GOLF TOPICS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20072, 9 October 1928, Page 15

GOLF TOPICS.

FRENCH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP CYRIL TOLLEY'S SUCCESS. AN UNPARALLELED FINAL. BY FAIRWAY. Cyril Tolley lias just won tlic French open championship. His aggregate was 283, while tho two British professionals, Kinch and Cotton, wero 284 and 286 respectively. Tolley won by ono stroke, and won with a remarkably fine score, 283, an average of 70.75 strokes per round. Tho cablegram does not say where tho championship was played, but it was probably played at La Boulie, Paris, for that course has not been tho sceno of tho event since 1924. 'lliis 283 by Tolley is'tho lowest aggregate that has ever won the French title, with the exception of Aubrey Boomer's 280 two years ago, at St. Cloud. Moreover, this is Tolley's second victory in tho I' reach open, his last being in 1924, also at La Boulie, when his aggregate was 290. In the championship of 1924 Walter Hagen was leading by a stroke or two, and seemed to be heading for tho title, at tho commencement of the final round. Tolley was very close to him, and so was a certain professional. It was to this professional that Hagoa gave special attention, thinking that if ho could finish ahead of him he, Hagen, would certainly capture the titlo. Hagen did manage to keep in front of the professional, but the finest score in that fourth round was handed in hy Tolley, the amateur, who displaced both Hagen and tiio professional, whom the latter had so carefully kept in—as he - thought—second placo. That was ono of Tolley's notable scoring triumphs, and now ho has added to it another quite as distinctive. Nine Below Fours. Harry Cotton was third in tho French open championship. A day or two earlier lie had fought out with Charles A. Whitcombe tho 36 holes final of tho "News of the World" open tournament; and, if wo look back over the golfing records of the past 12 months we shall discover, I think, that the samo young golfer appears more consistently than any other single player high up among tho leading scorers in open golf tournaments. It was only in June, 1927, at St. Andrews, that his name first bccamo known to tho great majority of golf readers throughout tho world. Ho has kept his name steadily before our notice ever since by consistent golf, which sometimes bocamo brilliant. At this rate Cotton is sure to become a real champion before very long. It looks as if he aimed at joining Compston in the champion class, and ho takes pains to achievo that distinction. His play against Whitcombe's greatest brilliance in tho final already mentioned has shown that Cotton can produce brilliant golf when it is needed, and that ho can fight against figures which, surpass tho par standard. The month of September lias seen two young English players establish themselves as belonging to the highest class of golfer in the amateur and tho professional category respectively These two are Perkins and Cotton, aged 23 and 21 years of ago. Perkins established himself by reaching the final round of tho American amateur championship, where Bobby Jones met him; Cotton, by standing up to golf of almost unparalleled power and accuracy for 34 holes' out of 36. Whitcombe and Cotton. In the semi-finals of tho News of the World event Whitcombe dismissed tho veteran, J. 11. Taylor, by 7 and 6, while Cotton did the same to H. C. Jolly. In the last match Cotton and Whitcombe each took 37 for tho first nine holes, halving every hole. A long sequence of halves in a big match is usually a sign of very sound golf. All square at tho tenth tee, Whitcombe then turned on the greatest half round of the day when ho did the next nine holes in 31. His figures for the first 18 hoies were 37, 31— 68, while Cotton was 37, 35 —72. Cotton having played par golf was 4 down The afternoon round saw Cotton coun-ter-attack. Brilliantly he went to the turn in 32 strokes, four below fours, winning back from Whitcombe his four holes of a lead. That made them level once more, with 27 holes played. Cotton continued to play faultless golf to the end of tho match, but Whitcombe produced figures at. the next five holes which take one's breath away. From the 10th to the 15th ho was 2, 3, 3, 3, 3: Cotton was beaten at the 34th hole, bv 4 and 2. At that stage, with 34 holes played, Whitcombe was nino below fours; while Cotton, having beaten par for 34 holes, was five below fours, although lie lost tho match. "I never saw anything like it." said ,T. 11. Taylor, who has been living for the gamo of golf for the past 50 years. Boys' Championship. The boys' golf championship was played at Fonnby in Lancashire about August 20. I have not yet had news of tho final, but the last eight, survivors in tho quar-ter-finals were Scheftel (U.S.A.), lean, Currie, Wright, Dobbin (all of Scotland), Nicholls, Sinimonds, Dearing (England). Last year's runner-up, Kenneth Forbes, was beaten early in tho matches by an English boy called Higginson, who himself did not long survive. Tho American boy, Scheftel, lives in Paris, and is a member at St. Cloud and La Boulie. Ho won several of his matches in the samo championship last year. Of tho others, Maclean is the only one I remember as having played in last year's event. His home club is West Kilbride, on tho Ayrshire coast. Wright comes from Carnoustie, and Dobhio from Inverness. In the international match, played before tho championship, England beat Scotland by six matches to five. Kenneth Forbes,"the Scottish captain, was defeated by the English leader, J. A. B. Davidson, by one hole. Maclean, playing second for Scotland, beat an English opponent, who boasted tho exotic name of Mackay. Scotland won four of tho singles matches, England three; ono match was halved. Forbes and Maclean, in the foursomes, beat Davidson and Mackay, liufc that was the only foursomes match won by Scotland. Last, year's champion, Eric Fiddian, is over (ho age this year. Ono of the boys who was prominent last year, L. B. Rhodes, is now a professional "assistant with George Duncan; while Erie Macßurie, champion of 1926, is one nf the most promising young amateurs in Scotland. Walkor Oup Players. Tho British Walker Cup players took part in tho western amateur championship a few days before the cup match was played. There wero 300 entries for that championship, which was played at Chicago. Four of tho British players returned pood qualifying scores: Dr. Tweddell. 73: T. P.'Perkins, 74; E. F. Storey, 76: T. A. Torrance. 78. Don Moe, the brilliant 18-year-old champion of Oregon, returned a 69,, tho best scoro of the day. Percy Alliss, who was one of the best five in tho British open championship at Sandwiph in May last, won the German open in August, at Berlin. The Wannsee course, where Alliss is professional, was tho sceno of the championship. The leading scores wero:— Alliss, 280; E. R, Whitcombe, 290: C. A. Whitcombe, 291; T. H. Cotton, 298. A couple of days later the tables were turned when E. It. Whitcombo won the open championship of Holland with 141, while C. A. Whitcombo was 146 and Percy Alliss 151«