Evening star., 1939-03-29
1913 Win in British
Amateur Held Tops
In Links Feats
Former Champ Believes
He Can Play His Best
As Match Contestant
BY GAYLE TALBOT.
Associated Press Sports Writer

AUGUSTA, Ga. March 29.-It
doesn't seem possible that it soon
will be four years since l last saw
Lawson Little moving down the
Johnnie Bulls at Lytham and
Stanne's, out near Liverpool.
Then Lawson was gigantic figure
In golf. When he had won his Sec
ond straight British amateur. van,
gushing DR.. William Tweddell in
the final, some of the gallery were
willing to compare him with Bobby
Jones, which in England and Scot
land is even a greater compliment
than in this land whether you be-
lieve it or not.
Over there they fairly worship
"Wee Bobby" They don't even men
ton their own great players, like
Vardon and Braid and Taylor. in
the same breath with Jones. Yet,
when l last saw Lawson Little they
were wavering.
Yes. Lawson was a tremendous
golfer four years ago, come this sum-
mer. I wondered many a time II
Jones, or any one else. ever had been
so deadly from tee to green. In the
final of the British amateur, the
previous year at Prestwick, Scotland,
I watched him slaughter an honor
able Scot named Wallace by some
such outlandiSh score as Is and IL,
with Wallace all the time shooting
nearly par golf.
Played Unbeatable Golf.
Yes, claim there's never been
greater golfer than Little was in
those matches. I'll even commit
heresv and say that Bobby Jones,
shooting for his even fours,"
couldn't have STAYED off the Lawson
Little who won the British and
American amateur titles for two
straight years Over the long stretch
maybe Jones was the finer, more
consistent golfer. But he nor any
other man who ever lived could have
stopped Little in the period I'm
talking about.
So, tnat was the last time I saw
Lawson Little, up to yesterday. This
time I ran into him on the 18th
green of the Augusta National
Course here, where he and some so
others of the country's leading
shooters are smoothing their shots
in preparation for tomorrow's sixth
annual Masters tournament.
Lawson long since has turned pro-
fessional He's out now trying to
win little money for himself and
wife. He hasn't been doing so We'll
since he turned professional. At the
14th tee I told him had been wait
ing all this time for him to win the
National Open and show them the
kind of golfer knew him to be.
Match Play Suits Him.
1--WE been trying" Lawson said,
''but there are too many OF these
fellows with the same idea. I guess
I'm still match player. I come in
with II and feel pretty good until
a while later somebody posts at 69.
I always feel that I wish I were out
there matching that fellow stroke
for stroke during his round.'
And that seems to be the way with
Little. He announced here three
years ago today that he was turning
pro. Since then he has won only
the Canadian open and the San
Francisco match play tournament, to
my knowledge. There's something
about medal play that stops him,
but he's still the man-for- man golf
champion for my money.
Lawson now has signed up as
teaching professional at the Breton
Woods. N H, course. after three
years of messing about the country
giving exhibitions It will be some
five years more before he is eligible
to compete in the Professional Golf
ers Association championship, which
is match play, but after that they
will find him hard to handle.
Has a 68 in Practice.
He might even do all right in the
72-hole Masters. He had a 68 in
a practice round yesterday. In the
Greensboro tournament which ended
Sunday he tied for second with 283
strokes for the four rounds.
But I'll never forget what he did
to Wallace at Prestwick in the final
of the 1884 amateur. He was &c for
the morning round. In the after
noon he started out 333-433 That
for my money is the greatest golf
ever shot.