CHICAGO GOLF MATTERS and MATCHES Some New Ideas on Limiting Starters in National Championships by JOSEPH G

26 GOLF ILLUSTRATED CHICAGO GOLF MATTERS AND MATCHES Some New Ideas On Limiting Starters In National Championships By JOSEPH G. DAVIS NCIDENTAL to the picking of the professional players who ments. Edgewater, Chick's own course, has no practice field, but will compete in the British Open Championship there were on the polo field at the Chicago Golf Club he can whale away I sonic interesting developments. After the selections had been without fear of interruption. Chick also has the double object of made Robert A. Gardner, vice-president of the United Stales getting rest in the country, as dental operations through the Winter Golf Association, asked the co-operation of President George have bothered him. He attributes his intermittent attacks of Sargent and Secretary Alee Pirie of the Professional Golfers' rheumatism to abcesses under his teeth and hopes the removal of Association in formulating some plan to curtail the entry list for These has effected a permanent cure. the national open championship at the Columbia Country Club Chick has had a new putter made by Otto Hackbarth of Cin- July 18th. The big field at Toledo last year caused a number of cinnati, the professional, who introduced the club with which the the players to finish their qualifying rounds in poor light and, champion scored his big successes last season. This being center- although Toledo, with its central location, undoubtedly drew more shafted, it is not permissible under St. Andrews rules, so he is players than would travel farther east or west, it appears likely having a shaft put in at the end of the blade. There is no doubt there will be as big an entry at Columbia. The champion putted well last year and, while attributing much It is not an easy proposition to limit the championship list in a of his success to the use of the Hackbarth putter, he believes he country as big as the United States, especially when such limita- solved the problem which gave him trouble for many years when tion may possibly rob the event of its open character. Among the he went back to first principles and picked out some spot between plans casually suggested were the holding of a qualifying round on his ball and the hole and aimed for that. Chick will not sail with the a nearby course along the lines of the British open event, sectional rest of the team, having booked his passage for May fourth, qualifying rounds, the admission without playing of all those who He plans to wind up his practice in this country by playing a few qualified in the preceding national tournament, leaving the other rounds over the National Links on Long Island. players to qualify for sixty-four places, and these one hundred and As the professionals returned from abroad and from Winter twenty-eight players would then play another round to determine jobs, news of the new arrivals from the other side was spread the sixty-four who could play off at seventy-two holes for the around the Chicago golfing centres. James Mason, who will assist title or, dividing the field into two sections and having the first Dave Wilson, is a Carnoustie player. He is a former winner of play at eighteen holes and the second section a similar number on the Telegraph Cup and was a semi-finalist in the Gleneagles tourna- the following day, thirty-two players qualifying in each section ment. Charles Smith, who passed through Chicago on his way for the finals, which would make thirty-six holes. to the Denver Country Club, is a Scotman, formerly with the Qualifying on a nearby course entails too much time away from West Middlesex Club of London. Smith has the double reputa- business, and while the same objection applies to some extent tion of being a fine player and also of having been a professional against sectional tournaments, there is the additional objection that strong man. Tom Dickson. a North Berwick player, will be players from sections not strong in professional talent may sup- assistant to Jim Lindsay at Oak Park, Chicago, while Charles plant stronger players from other sections. The admission of the Mayo of Edgewater has engaged Jimmy Weager, formerly pro- players who qualified in the preceding tournament does not appear fessional at the Cowall Golf Club, near Malvern, England. feasible, leaving as it does, the final proposition of two sectional Chicago is going ahead with more new clubs, the latest being eighteen-hole rounds as the best of the lot. It was the opinion the Ivanhoe. located near Libertyville, Ill., on the north side, and a of Gardner, Sargent and Pirie that the number of players in the new club at Naperville, Ill., thirty-six miles from the city. Laurie final seventy-two holes should not number more than eighty at Ayton, the Evanston professional, returned the middle of last the most, as the number can be started at intervals of five minutes, month, after several months' stay in Scotland. He confirmed the which is little enough when a number of the matches are being reports brought over by Jock Hutchison and Bob MacDonald, that followed by fair-sized galleries. the St. Andrews course is impoverished and will need a lot of hard The suggestion to limit the field comes from the United States work and good weather to get it in good shape for the British Golf Association, which will co-operate with the Professional Open Championship. Laurie believes that Jock Hutchison and Golfers' Association in the matter. At the same time the Jim Barnes have the best chance of capturing the British title. U. S. G. A. already has taken steps to limit the number of amateurs but word comes from Detroit that Walter Hagen, who was not at by limiting the list of eligible players to those who qualified in last his best form in the Southern tournaments, is practising daily over year's amateur championship. This appears fair enough. There is the Detroit courses. Hagen was chagrined at the showing he made no doubt many of the professionals who compete in the open last year in England and, while the Britishers may regard him championship look upon it as a sort of "home-coming" event, in lightly, the experts over here who know his real ability, predict he which once a year they can renew old acquaintances. They enjoy will finish well up. Meanwhile Chicagoans are pinning their faith playing in the qualifying rounds and then watching the champion- on Jock. Until the team was picked it was not certain whether ship rounds. Any plan that makes the players require more than a he could get away, but as soon as the announcement was made week's absence from their clubs is hardly to meet with favor. officials of the Glen View Club granted him leave of absence. The So it looks as if the two sectional qualifying rounds at eighteen blonde Scot made last Winter the best record ever recorded by a holes is the most feasible of the plans yet proposed. Mr. Gardner professional, scoring four firsts in five starts. also asked the Professional Golfers' Association to suggest some Billy Mehlhorn, who will represent the Shreveport Club of Western course suitable for the open championship in 1922. Louisiana, is a native of Chicago, and formerly was assistant to Since Chick Evans announced he would compete in the British the late George Simpson at the Oak Park Country Club. He is a amateur championship much interest has been manifested in his likeable young player and will be a credit to this country, although preparatory work. The April snow storms knocked him out of two not quite steady enough to rank with the world's leading experts. week ends, but at this writing the national champion is living at the There is no doubt Bob MacDonald would have been given a place Chicago Golf Club, where early in the morning and late in the on the team, but he notified the committee he was unable to get afternoon he is tuning up as he has done for other big tourna- away, as did also Leo Diegel..

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