52THE AMERICAN GOLFER BY LOCHINVAR OUT OF THE dis- that each match play round should be cussions which fol- at 36 holes. lowed the open This leaves only one day for quali- draw for the na- fication and it is not possible to start tiona1 amateur a big field at 36 holes and give all of championship at the players equitable conditions. Detroit and that of If the U. S. G. A. is to make any the women's na- change it might be well to follow the tional champion- lead of the billiard authorities who in ship at Onwentsia seeking to rate the leading profes- comes a suggestion from George sionals invited opinions from experts O'Neil, professional at the Beverly all over the country. Opinions from Country Club. the leading authorities might help to In the two tournaments mentioned solve the problem, which rumor says and in the western amateur and open will be tackled by the U. S. G. A. at events O'Neil advocates seventy-two its next annual meeting in Chicago. holes of stroke play, the lowest eight Mr. Silas H. Strawn, former presi- scorers to qualify and then meet in a dent, believes that eight days of play round robin tournament, each match is too much of a physical test, and at 36 holes, the player getting the while he is not averse to making the highest percentage of wins to be the pairings on the numerical plan, he champion. believes that with so many players of skill coming along that future fields While this idea doubtless would will be sufficiently balanced that the furnish a champion without a flaw in open draw will be free from any ob- his title, it possesses the disadvantage jection. of taking up nine days of play. Al- ready criticism has been leveled at the Mr. Charles F. Thompson, former plan used at Detroit when the pre- president of the Western Golf Asso- liminary round was held on Saturday. ciation, advocates the numerical plan It is claimed that six days of play is of placing the players in the draw, on quite enough of a strain. Whatever the ground that each player makes may be the merits of this argument his own position. there is no doubt the majority of the Mr. Frederick Ronaghey, a Chicago championship possibilities welcomed writer, classes the western plan as the abolition of the short 18 holes leaning towards showmanship, but as match play round which has been in no financial returns are involved this vogue in preceding years. can hardly be the case. The writer is of the belief that play When a tournament is played in a should be confined to six days and city which ordinarily does not see THE AMERICAN GOLFER 53 many high class golfers, the lovers of The next tournament will be held the game there look forward to the at Kalamazoo Country Club, the offi- crucial battle on Saturday and any cers for the ensuing year being as plan that can be made to bring the follows: tournament to such a climax is best. President, Miss Madge Miller, Grand Rapids; Vice President, Mrs. MISS ELEANOR LIGHTNER of the W. M. Loveland, Kalamazoo; Secre- Town and Country Club of St. Paul, tary-Treasurer, Mrs. J. H. Dewing, won the first Minnesota state cham- Kalamazoo. Fifty-four players start- pionship for ed in this year's women, defeating championship. her team mate, Miss Marion JAMES FOULIS, Lanpher, I up in one of the pioneer 19 holes, in the golf professionals final at her home of this country, club. Miss Lightner has had many led the qualification years experience in round with a score green keeping at of 98, equalling the Chicago Golf the women's par Club and later at for the course. the Calumet Coun- At the annual try Club and St. meeting of the state Louis Country golf association the Club. This season Minikahda Club he is with the was awarded the Windsor Golf 1916 tournament. Club of Chicago. Mrs. A. W. Strong Early last month of the Minikahda he stood in the Club was elected center of the president and Mrs. course and H. J. Moreton vice searched his president. Scotch vocabulary MISS ELEANOR LIGHTNER, of the Town and Coun- to describe his MISS MADGE try Club of St. Paul, women's Minnesota State champion. feelings towards MILLER of the Kent grub worms. Country Club of Grand Rapids is the Millions of grubs—it seemed to new champion of the Wolverine state him—were waxing fat and thrifty off by virtue of her victory over Mrs. his fairways and they were edging to- Frederick Fisher of the Detroit Golf wards his putting greens. Club. Miss Miller won the final match Some $10,000 worth of golf grass at the Bloomfield Hills course of De- was going to distend the already sleek troit 1 up. These players tied at 104 paunches of the grubs and Jim in the qualifying round. Mrs. J. W. couldn't think of anything to say—let Case of the Detroit Golf Club, last alone do. year's champion, was defeated in the As he stood there trying to think semi-final by Miss Miller. of some way of getting back to Scot- 54 THE AMERICAN GOLFER land without inciting the enmity of golf strokes, the count on the differ- submarines, a little robin flew along ent holes coming in the form of and alighted on the grass. strokes and swishes, the swishes be- It must have been along about lunch ing the ones that fail to hit the ball. time for the robins, for this bird, spy- At the end of the hole they are added ing a fine, fat, white grub, seized him to the total. President Frank Wood- just abaft the lee scuppers and began ward and the U. S. G. A. have to pull. For a minute it looked like a nothing on them for making rules and sparrow trying to pull a section of regulations. fire hose out of a cistern full of glue. The robin grunted a couple of times, "FATHER" O'MALLEY, who was a took a new grip, and out came the semi-finalist in the Tenderfoot class grub. of the city championship at Denver, says, "Win or lose it's the greatest Foulis must have taken that robin game, and is as good for the church- to one side and purred a Robert man as the sinner." Burns poem to him, for the robin felt better and flew away. In a couple of ROBERT PEEBLES, professional at hours he came back with the rest of the Topeka Country Club won the his family, and they had afternoon open championship of the southwest tea. Then they flew away, and along staged at his home club, getting a total toward supper time came back with of 305. James Watson of Mission about fifty cousins, and aunts, and Hills, Kansas City, was second with such like. 323. Other leading scores were Tom Foulis said nothing and he forgot Clarke, Blue Hills, Kansas City, 323; all about mean things to be said to the Harry Robb, Hutchinson Country grub worms. On the following morn- Club, 324; William Hoare, Omaha ing there must have been some Paul Country Club, 326; Fred Bell, Lake- Revere work done in the Lexington wood C. C., Denver, 326; Mr. Arthur of Robindom, for all the hungry Bonebrake, Shawnee, Topeka, 327. robins this side of Denver came over Master Bonebrake is considered a to the Windsor links for breakfast. golfing prodigy as he is only 14 years Although several clubs in the Chic- of age. On the first day he finished ago District suffered from the grub fourth with a total of 160, and in ad- worms, none of them was given the dition set a record of 2 strokes for the same amount of help by the robins as seventh hole, 375 yards. He drove Windsor, where the birds literally close to 200 yards and holed his mid- appeared in hundreds. iron second. With the exception of Peebles, Master Bonebrake and his CHALK UP one more club for the partner drew the biggest galleries. west. Play on the new course at Ana- The boy player started golf two years conda, Mont., has been started. Offi- ago, and his feat of finishing seventh cers of the club are President, Mr. E. in the tournament stamps him as a P. Mathewson; Vice President, W. player of great promise. M. Montgomery; Secretary, Mr. R. P. Wood; Treasurer, Mr. L. R. Funk. THE REFINING INFLUENCE of a country club is being felt by the lead- THE GIRLS of the Denver Country ing citizens of Cheyenne, Wyoming, Club have a new way of scoring their and at a recent meeting plans for the THE AMERICAN GOLFER55 formation of one on the shore of manent possession of the trophy Lake Absarraca were made. which has been in play since 1903. A Cheyenne paper says "Cheyenne Mr. Van Auken, who is twenty years is rapidly passing into the metropoli- of age, is expected to be a big factor tan class. The town is undergoing a in the Wisconsin State championships transformation in appearance, and the in coming years. surrounding country also is changing. As the years go by there will be a MR. F. P. ALTA, playing on the marked improvement morally, social- Blue Hills course at Kansas City, re- ly, politically, financially and in all lates the following experience: those things that go to make up an "We were playing in a foursome—Dr.