Evening star., 1938-04-14
COX IS NAMED PR0'
AT CONGRESSIONAL
Former North and South
Open Champion Named to
Succeed Mackenzie.
(Picture on First Page. .,
BY WALTER McCALLUM.

Wilfred (Wiffy) Cox. former North
and South open champion and one of
the ranking professional golfers Of the
United States, is the new professional
at the Congressional Country Club.
Cox was the virtually unanimous
choice of committee appointed to
choose successor to Roland Mac
KenZie. who resigned several weeks
ago. Witty will take over the job
within few days and Mackenzie will
enter his fathers business.
For the last two and a half years
Cox has served as professional at the
Kenwood Golf and Country Club, 2
or miles from Congressional. A sue
ceSsor to Cox as the KenWood pro has
not been announced Cox's appoint
ment to the Congressional post is the
sixth shift in the ranks Of the local
pros within the past month. Cox, who
served as q COB on one OF Uncle Sans
destroyers during the war. came To
Washington in 1885 from the Dyker
Beach Municipal Course in Brooklyn.
He was born In Brooklyn 40 years ago.
Winner Of Many Events.
The new Congressional pro long has
been prominent in the affairs of the
Professional Golfers Association as a
committee member and organization
worker A long and distinguished links
career around New York preceded his
employment at Kenwood. In the short
finpo hn 20 hoar, In III
has won numerous P. c. A. one-day
tournaments and last fall he set the
seal on his undisputed class as
golfer by winning the District open
championship at Indian Spring with
a score Of 29l. The last two rounds
OF this tournament were played in
driving rain.
Witty is far more than local cham
pion. He has won a number of ma jor
tournaments along the winter profess
Slonal circuit and a few years ago
reached professional golfdom's pinnacle
by being chosen as a member of the
Ryder Cup team. He won both his
matches against the British. One of
the notable victories achieved by Wiffy
was victory with Willie MacFarlane
in the International four-ball matches
at Miami in 1881 He also won the
San Francisco match-play tourney in
1881 and the Sacramento open in 1898
"Big-Tim Professional"
Cox is strictly big-time as a pro-
fessional golfer. Rated on his record,
ne Is the closest approach to a poten-
tial National Open champion Wash
lngton has had since Tommy Ar
mour held down the pro berth
at Congressional from 1925 to 1928
and Won i in 1927 - the National
open championship. Nor has Witty
been far from achieving the ultimate
goal of all professionals For years he
has been knocking at the door of the
open championship and might have
won several times had not an erring
putter betrayed him. Probably WHY'S
finest chance to win the open came at
Merton in 1894 when he was up in the
forefront OF the parade entering the
final round. Again that putter cost
him the championship. but he finished
third behind Olin Dutra, the ultimate
winner, and Gene Sarazen. In 1896
Witty tied for fifth in the open cham
pionship at Baltusrol.
Acknowledged by his brother pro-
fessionals as the master OF the long
irons, Witty has set numerous course
records. He played Kenwood in 63
strokes laet yeor op6 boIJc , ,,,,r,l>or
OF course marks, among them a 56 at
Dyker Beach, made in 1898.
Tall, tanned and likeable, the Cox
man has host of friends in Washing
ton and everywhere pro golf is played.
He is very popular with his professional
associates, and is known as "kidder"
without sting in his remarks.