INTERNATIONAL GOLF:

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 185, 30 April 1908, Page 4

INTERNATIONAL GOLF:

1 .... , ——r—y~. , " ENGLAND BEATS FRANCE.. •• " .^Tho. first day's play in the great golf .tournament, which began' at Nice on-March! 16, ■ resulted in a victory for Harry Vardon,' 1 ,o£ Totteridgo, who succeeded'-'m defeatingthe. ;|)iclr of tho French and English 'm tho 36-holes competition by four ■ strokes. : Chief among his opponents was that great Frcnch golfer, Arnaud Massy, tho open champion, and immense interest was taken in tho event owing to its international character. .It was. generally thought' that if Massy was beaten, Jamos Braid, of- "Walton Heath, would-' be tho man to do it, but Massy . repeated bis!' performances: at Hoylake and Deal .as far as Braid ivas concorhcd,-and tho Walton Heath maiv'had to bo content with third place, a position ho shared with Gassiat) who was second in tho Frcrich open championship at La. Boulio last year, while J. H. Taylor, of Mid-Surrey, was fifth. Vardon's 1 performance was a splendid one..i To defeat such a field by four strokes seoms to point to tho likelihbod of tho South Herts man having recovered his 1893-90 form, whon ho won tho open championship' at Prestwick and Sandwich. for tho fourth timo in his career, and generally swept tho board in all competitions and matches-in which lio was engaged. . ! ' . The events-for decision in tho''international' tournament on' March 17 were,_ in tho morning a four-ball foursome'competition, in the afternoon an international -match between England, represented by ; J.' Braid, J. H. Taylor, and H. Vardon, and Franco, represented by Arnaud Massy, Jean Gassiat, and [Baptist'o Bomboudiac. Great Britain's victory j'in this latter event was surprisingly overwhelming, Braid .boating Massy by i, and 2, Taylor disposing of Gassiat by 4 and 2, and Bomboudiac losing (to Vardon by 4 and 3. In the foursomes the pairs. wore drawn as follows':— ' ' J. Braid (Walton Heath) and Jean Gassiat (Baden-Badon) to play with A. Massy (La Boulie) and I). S. Calloway'(Cannes). J. H.-Taylor' (Mid-Surrey) and B. Bomboudiac (Molfat) to play ; with H. Vardon (South Herts) and A. Covington (Nice)., Vardon's wonderful perfornianca on tho previous day naturally caused, most of -tho gallory to follow him round the course, and thoy were not disappointed, for -tho South Herts' man..played brilliantly for. tho first nino holes, ho rand his partner going out iri 33. As a matter of fact, tliia score was entirely duo to Vardon, for Covington only managed to equal his ncoro at tho fourth and ninth holes. Vardon's figures wero.: 33 5 4 44 5 2 3—33. This is a record. Taylor.-was not helped much by his partner., and their 'score—3G—was the result of Taylor's individual effort. Braid and Gassiat, Massy and Calloway were level, on tho outward round, going out in 34. Each pair took the same number of strokes on the. homeward.journey, whilo Vardon and Covington took -26, and Taylor and Bomboudiac took'3s. Braid and. Gassiat (68), Massy and Calloway (68) divided the first and second prizes, amounting .to £45, A r ardon and Covington (69) taking the third prize of £5. | Interest was greatly!. stimulated in tho afternoon by the international match between Great Britain and Fraiice, and tho meeting of Braid and Massy. .. The prospect of a stir? ring match between tho latter couple did not materialise,- for the Frenchman played very much below form. Braid .was in brilliant form, and winning the. first, second, fourth, and eighth,' and losing the ninth, lie stood 4up at the turn. Continuing his fino form, Braid nover gavo his opponent a look-in, and savo for a spark of brilliance at the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth tho Frenchman never really played his best. Brnid became dorrny 3, and won on tho next green by 4 and 2. Massy was weak in his putting, but Braid played fino golf throughout; Gassiat,'who ranks second only to Massy as tho best professional on tho Continent, was calculated to run Taylor very hard for victory. Taylor, out in 37, was 2 up at the turn, having won tho first, third, fourth, and eighth, and lost tho -sixth and ninth. There was little doubt as to tho winner,, Taylor ultimately settling the match on tho sixteenth green. On the outward journey tho game between Vardon and Bomboudiac was very close, tho Englishman only leading at the turn by a hole. After a poor 1 divido in six at 'tho tenth, Vardon settled down to a strong game, and won easily by 4 and 3. Tho result was: — GIfEAT BRITAIN. FRANCE. .T. Brnid (4 and 2)... 1 A. Massy o J. Tf. Taylor (4 arid Jean Gassiat 0 2) 1 Harry Vardon (1 B. Bomboudiac 0 and 3) 1 Total 8 Total 0