GOLF

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 123, 26 May 1928, Page 11

GOLF

THE BRITISH AMATEUR SCOTS AGAIN PROMINENT FIVE IN FINAL EIGHT (Specially written for "The, Post" by Donald Grant.) The cablegram upon which I am now commenting reports tho results of the fifth round in the amateur championship, but I have seen no results of the fourth round. In the absence of Iloldcrncss's name I take it that he lujs been eliminated before reaching thelast'sixtecn. Wethcred is the only former national champion among the last eight. Because of bis great reputation and his experience, Wethered is probably the favourite for this championship, but he was the favourite at this same stage last year, and was beaten in the. semi-final by Dr. Twoddcll. The five Scotsmen among the last eight are Tulloch, M'Callum, Dickson, Land, and Tipping. Of these five Tipping has been longest at the championship game. I remember him from pre-war championships, but I reckon him as the weakest of the five. Diekson is a sound player from the Glasgow area, who beat the American Walker Cup team captain, Kobert Gardner, in the championship of ID2G. Tulloch, also, a Glasgow player, is a Scottish internationalist, and has been prominent in Scotland ever since the war, but is hardly known in England. M'Callum and Lang are tho dark horses of this championship, and it will bo interesting to see how much further they will go. I commented on them both yesterday. They are both quite young, Lang being twenty years of age. Tulloch, Dickson, and Lang are Glasgow golfers like Audrew Jamieson, the dark horse of the 1926 championship, and M'Nair, the nineteen-year-old player who last year reached the last eight. Torrance was beaten by M'Callum. That makes me -think that the latter must have tho tiger touch to eat up a champion golfer like Torrance by 7 and 6. Bourn, who fell to Lang in the fifth round, is an experienced and sound golfer, whose club is Suriningdale. Two former English champions feature in this cables-Perkins, who won, and Ellison, who lost. Ellison was English champion in 192G, and played in the English international team last year, but he went down to Pease, and the only Pease I know as a golfer is by this time nearly sixty years of age. Perkins had a most successful golfing year in 1927, but had a severe illness.six months ago. In thu 1927 open he tied with Torrance as first amateur, with an aggregate of 300. for the .four rounds at St. Andrews. He is formidable in this present event. Last time the event was played in Scotland, 1920, there were five Scotsmen among the last eight, two Americans, and one Englishman. This time there are three Englishmen. Assuming that the cable gives the names in their proper order, I suppose the fol.lowing four ought, on present form and reputation, to reach the semi-final: — M'Callum, Perkins, Wethered, Lang. That is an estimate, not a prophecy. Any of these might win the, championship. If Wethered, reaches his golfing form of 1923, when he averted an American victory by defeating Ouimet in' the semi-final with par beating golf, it will bo hard for any of the younger'players to stop him, but there is always the chance of Lang, or ono of the others, achieving a surprise. We can only wait for tho next cable.