Evening star., 1943-04-13

enough at hand
to make m e
wonder If I will
Henry MeLemors. have time to
bring my game to a point where
will be able to provide Cotton
with hard-fought match. Cotton,
in case your knowledge Of golf is
scanty, Is twice winner OF the Brit
ish open championship and in 1897,
the last year he won it, he defeated
a field that included the entire
American Rider Cup team, which
means he beat the likes of Hagen,
Sarazen, Dudley, Snead, Picard,
Nelson and Revolta.
Many critics consider him to be
the greatest player England has
ever produced. AS for myself, I
never won British open cham
pionship even in those years when
our Rider Cup team was absent.
In fact, I have never won a title
Of any sort although several have
just eluded my grasp by only few
hundred strokes.
Considered Worst u. S. Player.
Many critics consider me the worst
player America has ever produced,
but this Is not true, 1t being a mat
ter Of record that in 1941 defeated
Oliver Hardy, Adolph Menjou and
George Murphy in an exhausting,
one-hole match at Lakeside in Hol-
lywood. Neither Menjou, Murphy
nor Hardy were able to withstand
the five great wood shots I played
to reach the green. and the three
puts cold -bloodedly holed to close
out the battle. AS limp, nerve-vorn
Bing Crosby, who was the referee.
said at the finish, II never. never
want to see another match like
| that"
Cotton, who is on leave from the
Raj, has begun to practice for the
match and the distressing reports on
his game have reached me. He
hasn't had single round over 70
and several times it has been in the
Cos. II he should play like this the
day Of the match he would have
decided edge on me because the best
round I have ever had, not counting
those days on which played alone,
was SO, and even then I had a first
cousin who owed me money as caddy.
Almost Went to Cambridge.
When was first asked to play the
match I was not told the name of NV
opponent. That came later. 7 was
simply asked if I played golf. When
I answered yes I was asked what
was the feature of my game. That
was poser. You might as well ask
a limping centipede which foot hurt
him.
My game has more features than
a diamond has facets. One of nv
strong points is slicing out of bounds
at a crucial moment. Few men do
1t better. Likewise, the game has
produced few players more capable
OF lodging a chip shot in an unplay-
able lie in a bunker. But, after
much consideration, I said that I
believed the greatest strength of
my game was lost balls.
And your weakness?" That one
was easy. Inability to find them"
I answered.
Fhavent seen the course at Cam
bridge. I came close to seeing it
once, because nearly went to school
there. But, at the last minute.
there was a change of plans, or
rather at the last minute the boil
weevil spoiled the cotton crop that
year and entered the International
Correspondence School, a move I
have never regretted.
Held Reunions at Post Office.
BY the way, there is nothing like
going down to the post Office each
year for homecoming or exchang-
ing OF greetings with the postman
on class reunion day. This will be
particularly helpful this year, what
with gasoline rationing and travel
conditions in general
The proceeds of the Cambridge
match will 60 to war charity and
1 am fearful that the proceeds will
consist largely of my body, which
indignant spectators are likely to
tear into bits when I catch a top
sergeant on the shin with my first
smothered hook off the tee.
The crowd might not care for
the sight of me playing the mag
niflcent Cotton any more than a.
theater audience would like to see
Abbott or Costello, or both. playing
Macbeth to Judith Anderson's Lady
Macbeth. 1t is likely to feel the
same as Metropolitan Opera
House crowd would If It went to
hear Tibbett, and Donald Duck
showed up to do the baritone hon.
ors.
but thls IS war and If my back
swing will help even tiny bit to
win it, I'll pour sevens and eights
at Cotton until he's dizzy. After
all, playing Cotton isn't as tough as
fighting the Huns.
distributed by McNausht Syndicate. Inc. }
II nJ