UNITED STATES GOLF

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 26, 23 October 1937, Page 17

UNITED STATES GOLF

■ ^ I IHE - AMATEUR UTU * •- JOHNNY GOOD3IAN S * Years of bitter disappointmeftt Wefe broken in AugUst last by Johnny Goodmaft whe he finally fought his way to the proftused land of golf. At the Alderwood counti'y club course, Portland, before a gallery of 9000, he defeated Ray Biilows, 2 up in the 36-hoie final of the American amateur championship, It took Bobby Jones, who first played in the event at the age of 14, eight years to win his first amateur crown in 1924. Goodmatt, than whom there is probably fto better amateur ift the world to-day, has taken nine years, but iii the meafitime he has won the American open (1933). Now he has joined the four American imttiortals of U.S.A. golf— Francis Ouimet, Jerry Travers, Chick EvftftS aftd Bobby Jones— who Were good enough to win both the opeft aftd amateur crowns. They doft't do things by hhlves ift America, and even Goodmart's 18-year-old caddie was asked to Write his iffipression of the victory, If his story Caft be taken at its face value, weli— eaddies in the Uftited States are ffiOfe tHan" b'ag carriers'i This is What he wrote:— . _> • Saturday was the prdudest day of my life because the golfer I caddied for won the National Amateur championship. As soon as I began packing for johnny Goodmatt in the practice rounds I knew he didn't hit long woods or irons, so whenever he was in the rough or in trouble I always gave him a longer iron so he could reach the green. Canidy fdr Luck. Whenever he made a bad shot I wouid pull out a piece of wintergreen candy and eat it. That flavour was my lucky one. I never had any fears for Us during the qu&lifying rounds, ev6tt ift the rain on Mottday, because Johnny was always so straight down the middle Of the fairway. When we stafted playing iii the htateh rounds, our first iftatch was against Donald McPhail, bUt We never

bad to worry about that one, because Jchnny took the first thrde holes All the other eaddies told me ftcw tough 4immy McHale Was, but I wasn't a bit afraid, and Johnny won, 3 and 2. That was in the second. Our toughest match was against Bud Ward in thp semirfirisis. Johnny wasn't afraid, but I was. Johfiny started givind Bud his short putts, but after a whil4 I told him to qUit it, so he did and Ward started to miss them and then we went on to win. Gallery Against Him. I was scared when he played Don Moe and I told Johnny that the gallery wouid be all fdr Moe and he wouid have to play them, too. It was the same way against Ward — all the crowd was for him because he is from Olympia, but we played Ward and forgot all about the gallery. The crowd never bothered Johnny at all. All duriftg the toUrnamettt Johnny tcok the club I told him to use, and he asked me plenty of times. I think the only time Johttfty got scared was when we played Moe and we were 1 down on the thirteenth hole. But 1 said, "Don't worry, we've got five more holes to go yet." Then he came in and won the next three. t got scared again on No. 16 yesteraay afterr.oon wlien Johnny gave Ray BihOvvs that short putt that left US cnJy one up and two to go, but then I gave JOhiiny a pep talk like I always did when he started to slouch down in his gam-v a little, and we finally won. I've bc n caddying for six years or more at W averley, but this is the first tcurnamcnt I have packed in. I play golf some myself, but I shoot abottt a 92. I'm left-handed