Monday, May. 27, 1929
British Women's Championship
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Joyce Wethered's, last week, was the voice of three silent years. Because a crowd had pushed and howled at Troon in 1926 when she was playing Glenna Collett she decided to play no more for championship golf cups. It made no difference to her that Mlle. Simone Thion de la Chaume and then Mlle. Manette le Blan thereafter won the British Ladies' Title. Joyce Wethered, whose impersonality sometimes is tantamount to genteel insolence, plays golf for amusement and crowds do not amuse her. But last week on St. Andrew's course in Scotland she played again for a championship. Again she met Glenna Collett, again she defeated her. Thus the British Woman's championship cup preserved its distinction of never having been won by an American.
On the morning of the finals, Glenna Collett took fours on every hole of the first nine, except on the eighth where she only had to hit her ball twice. Thus she broke a woman's record for St. Andrew's. By lunch time Golfer Collett was two up. But Miss Wethered, after a lunch of salad and cold chicken, had not lost her confident one-sided smile. Her drives were long, her irons had sting. Miss Collett suddenly became nervous, uncertain. Calmly Joyce Wethered advanced to lead. It was on the 15th that she definitely stopped the last Collett attempt to win back the morning's lead. Glenna Collett had taken a brilliant four. Miss Wethered had to sink an 18-foot putt to halve. She putted. For the first twelve feet the ball rolled so fast that it made a white line on the green. Then it slowed, took minutes and minutes. Finally it dropped into the hole in the turf. Miss Collett managed to halve the next hole but on the 17th she lost. Score: 3 up. 1 to go. When Miss Wethered won her last hole, 100 young girls from St. Andrew's University, dressed in bright red cloaks, cheered with happy, piping voices.
1,000 Guineas. Back to Moortown. England, where the Ryder cup was won for Great Britain (TIME, May 6) went U. S. and British professionals last week to play in the Yorkshire Evening News 1,000 guineas ($5,000) tournament. Again, Walter Hagen lost to George Duncan. Leo Diegel won a nickname, "Eagle-Diegel." Joe Turnesa won the 1,000 guineas from sad-faced Herbert Jolly of England by holing a chip shot for an eagle 3 at the 37th hole. Other spectacular moments:
George Duncan won the 36th hole and his match from Walter Hagen by putting 40 feet around a stymie.
Leo Diegel scored 30 for his first nine holes while beating Ed Dudley, 5 and 4.
Joe Turnesa beat Britain's Ernest Whitcombe on the 19th hole (19 up, 17 to go).
W. H. Davies took a 1-up lead on his 7th hole with George Duncan, halved the next eleven holes (2, 4, 4, 4, 2, 4, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4), won.
Wales. Edward of Wales has a handicap of 16. His chief faults have been hurrying his iron shots, topping drives, putting carelessly. Last week Walter Hagen played with him and said his handicap should be lowered. Explained Hagen: "He plays like a real student of the game, standing right up to the ball and hitting it squarely. He is a deliberate putter. He plays much better than I thought he did."
Wales, Hagen, Sir Philip Sassoon and Professional Aubrey Boomer of the St. Cloud course near Paris, nearly eluded newsgatherers and photographers, met at the Swinley Forest Club ("rich man's course"). Hagen and Wales paired and won a "greensome" (each team driving two balls but playing out only the best).
During the game, some of the things Hagen said were:
"You start, sir, and don't forget what I told you about your shoulder."
"Now remember that left wrist."
"Try this niblick, I made it myself."
Some of the things Edward of Wales said were:
"How on earth do you use this?"
"I'm sorry. My shoulder. I forgot about it."
After luncheon, Edward of Wales played a match with Postman William E. Jones of South Ascot at the Fernhill Artisans' Club. Postman Jones, too, has a handicap of 16. Wales, fresh from the Hagen tutelage, beat him jubilantly.
In Rome, last week, Benito Mussolini, following Gene Sarazen, who is of Italian origin, and Johnny Farrell, thus beheld his first game of golf. He autographed their cards. An alert newsgatherer later espied II Duce grinding his teeth, practicing golf swings. Romans chuckled that the Ballila (Fascist Boy Scouts), recently dismayed by the necessity of learning how to play baseball, would now be told to master golf.