Evening star., 1939-05-20
BY WALTER McCALLUM.

One win of the Taft Trophy in
the invitation tournament of the
Chevy Chase Club is enough to
establish a golflng gent on the top
rung Of the local links ladder.
Two wins in a row and he's set in
any record book as a fellow with a
background which cannot be topped.
Claude Rippy, the erstwhile public
links champ, and the fellow who
hits tee shots like AL Simmons, "his
foot in the bucket" so to speak, has
Joined the select group of those
who have won the Chevy Chase in
vitation affair two years in a row
In modern times only two men have
done it. George Voigt, possibly the
best amateur golfer developed in
Washington in recent years, did it
back in 1926 and 1927, and Harry
Pitt did it in 1923, 1929 and 1880.
But since Pitt, who didn't enter
the late tourney, no man has been
able to win the Taft Cup two years
in row.
Inasmuch as the Chevy Chase
event is Washington's lone invita-
tion tourney of the year, win in
that one stamps a fellow as Just
about the best there is. And I
doubt If you could find a dissenting
opinion on the golf ability of Claude
Rippy, who has won the tourney
twice in a row, even though the golf
wasn't so good in the final round
yesterday, where he licked Frank
"Shanty" Allan, the former George
town Prep star, for the second
straight year.
Easier This Year.
Last year Claude went 10 holes to
beat Frank. This year he took only
II holes to do the job. Between
them they whipped the best in this
sector, and if Rippy enters the mid
Atlantic, to be played at Chevy
Chase in June, he will be the top
favorite. He should be, with two
straight wins of the Chevy Chase
invitation.
Yet there is fly in the ointment
for the straight-sh Rippy
Against him in that coming mid
Atlantic, over the same Chevy Chase
course, will be Billy Shea, Billy Dett-
weller and Bobby BroWnell. None
of these three top youngsters in
local golf played in the tourney
which ended yesterday. They will
play in the tourney next month.
But Rippy was the best man. You
can't take that away from him. He
had it when he needed it, even in
the first round, where he came from
away back to lick Volney Burnett,
and again from far back in the semi
final to lick Spencer Overton, the
medalist. He didn't need so much
against Allan in the final, for both
played ragged golf, but the point is
he had it when he needed it, And
that's all you have to have to win
golf tournaments.
Final Round Ragged.
The less said about that final
round the better. Neither player
was near the top of his game. Both
out in Al, they were all even. Rippy
won the 10th, dropped the 1lth, and
won the 18th to go into the lead he
never relinquished. He missed a
fairly easy putt at the 18th, but
holed good one on the 18th to win
the match. and l. All in all, Claude
Rippy proved himself the best man
in the tournament. The slim Jim
from Shelby, N. c., has come fur
piece since he moved north to
greener pastures.
Here are the results of the final
day at Chevy Chase:
,a,t First fight sI,fI ssmi,finaI Frank Alan
lumbia). up p holes. Claude Rippv
!Baltimore). l up. Final--Rippy defeated
Allan 2 and /: coasolatio37-Ra!ph b.
ven) defeated H. l. Lacey Manor. 5
and 4 AL Dollins (Roanoke. Va defeated
Page Hufty Chevy Chase. l UP. FiLa.
-Dollins defeated Smith, . snd /. Con-
ISOLATION = Russell Hollebaugh Gndian
Third fisht-G. F. Mile Columbia, /,
and 3; Dick Melvin Indian SPRING de-
feated P. A. Dobrowski Indian SPRING.
up 19 holes. Final-Melvin defeated
Miller. l up: Consolation-R. w Harvey