Evening star., 1940-06-16
Bobby Never Menaced
Ii His Best Days
By Open Star
Ar
y His Great Game, Backed
'' BY Modern Equipment,
'o Should Top All Rivals
By WALTER McCALIIrM


most unnoticed by the throngs who
watched the National Open golf
championship. Bobby Jones, 10
years ago the acknowledged world
king of the links, virtually is for
gotten figure, almost legendary in
the game he so completely domi-
mated short time back.
The question came up: "Would
Bobby, given modern equipment, a
longer ball and the same skill and
Judgment he had in 1880, still be the
king of the game?" Bobby has
played in five masters tournaments
at Augusta since 1884. He hasn't
done very well in any of them. The
answer is easy. He hasn't concen-
trated on golf.
No Equal to Jones at Best.
" But the answer to the first ques-
ton is just as easy. I think and so
90 lot of other experienced men
the men who saw Bob outstrip the
finest players in the world for an
eight-year stretch--that if Bob, at
the age of 38, could today recapture
the touch and skill and concentra-
tion he had when he was %, he still
would be out in front of the pack.
It's like the old prize-fght poser:
Gould Dempsey at his best have
licked Joe LOUISE" There isn't any
positive answer to that one, either.
The men at least are a decade and
a half apart, and you can't ever have
any substitute for youth and the
courage and fire of youth.
But there's another angle to it
proved, we think, at Cleveland. Gene
Sarazen and Bobby Jones are the
same age-3S. During the years
when Bob was winning four Amer
lean open championships and three
British open titles, Gene played in
all of them. From 1923 on-when
Bob was at his best-until 1890,
Gene didn't win an American or
British open. From 1923 through
1880 Bobby won seven medal play
championships and five American
amateur titles.
Bob's Record Stands Out.
Gene tied for first place at Cleve-
land. On the record, Bobby Jones
was better golfer. The record says
so but you can't prove that he is
now. But assuming that Bob had
retained his keenness and his will
to play winning golf, it's reasonable
that he would be better than Gene
today. And Gene was good enough
to tie for the open championship.
Bob Jones is out of it all. He never
will play either in the Open or the
amateur again. But he remains in
any comparison you want to make
the greatest competitive golfer this
or any generation has seen or will
see. Put him in there today, re-
capture the old touch and skill he
had in 1880, give him the same
equipment the stars of today use
and he still would be out in front.
There has been only one Jones
and we won't see another like him.
Exhibition at Beaver Dam.
Bob Barnett of Chevy Chase and
AL Houghton of Beaver Dam will
play an exhibition match at Beaver
Dam at pm. today against Witty
Cox of Congressional and Leo
Walper, unattached. The public is
invited, without charge.
Houghton, who was disqualified in
the sectional qualifying rounds for
the National Open championship, is
red-hot just now. Over three
straight rounds of golf he was 9
under par. A 81 at Argyle was
followed by 50 at Congressional,
and he wound up the streak with a
II at Beaver Dam.
DisquaEfying in golf tournaments
seems to be the thing nowadays.
Over at Baltimore two visiting
women were tossed out of the
Eastern championship for playing
the wrong ball.
Mrs. j. T. Powell of Manor heard
about it. Approaching her ball in
a trap she was cautious about look
ing at the sphere, half covered by
grass. II didn't want to put on airs
by identifying it," she said. Il took
q swing at the ball and it flew
straight up in the air. 1t was a
tight wad of paper and was I sur
prised. 1 asked if there was a
penalty for that, too"
About the disqualification of Ed
Oliver in the National Open, you can
get as many opinions as you want.
But Fred Mcleod has only one
opinion. "The U. S. G.. A. was
right" said Freddie. These young
fellows should learn the rules, even
If they learn them the hard way"
But how about that rule on brush
ing the green? We saw several
prominent names in golf brushing
the green in front of the ball and on
the line to the hole.
Columbia has opened it's new
second hole, with a tee around IS
yards behind the old tee. It con-
verts the second hole from an easy
para affair into a tough number.
TO get whack at the green you
have to hit your tee shot out to the
brow of the hill, and the second
shot, instead of being simple little
flick with lofted club becomes a
wallop for big iron.
What a course for the Open cham
pionship Columbia would make to-
day, with those watered fairways
and It's length. OF course the tee
shot would have to be trapped AS
Columbia now is, it is too wide open
from the tee for the modern gen.
GRAFTON of low scoring pros. But
stick in few traps from the tee,
narrow some of those fairways and
1t would be a great Open champion
ship test. The Open was held there
In 1921.
Mackenzie Still Is Hitter.
Roland Mackenzie, former crack
amateur, plays once in a while at
Columbia. Roland isn't serious
about his golf any more, but he can
whack that ball. He knocked his
second shot over the 18th green at
Columbia the other day. The hole
happens to be well over 500 yards
in length.
Mrs. Walter R. Stokes will be the