand-
ing stars as Bob Jones and Lawson
Little. but there will be high-class
talent from almost every State on
the map.
\ Among the favorites you will find
Johnny Goodman, defending cham
pion from Omaha: Charley Yates,
British champion from Atlanta; john
ny Fischer. 1886 champion from Gin
cininnati; Gus Moreland, Roger Kelly,
Wilfred Wehrle. Frank Starfaci, Bud
Ward. Ray Billows, Willie Turnesa,
and q long line of high-class golfers
who can mingle on even terms with
par.
Oakmont No Fluky Course.
Dakmont is one Of the great golf
courses OF the world. 1t was spoiled
for the United States open few years
back by greens that were faster than
shaven ice. The ball would come al
most to a dead stop and then dribble
along 10 or IL feet.
But the green's will be reasonable for
the next amateur
still recall Sarazen laughing as he
came out Of the locker room and said
to me, i've just seen four pros faint"
This was true. Harry Cooper. great
putter, took five puts on one hole
from IL feet away.a
There will be nothing like this
again. Oakmont is long and replete
with traps and hazards. 1t is the type
OF course where there is faint chance
for fluke. You have to keep hitting
the ball and there is hardly resting
spot all the way around. You need
both distance and direction You pay
heavily for your mistakes and you get
richly rewarded for length and ac-
! curacy.
nave AL lued Cld9 JoIluuy FISCHER
will be something to watch here. I
should say that Goodman. Yates and
Fischer are the main ones to watch
and yet all three might be cudgeled out
by the end of the second day. These
1s-hole affairs can take a heavy toll
in a big hurry.
tcopyrieht, 1898. by the North American
Newspaper Alliance, Inc.)
VouUhan SeaS Rot