Evening star., 1939-07-18
Banagan Feels Sure
Game Is GROWING
Al Most Clubs
Worshom's Appointment
As Pro Fires Spirit
Of Cuddies Here
BY WALTER McCALLUM.

BY WALTER McCALLUM.
Maybe you think golf has dropped
of at your golf course, or that the
play has slackened up. Witty Cox
says there isn't as much play at Con-
gressional as there was at this time
last year. But you don't get any
support along that line from Red"
Banagan at Columbia. I'VE took
one 15-day period just as a test,
said Banagan. 1--WE found we were
more than 600 ahead of the same
period last year. From July to
July Is this year 2,l65 people left our
first tee. Last year we had 1886
players during the same period.
That doesn't indicate any slackening
Of play, does it?"
Maybe it's been the cool wealth
er," I ventured.
And maybe not" said Banagan
mo, I think we just are getting more
golf and more golfers in this club
And wouldn't be surprised if some
what the same situation didn't exist
at most all the clubs"
Appointment Spurs Caddies.
Around town these days there's a
new spirit-and a new ambition
among the top-ranking caddies, and
the boys who work in the golf shops
1t all comes about because of the
example set the lads by the rapid
rise of young Lewis Worsham, the
boy who has been on the Job for two
days now as the professional at
Burning Tree.
A little young for the job? Maybe,
but don't think so. For Lewis
came up the hard way. He has been
out OF the caddie ranks only four
years himself. Witty Cox picked this
earnest boy out of the caddie pen at
Kenwood when tall Wilfred went
over to the River Road club in the
summer of 1885, stuck him in his
golf shop and Lewis was on his way.
He went to Chevy Chase, became
a good golfer, and there he is today
at Burning Tree, a full -f1edged pro
at an age when most boys are think
1AA6 eaSooo VOAllol4oW La llll 1CSSOll
or tonight's date. In way, it's one
OF those Dick Marriwell yarns, but
whatever it is, the thing has the
caddies and the boys in the golf
shops around town all hoped up
If Lewis could do it, why can't ~"
they ask themselves.
Plans for the future? Lewis hasn't
any, except to give Burning Tree
and its members the best he has.
How about taking the winter cir
cult trip?" asked him.
Not this year" said the tall
youngster. Il will stick around and
do my job Is that sense, or is it
just being smart?
Lewis will do all right.
COx's 66 Near Record.
AS casually as he flicked fly from
his forehead Witty Cox grinned
about the near-course record he had
set at the tricky Washington Golf
and Country Club layout.
Il didn't know what the record
was, or I might have busted it. But
1 didn't know. And then on the
other hand I might have taken
more. You never know just what
you can do in this game. But I
wish I had known about that rec
ord. I might have busted it at that"
Witty hasn't played a lot of golf
this year. He's been quite casual
about playing the game. He's been
fairly busy keeping the Congress
slonal course in shape. But he still
can cuff that ball around in pretty
respectable figures.
For II years the course record at
Washington has been 66. It first
was set by Maurice J. Mccarthy in
1927. Later-several years later
Dave Thomson, the Washington pro,
tied it. And yesterday Witty, who
didn't even know what the course
record was, tied it again. Had he
known 4 on the last hole would
have given him a new record he
might have done it. "Or I mightn't.
You can't tell. I might have taken
8 on that last hole" said Cox.
Drove First Green.
At Washington for a friendly
round with Mrs. Myron Davy-one
OF his pupils at Congressional
Witty whipped a tee shot to the
middle of the first green, 300 yards
away, easily bagging a bird 8. He
had another bird on the fourth, and
then drove the fifth green, where he
three-putted for a par 4. He was
out in IS, which isn't bad, but he
really got warm coming home.
Starting with a brace of brides at
the 10th and 11th holes, Witty got
three more in row at the 18th, 18th
and 18th. But he lost the 18th. Can
you imagine that? Mrs. Davy
knocked 7-iron pitch smack into
the cup for an eagle deuce.
i didn't know I needed a 4 for
that 65," said Cox And there were
some people walking down the first
fairway. I didn't want to 20 over
there, so hooked one and wound
up with So
1 wonder what the guy would have
done had he really tried. Here is
his card, against par for the course:
Par-Out ----- 434 544 443-35
Cox-Out ----- 1884 444 544-35
Par-1n ------- 434 435 444-35-70
Cox-In ------ 1924 434 335-31-66
Mrs. Davy scored an SO. And at
the same time Mrs. Ed L. Duties
won the play-off of tie for first