Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-07-04
Bruen, ~, Held Likely
Winner Of British
Open Golf Meet
Hot Tempered lrishmon
Qualities With 50 to
Tie Little, AIIis
BY DREW MIDDLETON,
Associated Press Sports Writer.


ST. ANDREWS, Scotland, July 4.
Although he probably wouldn't
recognize this as being Independ-
ence Day If you exploded a fire.
cracker right under him, young Jim
Bruen Of Ireland probably is the
most notable example of independ-
ence in st. Andrews today.
He knocked the stewards out from
under their white coats in the first
qualifying round of the British Open
gold tournament yesterday, and has
an extremely good chance of dis
robing those gentlemen daily until
the tourney ends with j. Bruen the
open champion.
The young IriShman yesterday
knocked out a SO to tie with Lawson
Little and Percy Allis for the quail
flying lead. Only 10, he is thickset
and heavy legged, with an alder
maniac paunch. He is deliberate
as fate and cool as they come. He
treats the best golf course in Scot
land like dirt and doesn't treat his
opponents much better.
When he's going to hit an iron
shot, James walks all the way up to
the green and even peers into the
hole. He takes as long to sight a
drive as the average player does
on putt. Often he flops fiat on
his belly to sight a wood shot.
Irish Boy Is Confident.
talked to him last night, and he
makes Dizzy Dean in his palmiest
days sound like wallfoWer. Bruen
gives the impression that whether
he wins the tournament or not, he
still is the best player in 1t
I don't see what's to prevent me
from having as good a day tomor-
row or Wednesday as I did today"
Bruen said. Il was beating 10 on
this course all last week"
At that he has the record to back
him up. He won the boys cham
plonshlp at l6, holds four course
records in Ireland and was an inter-
nationalist good enough to fight
Charley Yates right down to the last
hole when he was ID.
He is long Off the tee and very
good on the greens. but in between
lies his greatest strength. He PLAYS
his irons with fuller swing than is
usual over here and he fights the
course with them, disdaining the
famous old bunkers and Shaping
shots into the teeth of a gale.
He has great competitive spirit,
too. Yesterday when he started his
first round he drove into "whins." a
clump OF bushes as tight as the
Yankees infield. The ball was un-
playable, so Bruen went back to the
tee. He was on a par 4 green in 2
and down in more.
Temper Threatens Game.
AT st. Andrews they say Bruen
holds his temper in bond only by
extreme methods and that in the
midst of some important tourna-
ments it is liable to pop out and kick
MIN higher than kite. But if he
can tone down this temper and
ease OF his cockiness a little. he's
likely to go farther than any British
amateur of the last decade.
There was vast difference in the
way yesterdays three leaders got
their Sos. Little played serenelv and
smoothly, like any good golfer hav-
ing a good day and making the best
OF it. Lawson never tried a shot he
didn't think would pay dividends.
Allis. an old stager. golfed cautiously
and we'll for the first nine. then when
he found his putting touch was back,
went at 1t little harder.
But Bruen attacked the course
savagely and fought it for IS holes.
He tried shots that seemed against
all the laws of nature and the royal
and ancient golf club-like a high
No. into the teeth of brisk wind.
He made 1t and others like it.
Man" said an ancient caddy,
that's govt"