VOL. XXIX
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APRIL 17, 1926 *
.« PPWHPBW, N. 0., Subscription, «.,» per year.
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Number 16
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Youth Overwhelms Field of Veterans
By E. Ellsworth Giles
mHE silent but irresistible on-rush of youth manifested
itself afresh in the medal testing round of the twenty
sixth annual North and South tournament for amateurs
played over the No. 2 and No. 3 courses of the Pinehurst layout
April 5 and 6, and then showed its staying qualities by plac
ing two youngsters in the final.
Not only did George T. Dunlap, Jr., take the low medal
qualifying prize from a field of more than two hundred
entrants, but Page Hufty, of the Congressional Club, Wash
ington, D. C, whose eighteenth birthday was July 6 last,
won the championship trophy, toppling over some excel
lent and well-seasoned golfers who challenged his right to
enter the final where he met and defeated L. E. Sherrill of
Tampa by the margin of 2 up and 1 to play.
In the first match round Hufty defeated the veteran links
man and captain of the Massachusetts Lesley Cup team, F.
C. Newton, by the decisive margin of 5 up and 4 to go. Next
he met and disposed of Robert McDougal, a member of last
year’s Princeton varsity team, 2 up and 1 to play. Follow
ing this he trimmed the Metropolitan Junior champion, Eu
gene Homans of Englewood, N. J., a student at Choate
school. Then in the final he met Sherrill, a well-built mus
cular athlete, who the day before had completely upset the
old dope bucket by downing the odds on favorite, “Ducky”
Yates, the defending champion, by the score of 2 up.
Although Sherrill went to the first tee confident, and con
scious that he was the popular choice to win, Hufty took
him over, and in impressive style, even though Sherrill came
like a house afire toward the end in a belated effort to over
come a lead of 7 up and 10 to play. It was a most inspiring
finish, and one that aroused the gallery to a pitch of genuine
excitement, but it fell short of success because he had already
tucked away an ample lead and refused to crack under the
threat. Sherrill’s play, however, on nine of the last ten holes
of the match was brilliant in the extreme, when he had a
medal score of 33 strokes, being three strokes under par.
Here are the cards of the finalists which tell the full tale
of the mechanical, side of the match.
Morning round:
Hufty Out 5 5 4 3 3 5 2 5 5 37
In 3 4 5 5 6 4 4 4 5—40—77
Sherrill Out 65554536 4—42
In 44464444 5—39—81
Afternoon round:
Hufty Out 45634435 4 38
In 7 4 5 5 5 3 6 3 4—42 80
Sherrill Out 4 5.5 3 5 5 4 6 3 40
In 7345 4 343 4—37—77
1 he cards show that Hufty had all of his winning success
on the outgoing nine, both morning and afternoon, thereby
getting the jump on the trailing Sherrill, and putting the
burden of proof up to the broad-shouldered Tampa man.
Considering that both men had gone through a full week of
gruelling tournament play they stood up well in the final
test. Hufty, much frailer of the two physically, showed
signs of fatigue, but he also gave unmistakable evidence of
a stout heart when courage was needed.
Hufty played six successive holes on the outgoing nine in
the afternoon, starting at the fourth in one under 4’s and one
under par taking four of them and at a time when winning
meant entrance to easy street. The lead which he amassed
here through his own brilliant and courageous play, and the
sins of commission of his opponent had its actual and psy
chological effect upon both contestants.
There were many brilliant individual shots played by both
finalists, but as often happens in like circumstances the boys
occasionally failed to step into openings. As an example of
this one might cite the play on holes 10 and 13. Hufty’s
strategy in playing over the intervening bunkers, and into
the fourteenth fairway going to No. 13 both morning and
afternoon and scoring a pair of 5’s which well might have
been 6’s, and Sherrill’s failure to take advantage of Hufty’s
misplays here was outstanding. Both players overlooked
errors and openings on 10 in the afternoon and particularly
Hufty who had the door open to cinch the match by get
ting his third shot out of the bunker and on to the grass a
matter of a few feet above the sand.
Arthur Yates, the defending champion, was the top heavy
favorite to repeat his 1925 success before the tournament
started and very decidedly so when he had reached the semi
final round, but Sherrill, with a very excellent medal score
of 74 dropped the heavy-shouldered Rochester star at the
seventeenth green.
The story of the tournament was a serial story of upsets
which culminated in the win of Hufty whose cause could
find no monetary backers even on the final day.
It was a most refreshing tournament and demonstrates
anew and afresh not only that youth must be served, but
that we have in this country hundreds of brilliant young
golfers who have started their golf almost in infancy, and
who have jumped quickly to stardom with the opportunity,
after they have reached the physical stature of man. The
fact that they are not known to the country at large is to be
expected for they are in the prep schools and colleges, but
they are arriving, and in increasing numbers, which means
(Continued on page 9)