Evening star., 1938-05-02
BIC GOLF EVENTS
TWO DAYS APART
Walker Cup Teams Trip to
England Also Will Hit
American Classic.
BY FRANCIS J. POWERS.

BY FRANCIS J. POWERS.
CHICAGO, May 2.-There is little
chance of the United States winning
the British open golf championship
this year at Deal July 6-8 for the
good and simple reason that we will
have few capable representatives in
that competition. There is a series
of conflicts between United States
and British championships that does
no good for the golf comfy of the two
nations.
The United States open will be played
at Denver in early June and the Brit
ish a month later Ordinarily that in
terim would give American profess
sionals plenty of time to reach Eng
land, but, this year. the p c. A. has
scheduled its championship at Shaw
nee for July 1915. Since the p G.. A.
is one of the major championships on
the American calendar and worth con-
siderable in money as we'll as prestige
few of our professionals will absent
themselves from that field.
The United States open will have
few top flight amateurs because the
Walker Cup team will be abroad in
early June, for a fling at the British
amateur as well as the international
matches. Consequently. our National
open will lack its usual luster. even
though few present-day amateurs have
any great chance of winning against
the professional clan.
Always Has Early Dates.
Great Britain has tradition on its
side and scarcely can be asked to
adapt its championship schedule to
United States satisfaction. Because
OF climatic conditions, the British
always play both the open and anna
teur championships early, and their
open, this year. is unusually late.
The United States Open used to be
staged in late summer, but in order
to satisfy the professionals as well as
avoid heat, the U. S. G. A. changed
the dates to late spring.
Since our amateur always is played
In late August or September, there
never is any conflict with the British
on that event.
The situation could be cleared if
the P. G. A. were to decide on some
definite date for its championship.
Two years ago it was played in No
venber and last year in early May.
On occasions it has been played in
the winter. Since the P. G. A. sells
It's championship to any first-rate club
willing to guarantee $4,000, it cannot
always specify its dates However
there are those who believe that, If
the P. G. A. Championship really is
major event, it should be able to
succeed without a large guarantee.
Move Up to P. G. A.
Since the P. G. A. is the youngest
of all national championships, it
seems only proper that it should be
scheduled so as not to conflict with
the British Open, which has a strong
attraction for our leading profession
ais
Unless a few of our professionals
decide to pass up the P. G. A., which
is doubtful, Johnny Goodman, the
Omaha amateur, may be the United
States strongest candidate in the
British Open. Providing, of course,
that Goodman waits over after the
Walker Cup matches for that event.
Johnny also will be our main man in
the British Amateur, and it's within
the bounds of possibility that he may
duplicate Bob Jones 1880 performance
OF winning both titles.
However, the odds are at least 1000
to that Goodman cannot accomplish
such a sensational feat, so we may as
well concede the British their open
championship for 1888. 1t has been
five years since an American won the
British Open, and the historic old jug,
emblematic of the championship, has
become quite a stay-at-home.