GOLF

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 45, 17 November 1926, Page 9

GOLF

(By

“Niblick.”)

Goss Wins Belin out Championship. J. Goss was at his best when he defeated J Al. Hussey in the final of the Belmont championship at Wanganui b> 4 up and 3 to play last week. Hussey had reached the final for the third yeat in succession. In 1924 he was just beaten by I’. Barks, and last year Imlay Saunders beat him by 4 and 3. Duncan Challenges Hagen.

Not content to allow Walter Hagen the honour of world’s match play champion because he defeated Abe Mitchell, George Duncan has formally challenged the American to a 72-holes match for £5OO a side. Duncan is willing to go to the United States to meet Hagen, as the American player is not likely to travel to England. It is stated that Duncan has waived every possible condition, allowing Hagen to nominate the course and the dates. Up to the present Hagen has not seen his way clear to accept the challenge. As he is at present out of favour with the American public, he perhaps thinks it wiser not to risk another blow to his prestige.

Speaking of Duncan, the golf correspondent of the Observer states that most people think Duncan is quite unnecessarily putting his head into a noose in making the challenge. He has not been playing well for some time, and his chances of defeating Hagen on ground selected by himself are by no means bright. On reflection Duncan has come to the conclusion that his (butting is not what it should be. This has been perfectly obvious to the onlooker for the last few years, and the wonder is that Duncan has not discovered it Tong ago. However, he has fashioned a new type of weapon—a putter with an unusually deep face, something after a mashie-iron but without the loft. The idea is to roll the ball up to the hole rather than to make it leap as if one were playing a pitch-and-run shot with a jigger, always a pronounced characteristic of Duncan’s putting.

English Ladies’ Championship. The absence of Miss Joyce Wethered and Miss Cecil Leitch from the English ladies’ golf championships has created considerable comment in England. Discussing the guestion, the golf correspondent of the “Observer” said: “When Miss Wethered won the English championship five years in succession, and the British open championship three times out of four, she probably elt that she had done enough She arrived at the stage in her career when the championship was as good as hers for the asking. All this was very dull and uninteresting, not only to herself, but to the rank and file of players, who saw no means of escape from their state of bondage. So, fo rtwo years Miss Wethered has played golf in private and for her own amusement, and has thoroughly enjoyed the experience Having regained the title of British champion, Miss Cecil Leitch, no doubt, thinks that additional prestige is not to be obtained by annexing the English championship. Miss Leitch is probably right in her, deduction.

Lady Professionals. Great Britain may have been the cradle of golf, but the announcement from London recently that the first women’s golf professional of that kingdom has just come forth to teach golf to feminine aspirants has shown that the Mother Country was behind in that phase of golf, for the United States has had women jgolf professionals for several years. Four of them are listed with male instructors. Chicago has two women golf proessionals in Mrs. Harry Healy, of the Lincoln Park Golf Club, and Mrs. Bob Macdonald, who aids her husband, who is known as one of the longest drivers in the world.