Vol. XXVIII
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiliiiiiiiiiiiniimiiiitii
Entered as second class matter at the post office
11111111111111 ■ 11 m 111111111M i ■ 11111111 • i ■ i ■ . omce
—.......
^ii±)KUARY 21, 1925
...""""".......2 00 per yeftr.
iiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiinifiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiim
NCJMfcER 10
•....immiiiimimHliiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiUlllllllllllllliiiiiiii,
St. Valentine’s Tournament for Women
(By Burt Hoxie)
mHE Thirteenth of February, and Friday at that, may be
a jinx to some folks. But not so to Miss Ann Merrill
member of the Brookline Country Club, Boston. She
refused to let any such combination stand in the way of win
ning the main laurels in the Annual St. Valentine’s tournament
for women, played on the Number 1 course last week By the
score of 2 up she defeated Mrs. J. D. Chapman, of Greenwich,
Conneticut, in the finals, closing a most successful and interest
ing tournament.
For several years Miss Merrill has been a contestant in
various Pinehurst events. * But runner-up in some division or
other has been her fate. Just when things looked promising
she was forced to step aside. But there eventually comes a
day when the shoe is on the other foot, when one’s game meets
the requirements and victory is achieved.
Winning this event must have been exceptionally gratifying
to the Brookline girl for the field included Mrs. Ronald H. Bar
low; of the Merion Cricket Club, the winner of the qualifying
round with an 86, six strokes better than anyone else in the
field. Naturally the Philadelphian, ofttimes champion of
various tournaments, was the outstanding favorite. Miss
Merrill was considered capable of giving her a red-hot engage
ment but fate elected that they should not meet. For in the
first round the unexpected happened, the medalist stepped
aside through the prowess of Mrs. H. H. Rackham, of Detroit.
In the same round Miss Merrill turned back Mrs. G. Howard
Fright, 3 and 2, previous to which it should be mentioned that
the winner’s qualifying round was 93, giving her third position
among the fifty odd who contested.
Her second match was far from a walk-over, her opponent
being Miss Eleanor Lightner, of St. Paul, Minnesota. Accord
ing to golf history in that section, Miss Lightner has held the
women s title of her State on no less than three occasions. At
one stage of the game Miss Merrill seemed on the road to an
early and easy victory, standing no less than four up at the
eighth hole. But many a slip here and there and some" good
golf on the part of the Minnesota Miss soon brought the match
down to a fifty-fifty basis. At this point Miss Merrill recovered
her equilibrium and forged ahead to come in a 2-up winner.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Chapman was taking matters fairly easy
in the lower half of the draw. Miss Louise Patterson, of
Plainfield, was unable to carry on beyond the fourteenth
green, losing 6 and 4, and Mrs. Rackham fared little better,
losing her match with Mrs. Chapman on the same green. The
score was 5 and 4. x
The finals were unusually interesting, due to the fact that
both contestants showed a reversal of form at times. That
is, when it appeared a walk-over for Miss Merrill due to her
splendid golf going out, Mrs. Chapman elevated her game to
such an extent as to make it a real warm engagement. The1
Boston Miss was 43 to the turn to a 48 for her opponent, and
no less than three up. But the lead soon vanished like smoke
into thin air, Mrs. Chapman winning the eleventh with a par
three, having an eight foot putt for a deuce, the twelfth with a
five when Miss Merrill drove to the woods, and also the next,,
making it three in a row when her opponent found trouble in
dislodging her ball from a trap. Mrs. Chapman had a fine
chance to win the next also and forge ahead for the first time.
Both were short of the green in two, but a shanked third by
Mrs. Chapman cost her a six and a lost hole. However, she
came back with a fine four on the fifteenth, dropping a nice
putt for a win and squaring the match. But a topped third on s
mmm
' ' ' " C
Annual A. K. C. Show, the renewal of which will be held this year on April 17 and 18
;
* ^ ' ■& U:$