AMATEUR GOLF.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19268, 24 March 1928, Page 13

AMATEUR GOLF.

IMPROVED OUTLOOK IN BRITAIN. (srzciALLY ■w»im*'roß m press.) (By Harry Vnrdon, Six Times Open Champion.)

It can bo said in perfect sincerity that the prospects of British amateur golf in 1928 havo been enlivened considerably by tho happenings of tho past two years. I am by no means alone in thinking that so far as concerns amateur players of sheer scientific ability Mid consistency of performance, this country is lacking in the standard which prevailed when Mr John Ball, Mr Harold Hilton, Mr Robert Maxwell, Mr F. G. Tait, and Mr John Graham woro at tho height of their powers. Still, tho development last season of two such men as I>r. William Twoddoll and Mr T. P. Perkins, who maintained the fino form which marked their beginning of the programme with victories in tho British and Knglish championships respectively, may be accepted as ovidonce that British amateur golf is recovering from tho setback which, liko professional golf, »t suffered as a consequence of the war. It is rathor monotonous to be reflecting constantly on tho war's effects, but probably tho truth is thufc they have had most to do with tho rise of tho Unitod States to supremacy on the links, and there is no need to minimise the circumstances when discussing the international situation. This season, it is tho turn of the British team to visit America for the Walker Cup match, which takes place every two years. It is admittedly a difficult business to beat the Americans, and more difficult on their own courses than on ours, but if » truly representative team of eight British amateurs oon bo organised, we may reasonably entertain liopes. Tho new talent bids us do so. Not since 1936 has there been an international test in amateur golf. On that occasion, tho Americans achieved a double triutnph, and in this country, too. Nevertheless, it is a fair judgment to sav that if the two events had been re-played, they would as likely as not have ended in British successes, so Blender were the threads by which the Americans gained their victory. Mr Jess Sweetser was a worthy winner in the amateur championship, but with the admittedly nipe best players of the United States in the field, he was the pnly visitor who reached the semi-final, and it was plain for everybody present to see that he might well have been beaten at that stago by the Hon. W. Brownlow. Somebody had to win, and Mr Sweetster, 'after an escape at the nineteenth hole, did win at tb® twentyfirst: but the whole affair was so much in tlie nature of a toss-up that the ends of justice would lifive been, served just as well if the final had been an duel.

Good Sign. As for the Walker Cup match, it deserves to be remembered'that, for tho first time in the history of tho contest, the British* side won the singles. _ 'lhat was a big thing to do in an eight-a-sido negageirient with tho oream of the United States amateurs, with "each game over thirty-six holes. Certainly ft lent no colour to the long-sustained belief in the superiority of the American amateurs as a body. Ii had always been thought that to stand any chance of capturing tho trophy we should first have to gain the lead in the foursomes —an almost exclusively British % form'* of tho gamo. An advantage of three games to one in this section of the match might be the stepping-stone to victory. A lend of fqur to nothing would ha ft jnagnicent dispensation. And, with all our admiraijqn of America's nitiateqrs, wo have never despaired of such a situation presenting itself in a department of golf which the British have veiicr* a ted frorp time immemorial, and the Americans have virtually ignored. We did not look for sucoess in the singles. Qn the last occasion the foursomes went wrong. Of the foqr British pairs thvee .had never played together up til the afternoon before the match, and they could not dovetail quickly enough toi bq effective. And Mr Brownlow was so. indisposed that probably ought never to have been included in the team, although he-and Mr E. P. Storey, after being six do\yn at the ei\d of the* morning round, ca,ught Mr Robert Gardner an 4 Mr Jfco|anq Mackenzie in the afternoon, apd might have won just as surely as they lost, at the thirty-sixth hole, At any rate, if Britain's deficit of two in the fourßomea could not he retrieved by a majority of pqe lit the singles, the match W a whole did mfl r e than anything has done for years to show that the collective forces of the two nation? are M pearly 4s possible upon ope plane in amateur gQlf- We surely need not despair, this season, especially if our foursome Pftirs are arranged so that they may havo plenty of practice as sides.

Mr Jones's Lapse. - There is justification for saying that the standard of British amateur play is higher now than it has been at any time (Juring the past seven years—the period which has marked the rise of America to a position of predominance. Mr Bobby Jones is the outstanding genius of the game, although even he proved fallible in the test which tradition has prescribed for our amateur championship—the test of eighteen holes matches.

It is a further good augury for British amateur golf that there has been no serious fall|ng-off in- the standard of the established leaders, save that little was heard last season of Sir Ernest Holdernesa and Mr Storey—mainly, I believe, on account of the clalroa of work, Sir Ernest Holdemess, howover, made a vigirous reappearance in the Oxford and Cambridge Society'■ recent tournament at Bye. Mr Storey is sn/e to be prominent again. Ho is ono. of the most improved golfers of recent seasons. Up to the time that ho left Cambridge in 1924, experts were disposed to describe him as purely a oneshot player, that, one shot being the full shot. Most (assuredly it is not true of him now.

Mr Cyril Tolley is nearly always a power and Mr R. H. Wcthered seems to be playing as well as ever." Then there is the twenty-two-years old Glasgow player Mr Andrew Jamieson, junior, who won his big spurs by beating Mr Jones in the amateur championship, and Mr Robert Gardner in the International contest, and who has since succeeded to the title of Scottish amateur champion. Ho is worthy to rank with Dr. Tweddell and Mr Perkina among the contributors to brighter prospects for British amateur golf.