The Might of Midget Mcleod the Great Little Scot Continues Brilliant Career by Winning North and South Championship at Pinehurst
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The American 20 Golfer The Might of Midget McLeod The Great Little Scot Continues Brilliant Career by Winning North and South Championship at Pinehurst REDDIE McLEOD of the Columbia McDonald and others, but far enough. He putter, one who is rarely off in this important Country Club, Washington, D. C., doesn't is up with most of them who outweigh him part of play. Control over his chip shots and F happen to be blessed with height, weight, 50 pounds. his putts always make him a formidable candi¬ brawn, power or youth—all sup¬ date, for he is always willing to posed to be helpful ingredients give the ball a chance to drop. in golf. His iron play is firm and com¬ He isn't very much taller than pact, as he doesn't have to over¬ a man's-sized mashie and he swing, despite his lack of physi¬ doesn't weigh over 120 pounds. cal power, to get all the distance But for all that they have a he needs. He adds further proof hard time keeping him down. to the dope that distance is more They smother him one year and a matter of timing than it is a a year later he pops out serenely matter of sheer power. again, up with the leaders, play¬ ing as brilliantly as he ever did. Fate Evens Up Only a few days ago Freddie FTER all, Fate has a way of inaugurated his 1920 campaign evening up. A year or two A by winning the North and South ago at Pinehurst it looked as if Open at Pinehurst from one of McLeod would win the North and the greatest fields of the year. South. But at the critical mo¬ Among others the entry list ment Walter Hagen stepped out included Walter Hagen, Jim and holed a short mashie shot Barnes, Mike Brady, Leo Die- for a 3, upsetting the dope. Last gel, Emmet French, Douglas Ed¬ week Hagen was the big favor¬ gar and a long string of notables. ite. But before the tournament But when the final fireworks started one of McLeod's club had been touched off McLeod was members drew Freddie in a pool. found one stroke beyond Hagen His investment stood to win and Hackney, despite Hagen's something like $3,000 in case brilliant finish of 70-72. McLeod won. "It's all yours, Freddie, if you McLeod's Great Career finish first," the club member S far back as 1907 McLeod, said. Could McLeod use that then weighing only 117 $3,000? Can a seal dive? It so Apounds , began to astonish the happens that McLeod, like Ha¬ sporting world by finishing sev¬ gen, is a great money player. enth in the Open Championship He went after that $3,000 with of the United States. everything he had, including his In 1908 he contributed still teeth. greater astonishment by winning At the end of the third round the Open at Myopia, one of the he was four strokes in front of hardest and greatest golf courses Hagen with only eighteen holes in the world. In winning this left. And for his fourth round event, McLeod had only one McLeod turned in a 75. round under 80, but there were Hagen, to win, needed a 70. only 5 rounds under 80 contrib¬ To tie, he needed a 71. Now it uted by the big field. His win¬ so happened that Hagen had just ning march was 82-82-81-77— turned in a 70 on his forenoon 322. And there were only three round as the start of his game, under 330, the other two being up-hill battle. Two 70's in one Willie and Alex Smith. It was a day over the championship Pine¬ mop-up for Scotland that year. hurst course is no feathery as¬ In 1909 McLeod finished num¬ signment. Yet when the Open ber fourteen; in 1910, fourth; in Champion reached the last tee in 1911, fourth, only 1 stroke from the afternoon he had a 4 for an¬ the top; in 1912, thirteenth; in other 70, and the championship. 1913, thirty-ninth; in 1914, On nine such occasions out of fourth; in 1915, eighth; in 1916, ten Hagen would have gotten his twenty-fifth; in 1919, eighth. 4. But even Open Champions Last fall he ploughed his way are human, and therefore in¬ through his section of the draw clined to err once in a while. in the Professional Golfers' A fine tee shot left him an easy Championship held over the En¬ FRED McLEOD iron to the green on the 404- gineers' hard course. At the fin¬ Former national open champion, who rarely finishes out of the money yard hole. But he hooked to a ish he hooked up with Jim Barnes trap, reached the green's edge in a Mutt and Jeff grapple. Barnes is six He is also an accurate iron player, being on his third, left himself a 30-inch putt—and feet three, McLeod five feet six, Barnes won, especially good with the mashie, a club he uses —the ball stayed out. That inch of Pine¬ but the little Scot had again proved that no with winning effectiveness. But no part of hurst sand was worth exactly $3,300 to Fred¬ game belongs to the giant alone. his game is any better than his work around die McLeod, which makes it more expensive McLeod carries a sound, all-around game. the greens. He plays a chip shot fully as than Fifth Avenue real estate. Despite his lack of height and weight he hits well as Tommy McNamara, this being one of Here is the way the first 25 finished: a fine tee shot—not quite so far as Hagen, his feature strokes. And he is a sound, sure (Continued on page 27) APRIL 10, 1920 27 The Might of Midget McLeod (Continued from page 20) Fred McLeod, Columbia. 146 147 293 Walter Hagen, Detroit. 152 142 294 C. W. Hackney, Atlantic City . 147 147 294 Alexander Ross, Detroit. 150 148 298 Tom Boyd, Fox Hills . .152 147 299 George McLeun, Great Neck . 149 151 300 Jim Barnes, Sunset Hills 148 153 301 Emmet French, Youngs- town . 147 154 301 Louis Telller, Brae Burn, 146 156 302 J. Sylvester, St. Albans.. 150 153 303 Martin J. O'Loughlin, Plainfield . 146 157 303 Jack Dowling, Scarsdale. 157 147 304 Tom Kerrigan, Siwanoy.. 154 152 306 Pat Doyle, Deal 152 154 306 M. J. Brady, Oakland Hill . 153 154 307 Wilfred Reid, Wilming- ton . 151 156 307 G. Fotheringham, Rich¬ mond Co . 15 415 3307 Charles Mothersel, Pine- hurst . 154 154 308 Tom MacNamara, Siwa- noy . 157 152 309 Albert H. Murray, Kaua- waki 153 160 313 Eugene McCarty, Jack¬ sonville . 158 156 314 J. Douglas Edgar, Druid Hills . 161 155 316 Irving Stringer, Ocean . 156 162 318 Willie Ogg, Atlanta . .161 160 321 Harold J. Calloway, Park.. 160 161 321 * * * After a good start Jim Barnes, the North and South Open Champion from last year, faded out of the pic¬ ture in the last thirty-six holes, where he dropped back to seventh place. Barnes led Hagen by four strokes at the end of the first day's play, but Hagen's 142 was eleven strokes better than Barnes' double round on the final turn. These two great rivals have now met on three occasions this season—at New Or¬ leans, at Belleair and at Pinehurst, with Hagen the victor at each start. Barnes will be forced to come at a fancy clip for the rest of the year to even up this early handicap. Both he and Hagen still have over two months left before they strike the British Open late in June. As Barnes is generally a slower starter than some of the others, he still has a chance to be at his best before the first big test arrives. .