Evening star., 1938-01-30
OPEN TOURNAMENT
PLANNED FOR FRED
Columbia Pro Captured U. S.
Honors in 1908 When
a110-Pounder.
BY w. r. McCALLUM.

\oAkt41 years &XO, come next
August, fresh-faced little
Scotsman stood on the first tee
Of the Myopia Country Club,
tied with another Scot for the ma
tionA open golf championship, premier
prise Of professional golf in this coun-
try. For three days he had hit 'em
under the wind which swept over the
course Of the swanky club at Hamilton,
Mass. He went out and won the
championship, licking Willie Smith In
the playof1, scoring II against Smiths
50. They had tied with 72-hole scores
Of 322. It takes something below 285
to win the same championship today.
Fred Mcleod, still the ruddy-faced
Scotsman and still one of the most
active golfers in America at the age
of 56 Che played two rounds at Co.
lumbia yesterday Is the guy who won
that national open championship Of
1908. Next August it will be 80 years
since Freddie became national open
champion Of the United States. He is,
with Aleck Ross and George Sargent,
one Of the oldest living ex-champions.
Old Pals Are Gone.
HIS cronies Of those days-Aleck
Smith. Willie Anderson, Harry
Vardon and Willie Smith, all have
passed away, leaving Mcleod, Gil
Nichols, Aleck Ross and George Sar-
gent as the sole survivors OF q gallant
group who carried the torch of golf
when 1t was considered a sissy" game
and the popular retort to the question,
DO you play golf?" was this old bro
mide, Nope, I'm not old enough
yet" They wore spats and red coats
IN those far-gone days of the game,
they didn't have matched sets of
clubs, there wasn't any fussing about
the stymie or the ball, and golf was
just starting on the road which has
made 1t today the universal sport of
millions of Americans. Bobby Jones
was only years old when Freddie
won the national open, and Francis
Ouimet was caddying at the Brookline
Country Club, where he later licked
Vardon and Ray for the 1918 open
title.
The Middle Atlantic Professional
Golfers Association doesn't propose to
let the occasion slip by without some
recognition Of that victory 80 years
ago. George Diffenbaugh, president of
the professional sectional body, shortly
will lay before that organization a
proposal to honor Fred Mcleod on the
thirtieth anniversary of his victory,
either by Mcleod open tourna-
ment" or an exhibition match for
charity. Just what form the ami
versary celebration will take is not vet
known, but something will be done
this year. Fred has been with the Co.
lumbia Country Club for IS years as
the club golf professional, and has
served IN the one post longer than
most pros have served one club.
Proposed by Salesman.
THE whole thing is the idea of Dick
Flynn, sports goods salesman,
who thinks he can get flock Of the
better-known pros to come to Wash
1ngton for Mcleod open. or a few of
topliners to appear for an exhibition
match. Dick is with the outfit that
employs Ralph Guldahl, present ma
ticnal open king; Denny Shute, P. G.
A. champ, and Sam Snead, one Of
COILS longest hitters. It wouldn't take
much effort or trouble to organize an
open tournament in Washington to
celebrate Fred's 1908 victory.
Freddie grins about 1t today as he
recalls that win at Myopia 80 years
ago. 1T was very windy up there" he
says. And like all other Scotsmen I
had acquired the knack Of keeping the
ball low in the wind. Some Of the
sports writers commented on how I
kept the ball down and one of them
said I hit 'em under the wind because
was 20 small. As I recall it it
weighed around 10 pounds in those
days-pretty small for an open cham
pion. The course was very fast and I
managed to lick Willie Smith in that
play-off. We didn't score so well but
conditions weren't so good either"
The whole thing might well tie in
with the idea of Bob McIvaine, a local
sportsman, who proposed last fall
$4,000 open tourney at Indian Spring.
Bob wants to stage the tourney this
year.