Evening star., 1942-01-25
Would Leave Capital
High and Dry Amid
Wealth Of Action
Maryland, Mid-AtIontie
Championships Among
Those to Be Held
By WALTER McCALLUM.

ny WAL1Eh MCNhLLCMs
If the delegates to the District
Golf Association annual meeting
accept the recommendation of the
association Executive COMMITTEES
and cancel the 1912 District amateur
links championship it will leave
Washington In an unusual spot
The District Of Columbia will be the
only spot in this red-hot golf terri
tory without q championship tour
nament on the schedule. The an
nual meeting will be held Febru-
ary 3.
Championship affairs already have
been scheduled by the Middle At
lantic and Maryland golf organiza-
tions, the Mid-Atlantic event being
slated to come up at the Manor
Country Club June 2, 3, 4 and S,
with the Old Line State affair due
to be played at an unnamed WASH
ington club June 18, 19, 20 and 81.
These organizations formally have
o. KID their full slate of Journeys
this year. So has the District Wom-
ems Golf Association, the most &C
tive group of all among the golfers
in and around the Capital. On top
Of all this activity, the Chevy Chase
Club will stage its invitation tourney
for the Taft and Sherman Trophies
on May 13, IA and Is.
Backed by Precedent.
The local fathers of golf have
plenty Of precedent backing their
stand on the recommended cancel
lation of the District championship.
The tourney was Cancelled in 1917
1918 and before they made their de-
cision the United States Golf Asso-
citation had Cancelled its four ma
tional Journeys. Since then, how
ever. the U. S. G. A, in what some
people regard as a face-saving move
on the heels of storm of protest
against general cancellation of
major links Journeys. has scheduled
a Hale America" Open tourney, to
be run along lines almost identical
with the former United States Open
championship. The winner will be
neither fish nor fowl. He won't be
the National Open champion in
name, but he will be regarded as
the champ by every one.
We've talked with many people
about the move to cancel the Dis
trict amateur championship Most
of them-and some have been
championship competitors in past
years-don't string along with the
proposed cancellation and would
have the tournament held as usual
this year, pointing to the stand
taken by other associations. and
widely voiced wish to carry on with
local Journeys, which the District
championship is.
Leaves Decision to Sections.
Indeed. many people have recalled
that when the U. S. G. A. Cancelled
its four national events the ma
tional golf BODY said its decision
did not necessarily bind sectional
associations and urged that these
organizations make up their own
minds on cancellation or carrying
on of regular schedules.
The District amateur champion
ship, OF course, is purely sectional
event and rates no great fuss. And
II 1t is played this year it will be
held without a defending title hold
er, for Ralph Bogart, who has won
1t for the last three years, is in the
Navy and will not defend. But if
1t Is Cancelled, as proposed by the
Executive Committee of the District
Golf Association, it will leave WASH
ington without championship. an
oasis in sea of golfers who will be
able to play in other sectional title
tournaments, but,not in one of their
own for their city crown.