Wonderful Golf

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 317, 30 March 1928, Page 10

Wonderful Golf

RECORD AMERICAN FIGURES Looking at the scores in leading American events last year, one is struck by two things. One is that the American professionals seem to spend months lust ' playing in one championship after another, and the other is the extraordinary scoring. Our leading players could not break :!00 for four-stroke rounds at Hamilton last year under perfect conditions, while in comparison A 1 Espinosa, an American professional, averaged 71J, 711, 71 s, and 711 in four four-round championships, or 286. 285. 287 and 286. and could not record a win. Espinosa has been awarded the crown for the King of Hard Luckers for the yean:, but no fewer than 19 American players broke 290 for four rounds of tournament play during the season without winning a championship, though of them ail Espinosa had ihe hardest record. Four times, campaigning from Florida to Canada. Espinosa returned under 290. only to see someone else take first place. At Miami he scored 286, and Gene fiarazen won with 277, Jack Hutchison turning in 281 and Harry Hampton 284. In the Western Open he scored 255, Hagen winning with 2SI. In Chicago he returned 287. but Johnny Farrell won with 285. At Oklahoma he continued his wonderful record with 286, and Harry Cooper won with 283. Hard luck Is an old friend of Espinosa’s. I recollect that he met one Lay X>err at a critical stage in the professional championship in 1924. Espinosa played par golf and Herr went mad with his putter. He sank two putts of 15 feet, one of 20 and two of 30 to halve holes, and won holes with a 25-footer round a stymie, a 20footer. a 45-footer and a 25-footer again, each of these last three being for one under par. Hagen literally swamped Herr in the semi-finals. However, these facts are merely quoted to carry the story of the wonderful scores which have become an ordinary thing with the Americans.