Evening star., 1941-03-30
Spirit, Setting Make
Jones' Links Party
Great Attraction
Spectacular Plays Mark
Event in Which Win
Is Greatly Priced
BY BILL BONI.
Associated Press Sports Writer.


AUGUSTA Ga. March l9-What
amounts in all but official title to
the winter open golf championship
will be played here next week over
the Augusta National Golf Club
course which Bobby Jones designed
and in the Augusta Masters Tourna-
ment which is his pride and joy.
In setting and spirit it is like Bing
CroSbys annual party, one of the
most pleasant tournaments of the
year. Yet victory in the Masters is
priced almost as highly as victory
i'm the U. S. Golf Associations cham
pionShip. 1t is not nearly so old
next weeks will be only the eighth
but it is very definite fixture.
Last year, for instance, Ben Hogan
came to Augusta fresh from three
record-breaking victories in North
Carolina. His play over that stretch
had been sensational. In the Mas
ters, though, he was just one of the
many who were alSo-ranS behind
Jimmy Demaret CHogan wasn't even
very close) and in the acclaim for
Jimmy's performance Hogan's earlier
brillance was almost forgotten.
Tourney Pleasant Affair.
The Masters is a pleasant tourna-
ment for the players, and also for
the newSpapermen who cover it.
The players, with only one 18-hole
round day, don't feel the pressure
that becomes progressively greater
as the National Open builds up to
its 36-hole plan and as u S. Open
and amateur titleholderS and former
p. G. A champions automatically
are eligible the whole show has the
air of family reunion. It's one of
the few tournaments where you'll
find men like Walter Hagen. Tommy
Armour and Bobby Cruickshank
swapping yarns in the locker room
for hour after hour.
For the press the Masters is
pleasure for both these reasons, and
also because the setting is we'll !
nigh perfect. The clubhouse is old
and it's not very large But its lines |
are pleasing and its atmosphere
comforting, and when the wisteria is
in bloom, we wouldn't swap 1t even !
up for the Waldorf Astoria.
Course Is True Test.
Then there's the course. 1t has
been laid out not only with the idea
of giving the experts. as we'll as the
members, a true test of golf-and
as such it ranks with the finest in
the world-but it also has been laid
out with an eye toward making |
each hole a picture. Under the
stately trees that line most of the |
fairways are all sorts of Towering
shrubs, many of them rare plants |
which are holdoverS from the days
when the present club property was
the first nursery to be started in the
South.
Then, too, in each tournament |
there has been at least one spec
tacular incident or round about |
which to write. Most famous of |
these, of course, was Gene Sarazen's |
double-eagle, a 220-yard spoon shot |
on the 485-yard 18th hole. 1t en-
abled the squire to tie Craig Wood |
for first place in 1885 after Wood,
4 under par for the last eight |
holes, already was being congratu-
lated on his victory. The next day
Gene won a 36-hole playoff, playing
the last "a holes in as many success |
sive pars.
Jones One Meet Yearly.
Last year there was no such spec !
tacular finish, but instead five high !
lights, Demaret's victory by four |
shots, double the margin of any |
previous winner; Jimmy's 6-under- !
par 30 on the back nine, equal to |
the competitive record for cham |
pionship course: Lloyd Mangrum'S |
first-round 81. under par, which |
set new competitive course record |
and equalled Jones best score in a |
friendly round, and eagle rs by |
Frank Moore on the 400-yard first |
hole and Guldahl on the 465-yard |
10th.
Lest we forget there also is the
very definite pleasure of being able
to watch Bobby Jones play golf.
This is his one tournament of the |
year and he still is the man with
the picture swing. He no longer
can run those Is and 20 foot puts
into the hole, but his record of never
having shot an 80 in a tournament
remains intact
Last year. even with a very pain
full back ailment, he managed to
preserve that record. He had to
finish the last four holes of his sec
ond round in l under par to do it,
but he got 79 and then retired to
the sidelines.