Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-01-29
Lack Of Competition
Weakening Play Of
D. T.. linksmen
Cox, Kenwood Pro, Feels
More Pressure Might
Awake Simon-Pures
BY WALTER McCALLUM.


Amateur golf around Washington
needs kick up the stairway of skill.
A fellow like frankie Strafaci or
Willie Turnesa would win practically
all the tournaments held around
this town, which needs either the
development of an outstanding star
or the importation of one to pep up
the amateur game here.
It's all Witty Cox's idea, but the
big Congressional pro, looking the
amateur links situation over here, is
sure that a Strafaci or a Turnesa or
any one of flock of good golfers
around New York or elsewhere could
spark the local boys.
What we need is couple of
really good amateur golfers" said
Witty before he hoped in his
limousine and drove toward Miami
II said a few weeks back that the
boys are lazy, and that they aren't
willing to spend the time on the
practice tee to build up their games.
That still goes. but dunno whether
even then we'd have amateurs in
the class of some of those hot num-
bers around New York and Chicago
and on the Pacific Coast.
Provide an Incentive.
IF you'll look over amateur golf
you'll find that one or two really
good ones bring out more good ones.
It's the competition and that beat
the-other-guy' spirit that does it.
I remember about dozen years ago
when Roland Mackenzie and
George Voigt were winning every
thing in sight around Washington.
wasn't here, but I knew what was
going on. You had a bunch of pref
ty good amateurs then, spurred on
by the stunts of Mackenzie and
Voigt. The same thing would hap
pen again.
Look at the way Johnny Burke
moved through the District amateur
championship last September. He
won. pulled up. I honestly think if
Johnny played in most of the tour
naments around Washington he'd
win most of them. He's a golfer of
the Turnesa type.
But Turnesa happens to be the
national champion" we ventured.
Sure, Willie was red hot at Pitts
burgh.' said Witty He proved he
was the best golfer in that tourna-
ment. But good as he is. Willie
doesn't win everything around New
York. Not by a full brassie shot
He probably would win EN- all
around Washington, because he's in
the groove and he can make those
shots when he needs EN-"
Short of Title Caliber.
1t sounds like a pretty severe in
dictment of amateur golf around
Washington, but Witty has some
thing there. Any one who looks
over the national picture and peeps
at the boys who are playing first
class golf from other neighborhoods
realizes that the local lads simply
don't stack up against the best of
the outside precincts. Not since
Roger Peacock went to the third
Sl1dluJlOllSIllD
of 1895 has local Simon-pure done
anything in the big tournament to
get excited about. Last year five
Washington men qualified for the
championship at Pittsburgh. Bobby
Brownell, who led the field in the
sectional rounds. was the lone quail
fer for the match play at Oakmont.
The best any local amateur has
done in the big championship was
Roland MacKenzie's advance to the
seml-flnal of the 1927 tournament
at Minikhada, where Chick Evans
beat him on the thirty-seventh
green.
The next year George Voigt won
the medal in the championship and
IN 1929 he went to the semi final,
but by 1928 George had become a
resident of New York City.
Players of Ability Here.
Bobby Brownell, Billy Shea and
maybe Levi Yoder have enough on
the ball to become really good" said
Cox. "Volney Burnett and Russ
Hollebaugh and a few others play
pretty well. But none practices,
except Brownell. Roger Peacock is
a very fine SHOEMAKER with a lot of
competitive spirit. But he doesn't
play enough to keep in the groove.
Ihere isn't any reason why we
shouldn't have some fellows who
can go to town in the big champion
ship. That Brownell boy did all
right last year, but he needs more
distance. You can chip and putt all
you want, but in the big leagues of
golf today Yall have To have that