THREE GREAT GOLFERS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 573, 30 July 1909, Page 10

THREE GREAT GOLFERS.

TAYLOR'S -I'-OU'ItTH.CHAMPIONSHIP. F()UK WONDKUFUT, IiOUKDS. ';■ .), 11. Taylor, tlio famous Mid-Surrey professional, w'un'-tlio open golf championship on July 11 (miy» the London. " Daily. News"), hi.i triumph being ilio reward or brillianco and wonderful consistency: in play. -By bis victory Taylor becomes tlio third living golfer to placo llio championship four limes to his credit,'and tho first to attain championship honours oh tho Cinque Ports raurse. Tlio great'triumvirate, an Taylor, Braid, and Harry .Vardon are known the world over, have recently-been threatened in their position of supremacy" by a young, school of professionals, but, though the latter can, and sometimes do, play ns brilliantly as the acknowledged masters, they have not yet acquired that steadiness which wins championThe til roe famous players mentioned; jiayo how; amongst them,'won tho championship a dozen times in fifteen years, and thero is no sign yet of deterioration in Hie quality of their golf; Of tho three,. Taylor has, perhaps, tho best record, for. in addition to. .winning outright on four occasions he was, in 1890, only beaten after, a tie, with Harry .Vardon, and has, on'.two other occasions, been runner-up. James Braid, as is his wont, after an indifferent start, finished magnificently, and tied ..with Tom Ball for. second place, six strokes behind tho winner. By''his. performance; Ball again showed himself. to lie tho' most consistent of the younger players, although C. Johns, who performed' so'brilliantly on the first day, again did well. The young South Down professional proved his capabilities last year by finishing second to Jack Howe in the Sussex professional championship. The returns of the leading six players are-.— . ■ . jst : 2ud 3rd 4th ' ■ ■■':' rd. rd. rd.'-rd.' T'l. J. H. Taylor, Mid-Surrey 74 73 74 74-4-295 J. Braid, Walton Heath 79 75 • 73 - 74-301 Tom Ball, West .Lanes. 74' : 75' 76 76-301 C. Johns, South Down''..;. 72 76 79 75—302 .T.vG.Rcnouf, Manchester 76 78 76 -73-303 E. Ray, Ganton ....,...,...,,77 76 -76 75-301 THE MORNING.ROUND. Owing to' tiie .scratching of Tcrnie, Fred .Robson. was coupled with J. H. Taylor, and so' strong a, pair naturally attracted a great deal'of attention.' The latter played a: sound and, at times, brilliant ganio. goiug out. Ho holed a four yards put for a fine four, at the long fifth, and two'perfect shots on to tho next green' gave him a seven feet put, which he holed for a threo. lie showed a tendency' to pull his shots,"', however, at the next threo holes. He.got into- the rough.with his second to tho seventh, and, afterwards, just' missed a fivo feet,put for four. Ho.pulled his second', at tho eighth, and his'tee,shot at the,ninth, but still he reached the turn in an average of fours. He-started home, with a three, but was I>unkered from his next tea shot and had a five. At the fourteenth he missed a shot nut, for tho regulation' three, and: he lost anothor stroke at .the sixteenth, .where,. after slicing :his second into the rough, he was short with :his chip. - The Mid-Surrey- crack,' however, very nearly had a three at tho. seventeenth; .'where he'only ijiist failed to.-hole-his long put, and .a round of saventy-four . was .good .'erioughto considerablylincreaso his lead.';-...Tay-lor's figures "were :^-■ •.'•*'-. .'-. ■■'<- Orif: 455 3 i'3s -5 4—38.,- -'•'' •• -' ' -'■■ Home: 3534 44 5 4-4r-36. :- ->.••'• 'In the afternoon Taylor - and Robson' took with .them a .'large.'gallery of spectators, on their last-round.- Taylor:played with great: confidence, and made'-scarcely a'mistake,- except at the second -hole,' where; he :had a five, as in, tho morning..- He'■■went ■ out.in two under fours for the first five holes coming home.' He pulled his tee. shot, info the rough at the ■ twelfth,' but holed, a., four„yards. put, for thiee. on the next green.,. After a', steady-, three at, the-short., fourteenth, he .sliced his. approach, into tho r'oii'glvat the'fifteenth,''and had a fiv'ej'lmt'he played'the'remaining holes perfectly, and, with' an' aggregate of729s'made victory almost certain. ."The details'of TayHor's last round were, as' under•.—'■; - , " ' •. Out:'l-oS Ss'i'4 , si4'«qualV.39.V■":' ■•"''.."'"' v Home:' 4 i 43 3 5'4 i '4: oq'uals.'3s, •'. Total 74; .' Tom Ball gained a'stroke on the' leader on the outward, journey. ; :,;.,';• ... , ,".