STATUS OF LOCKE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 5, 6 July 1939, Page 24

STATUS OF LOCKE

BREWS'S COMPLAINT

CHALLENGE WITH WHITCOMBE

"The very lukewarm reception that Bobby Locke's victory over the British open champion, Reg. Whitcombe. was given by the English Press is very difficult to explain adequately. The contention that the scores recorded in the match were high and did not represent the standard expected is hard to judge from this distance," says Sid Brews, famous South African professional golfer, commenting in the "Rand Daily Mail," Johannesburg, on Locke's chances in the British open ■ championship which is being played this week. "The suggestion made by one golf writer that they could have been equalled, if not bettered, by any firstrank amateur,* may be true in the course of an ordinary round," Brews continues. "But some allowance must be made for the strain of the occasion and also that the course would be extended to its utmost limit of length, if not even beyond. A LOGICAL CONCLUSION. <-The fact remains that Bobby Locke defeated the British Open champion by the very substantial margin of 6 up and 5 to play, and any belittling j of this feat must even further lower the standard of play of the. British! champion. j •"While oversea with Locke last year, i I found there was a noticeable reluctance among the so-called golfing experts to give him the credit that was his due for his performances on the course. With one or two exceptions, personal feelings over-rode judgment. "It is important to note that those exceptions were mostly practical men, whose knowledge and judgment of the game to my mind count far more than any others, noticeably J. H. Taylor and Sandy Herd, whose opinions have again been voiced this year. They made no bones of the imoression that ! Locke's play has made on them.

"Over there they have not yet seen Locke playing on the top of his form. The nearest he got to it last year was over the last three rounds of the Irish Open and that one marvellous 63 over Walton Heath during the challenge match against Cotton and Whitcombe. "At Portmarnock last year in the Irish Open everyone who played or saw the course passed the opinion that it presented the stiffest test that any field of players had ever had to face. WORLD'S CLASS. '"Despite this test and a stiffish wind Locke scored 139 for the last day's play. This, to my mind, represents one of the finest day's golf that has ever been played. He was the only player to break 70 in spite of the inducement of the special prize of £200 to be shared by all who could break 70. This was Locke's outstanding performance, and stamps him to my mind as one of the world's leading golfers, much more than his even more spectacular performances in this country. "What his chances are for the British Open is a different matter entirely. That he has the ability there is no shadow of doubt, and there is no player in the field that has a better chance than he, and few as good a one. "There are so many hazards in an; event of this nature. Any one of forty competitors may strike a streak of golf such as makes them almost invincible; and, however good a man may be., if he is not turning out super' golf he cannot win the British Open. One cannot turn super golf on and off like a tap. These inspired periods of play come unheralded, and rarely last for any length of time.

"I would put Bobby's chances in this light, that his play is so consistent that his average round is probably a full stroke better than the other, and the need for brilliance on his part is consequently four strokes less. His chances are enhanced by the size of the greens at St. Andrew's, for this will bring the factor of putting to bear to a greater extent than ever on the ultimate result.

"His uncanny sense of touch and judgment on and around the greens will stand him in good stead, and if those greens are at their best I can [imagine him revelling in their perfection with the hole looking as big as a crater. "We do not know yet what entries will come from the States, but I cannot picture any great danger from them, coming as they do from soft, watered courses to the fast-running dry ! condition which is most likely to be experienced at St. Andrew's in July. THE "PROBABLES." "With the exception of Gene Sarazen, I don't think they could cope jwith it. The strongest contenders will come from the British ranks, of whom Alf Padgham will more likely prove !the strongest. In normally dry conditions the course will not suit Cotton; and, of the others, I have a preference for Jimmy Adams and Alf Perry, who seems to be playing so well again this year; his accuracy will stand him in good stead at the home of golf. Apart from these four, including Locke, there are endless possibilities, too many to enumerate, but these five to my mind are the probables. "Locke's supporters in South Africa must not expect too much or be disappointed if he does not win. They can still rest content in the knowledge that his triumph must come some day, if not this year. It cannot be held off for long. He has youth on his side."