1937-07-24 — Page 20

THE CHINA MAIL, JULY 24, 1937.

BRITAIN'S POOR RYDER CUP START T

GIVEN KING & REES IMPORTANT BERTHS IN NATIONAL TEAM

“INVINCIBL ES” CRASHED

VERY BADLY

G

́(By GEORGE GREENWOOD)

Southport, June 30. REAT BRITAIN has made an indifferent start in the Ryder Cup match against America, which opened on the Ainsdale course here to-day. Of the four foursomes, Britain only won one, losing two and halving the other. America thus obtained a valuable lead of one point. In order to win the match Britain must win five of the eight singles which will be played to-morrow. This is a formid- able but by no means a hopeless task, as was shown in the 1929 match at Moortown,

Walter Hagen, above, non-play- ing captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, stated that D. J. Rees, the young Welsh assistant, was prob ably the most promising of the younger golfers in the world.

For the singles there are some unexpected changes in the Bri- tish team. Charles Whitcombe, the captain, has left himself out, as he did at New Jersey in 1935, and has dropped W. J. Cox, who played well in to-day's foursomes, although in a losing partnership: nership from For these two vacancies Whitcombe has brought in S. L. King and been experted. Alfred Perry, both individualists and dour fighters. In the Ameri- can team Walter Hagen has replaced Revolta by Sam Snead, run ner-up in the United States championship. Aged 24, he is the youngest member of the side.

more

been

FATAL ERRORS

the famous

were

which so much had

thegood. Whitcombe, I am affaid. was the culprit.

He putted very nervously and the match progressed the spectators- were so apprehensive that, when he had a putt of 18 inches they turned their heads away.

The youth Rees was the hero of the quartet and both Americans paid a great tribute to 'his' plack 1 and courage. On the way round Sara- zen - whispered to me, "This boy Rees is playing the best golf of the lot of us; and he has the best swing."

Neither Shute nor Sarazen, parti- cularly the former, seemed capable of steering his ball in the high wind - blowing directly across the course." With a succession of wild hooks Shute put his bewildered partner into some terrible places, from which there was no alternative but: to hack back to the course.

EXCAVATING!

Then, at the 14th, Saražen "hooked into the heart of a gorse bush and one could almost imagine him say- ing: Now it's your turn to do a bit of excavating.". But the remark- able thing about it all was that from these desperate situations the Americans managed to scramble halves. They were the luckiest people in the world.

ents' ball for a 3.

They took the lead at the 4th Cox was the mainstay in the se-where Rees, in attempting to hole a cond match, his putting saving the dead stymie, knocked in the oppon-

Guldahl and side time and again. Manero, U. S. champions of this Britain lost the sixth, where Rees year and last year, got the mark hooked an-iron-- his one bad shot: quickly, becoming 2 up at the third. Whitcombe's nervous putting streak At this hole Lacey hit a shot com- began at the next hole, where he pletely off the socket over the heads missed

of the crowd.

match.

from 4ft to square the

from 8 yards for a 4, enabled the

From

An even

greater surprise is won the 11th in 4 to 6, Dudley com- the placing of Henry Cotton as pletely fluffing a simple approach. No. 4 in the team, particularly They went further ahead at the when most people had expected 14th, where, after Padgham had

Britain led for the first time when

SHUTE GOES TO PIECES that he would play near the top. bunkered his tee shot, Cotton holed

Never before have two assist- from six yards for a 4.

they won the 10th and 11th holes.

Neither side reached the 9th with ants King and Rees

the second shot, but Sarazen, holing The British players made two fa- At the former Cox holed from 12 allocated such responsible posi- tions in a national team. King, tal blunders which cost them their yards, although they had 2 strokes to spare, while at the 11th Guldahl,

Americans to become 2 up. for example, is meeting Denis- lead. At. Gumbleys

Shute, who holds a two 16th, Cotton once again pushed out who had found it difficult to keep

on the fairway, once again bunkered the turn Shute's driving went all to

pieces. and the Americans years' unbroken record in match an iron

Despite abundant prae-

He hooked into a ditch at the 11th, play.

nearer the hole in 2 than the British his drive.

and did much the same sort of thing It would be idle to pretend that were in 3, thanks to a brilliant No. tice, Manero failed to recover suf-

ficiently well. the the result of the foursomes was 2 iron played by Nelson into

After losing the 13th Cox played at the next two holes. But, thanks to the generosity of the opponents, anything but disappointing. Padg strong cross-wind.

the Americans lost only one of these ham and Cotton, regarded as an al- Padgham made the finest shot of a glorious mashie niblick to the short 15th and Lacey had only" to

holes. most invincible partnership, crashed the round at the 17th, a spoon se-

Fassing a bush at the 14th a spec- badly. Both played far too many cond, played nicely into the wind, sink a tiny putt for the birdie

tator espied a ball lying among the destructive shots, and Padgham, at finishing three yards from the pin.

roots. Regarding it as a “find," he

horror an army of stewards came The last hole was halved in a bril-rushing up and shouted, "Put that ball back" It was Sarazen's hooked liant 3, Cox once again laying the

drive!! Round approach by the hole-side. in 72 and 1 up, Cox and Lacey, des- pite their shaky start, had given the best display of the morning.

which

increased their lead to He missed a putt of

the vital stages, missed putts which Cotton just failed with the putt, and again.

than a yard at the 17th, and after Nelson had run up dead to en-

an unexpected win.

2

2

less

the

are commonly known as "sitters."

There can be nothing but unstint-able Dudley to get the 4, Padgham American pair were presented with put the ball in his pocket, but to his ed praise for Rees, aged 24, and the missed by one of two feet amid the youngest member of the team. Play groans of the spectators. ing in his first international match, A half at the home hole left the

The Americans became 2 up at the all square he saved his game as much by a players as they started

16th, where the British captain, two fatal mistakes wonderful display of calm courage and those

pulling his drive into a bunker, left as by a splendid exhibition of golf, were to prove expensive.

his partner no chance of carrying especially in the critical: stages. Nelson and Dudley quickly jump-

the range of sandhills just ahead.^

· MISTAKES ON BOTH SIDES The only success was gained by ed into the lead after lunch, winning At the first

The first eight holes in the after-But successive mistakes on the part Allies and Burton, who pulled a the first three holes. desperate match out of the fire. In two the British players made blun- noon included only one half. First of Shute enabled the British pair to this game AlHss was the 'dominat- ders, and at the third ing figure.

"INVINCIBLES" CRASH

from 12 yards for Gison holed one side made mistakes and then win the last two holes and drew le

America the other. went further ahead at the fifth,

vel At the 17th another vicious. But just when it was so necessary hook landed in the tiger country, Winning two of the first three where Dudley holed a five-yard putt to increase this margin Lacey blun-while at the 18th, his hoodoo hole, holes, both in birdies, Cotton and and Padgham missed from as many dered and sliced his drive to the Shute hit the second shot far over

14th out of bounds. This was all the green. Padgham, the leading British pair, feet.

appeared set for an easy - victory. Thereafter Britain was fighting a square..

hopeless battle.

WHAT MOST EXCITING

At the 16th Britain took three As it turned out, this match was But their early brilliance flattered

putts, Lacey hitting_the_ball_about the most exciting of the series. only to deceive.. For seven consecu-

THE END CAME The end came at the sixteenth, half-way to the hole. America were Rees- was the saviour of the side: tive holes they failed to reach the

a happy Half-stymied at one hole early in green in the proper figures, and so where, after Padgham had hooked (now 1 up with 2 to play could not take full advantage of the his drive into an impossible place, position and they settled the af-the second round he bravely holed Americans many mistakes.

Cotton" put the ball into the cross fair at the 17th, where both Manero a tricky putt of 4ft for a half with Cotton, in particular, was below bunker. Nelson played a glorious and Cox hooked their drives into the opposition a few inches

the hole. Had Rees missed Er form, hitting many iron shots flat-spoon to the green; and after play the rough.

would have been in YOUNG REES THE HERD ly, well wide of the objective. The ing 5 the British pair conceded the

The story of the third match was straits. high wind seemed to disturb the hole and the matches British players just as much aa it” Thếy were bektön by two steady similar to that of the first → a case: The real cut-and-thrust, businews did their opponents, and their judg? golfers who Holed vität putte just of missed opportunities on the part began after the turn” where me * match was all-squares. the 10th ment of distance was "frequently at when needed. Cotton's loose: iron of the British player. fault, a

shots in the morning and Fädgham's Instead of finishing the first half Rees holed a putt of 3 yards for The British couple for once play bad lapses on the green in the after-all-square" Whitcombe and Rees 4 to save the hole,

(Continued on Page 21) ed a hole in

odox-fashion- noon combined to wreck the part- should have been at least 4 holes to