U.S. WOMEN GOLFERS SHOW IMPROVEMENT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18466, 18 May 1928, Page 3

U.S. WOMEN GOLFERS SHOW IMPROVEMENT.

ARE WORKING HARDER THAN BRITISH PLAYERS. (By WALTER HAGEN, American Professional Golf Champion.) Probably the greatest improvement in golf in America in recent years has been in the play of the women. I feel certain our women golfers could pretty well dominate the British womens championship if ten or twelve of our best went over the same year. No American woman has won the British championship. Miss Cecil Leitch and Miss Joyce Wethered, the two outstanding British women players of the last few years, have turned them back. Miss Glenna Collett was defeated at Troon by Miss Wethered. when this British woman played the most remarkable round ever turned in for the British women's championship- In 1926 Miss Collett went to Europe to play in the championship, only to run into the general strike. The tournament was postponed, and Miss Collett was unable to remain. > Mrs Alexa Stirling Fraser took one fling at the British championship at Turn bury, and lost. While Mrs Fraser and Miss Collett were unsuccessful in these early visits, there is everv reason to believe that if they went again, with a number of other American women, one ot the number would become the first player from the United States to win the British championship. The recent North and South championship at Pinehurst, with 107 start ers. had nearly all the best American women players. The scores demonstrated what fine golf our women are capable of. And during this period, while the American women have been developing, there has been no outstanding player in Britain to take the places of Miss Leitch and Miss Wethered, who have retired from competitive golf. There is no question the American .vomen are working harder at golf than the British women. There is virtually continuous tournament play for our women, and many of the leaders are at *t all the time. While they do not carry their training to quite the extent of Bill Tilden and the American Davis Cup candidates in tennis, their training is nearly as serious. America could present a strong team, headed by Miss Collett, with Miss Virginia Wilson, Miss Virginia Van Wie. Miss Louise Fordyce, Miss Maureen Orcutt. Miss Helen Payson, Mrs Miriam Burns Horn. Mrs Melville Jones. Miss Edith Cummings, Miss Bernice Wall. Miss Frances Hadfield and others. One of the most remarkable happenings at Pinehurst was the playing of Mrs Ronald H. Barlow, of Philadelphia, who not only qualified in a very fast field in the first flight, but defeated Miss Wilson, Chicago, by a 5 and 4 margin in one of the match play rounds. Mrs Barlow is one of the most, remarkable figures in American golf. Nineteen years ago she was runner-up to Mrs Dorothy Campbell Ilurd for the woman’s national championship. -She was a factor in big league competition before 1909, and in 1926 she qualified in as fine a field as American golf can produce, and defeated by a substantial margin one of the youngeV and strongest of the newcomers, Miss Virginia Wilson.> Mrs Barlow's record includes five wins in the women's Eastern championducted on a medal plaj- basis, the sever-

est test of golf. Mrs Barlow won this event in 1911. 1912, 1913, and in 1919 and 1920. That is a great record. (Copyright, 1928, by the “Star” and N.A.N.A.) HAREWOOD CLUB. The following: is the draw for the first qualifvingr round of the Ward Cup, to be played over the week-end in conjunction with a stroke handicap medal match:— 9.15 a.m.—R. G. Maleolmson plays K. W. Robinson. E. F. Oakes plays G. P. Steele, F. W. Stevens plays TL. C. Wooler, A. Taylor plays C. E. Brooks, C. L. Green plays M. R. Renton, E. T. Beaven plays R. S. Walker, IT. C. Lusty plays B. W. Shipley. 9.30 a.m. —L. S\ Ayres plays IT. Lawrv, A. R. Blank, plays A. E. Kincaid, L*. JLeCren plays G. W. Ward, R. G. Thomson plays A. T. Bell, X. E. Tingey plays J. S. Wilson, E. P. Scarvell plays S, W. Binns, Miss A. Hutton plays Miss B. Iviver. 9.4 5 a.m.—W. L. Lawry plays C. J. Ward, jun, J. Hutchins plays A. G. Jamieson. L. P. Symes plays Captain Findlay, M. W. Beaven plays J. G. D. Ward, J. A. Jewell plays Dr E. R. He ay. Captain W. Murphy plays S. B. Simpson, H. IST. Taylor plays I. L>. Wood. 10 a.m.—F. W. M. Cowlishaw plays G. Fairhurst, M. Allen plays Professor P. H. Powell, IX Crozier plays R. Twyneham. J. G. M’Dermont plays LX O’Brien. HAGLEY CLUB. The following is the draw for the third medal handicap and second qua.ltfylng rbund of the Tosswill Cup, to be played to-morrow: — Koon. —T. W. Reese, J. M. Sutherland, J. R. Montgomery and A. Graham; T. W. Lewis?. J. Miller, F. C. Malpas and P G. Greenwood: E. J. Ross, L. A. Bagshaw, W. W. Tyers, and H. BaverSt l2 k 2o.—W. A. Mansell, C. N. Haslam, H F Lawry and C. F. Smith; M. Foley, G Van Asch. W. Fairclough, and C. G Curtis; Dr Fenwick, R. W. White, H Henderson and E. A. Summers; J. Fitzgerald, J. C. Fabian, W. M'Namara and E. E. West. i 2.40.—E. C. Inkster, S. Steele, W. A. Mathieson, and C. IT. White; F. W. Hobbs, K. Clark. F. J. Needham and E>. E. Wood; H. R. Sellers, L. Pegler, r* Harman and E. H. Clark; W. G. Brass, R. H. Cuthbert, S. Jameson, and L. G. Keys. 1 p.m.—T. LX Harman, S. L. Partridge. A. L. Hurdley and W. A. Pundie; A J- Wicks, G. Connal, L. G. Wellbrock, and H. D. Andrews: H. Edgar, E. Delahunty, D. E. Hutton and J. Barnett. 1.15. —H. T. Francis. A. C. Cotterill, TKT, S. Brown and C. C. Wilson; G.' D. M’Farlane, X. M. Rodgers, T. Foster and Dr Manning; A. A. Reid. D. Crozier, R. S. Kent and S. Bowie; R. H. Webb, C. E. Purchas, J. O. Amyes and A. B. Lane. _________