| Show 0 r r o DRIVING RIVING Hard Luck S Similar to Mac Smith By FRANK K It BAKER BItKER I Telegram Sport Editor Door Closes In Face Of There i Is something alike In the golfing careers of Joe Joo and McDonald Smith the the similarity similar ity ity being in the way they come close to fame and have thedoor the thedoor thedoor door to championships closed in their face Just es as they seem certain of winning There is is' isa a little old man of ot the links who perches on the shoulders of some fine golfers golfers' during during dur duro ing every tournament ment and rides them into oblivion as asboth asboth asboth both and Smith will attest attest at at- test started the recent metropolitan metropolitan met met- championship tournament with unbeatable golf gal blazing up and down the fairways at Mamaroneck Mama 1 ron k with a 70 for the first round and a 71 for the second sec see ond end five strokes ahead of the field and an ordinary game in the last two rounds would have won it for him Then the little old man of the too links inks got busy and under the burden of the jeering chirping Jinx Joe on the third round shot an Incredible 83 the highest score made among the first 17 golfers golfers golf goU ers ers He followed with a desperate desperate desperate des des- 78 and arid finished eighth 11 strokes worse than the winner Wiz winner Wizard winner Wizard rd Willie MacFarlane MacFar- MacFar lane S Poor Joe has carried the little littleman littleman man around with him before this back in 1926 at Scioto with nine holes to play he led the field by six shots shob In a huddle behind hll him 1 were a half hail dozen others Amone them Jones and rid Haven Haren Joe Joe was on top of his on the twelfth when a zealous marshal roared Fore Ford Jo Joe topped It It He He Dc took a six on that tha hole and it ruined rained him His His' Oame Game Becomes Shaky After That With all his bad golf gol during that last round under the weight of the little old man Joe could have tied it up had he sunk a ten footer on on the home gr green n. n The putt pull lipped Upped the cup 4 just as five others had done on that final heartrending heartrending heart heart- r rending round and Jones kept coming on throwing birdies and md eagles at poor Joe like an angry housewife pitching the family cutlery at her errant mate One dirty little stroke Fame and anda a fortune went with that officious marshals marshal's booming Fore Tor on No 12 Th The little old man stayed close to Joe all that year and except for brief holidays has picked out the Italian boys boy's shoulders on which to ride during the Intervening years until the pros began calling Place or Show Joey S SS S Largely Larely for the same reason Mao Mac Smith has as ranch much la ta tal support among amoor the golfing fans as a any outstanding player plyer He has been hammering at the thedoor thedoor thedoor door of national championships for 22 2 years only to have it slammed In his face Fate has had bad a peculiar way of ot frustrate lug InE Macs Mac's efforts ever since his first venture in ID the United States open 22 2 years ago aro That was wu In 1910 and nd Mac Mae tied his older brother Aleck who bad won In 1906 and Johnny McDermott bat but batIn batin butIn in the way three playoff Macs Mac's game rame slipped and he be palled pulled up Inthe in inthe inthe the show position six strokes behind behind be be- hind his winning brother The Thedoor Thedoor Thedoor door was again closed cloud to him in 1930 at Interlachen when Bobby Jones Jones' sank ank a footer 40 on the home green after a ruling on an aD oat out of at bounds shot hot kept him from going into a good load lead Jinx Rides Him in British Meets Too When he produced a 71 70 to lead the thc field in the qualifying round of th the British open at In 1931 many fans tans felt he was set ut for the real real- of his dreams He had gone to his hUna native ve land weeks before the tournament and rounded the course time and time lime again studying every nook and corner practicing diligently But the jinx still pursued him and put him out of ot the running o on the thel very last lut three holes His first rounds in the championship proper we were 75 77 77 to put him down the list but he battled his hb way back into the running with a 71 With the championship practically won there on his home borne course he fin fin- Wied 6 5 trailing Tommy Armour by three strokes where par 3 5 34 5 would have hav won F Fate te used the huge hare galleries to cheat him out oat of the prize In 1925 1515 That year the British oPen open was played laed at and fee ie crowd crowds were so 10 large larre that the marshals were unable to hold them in incheck check The Thera cost COlt Smith an Ion 8 82 2 in the final roun round when 7 78 would have haYe won The greatest of ot players it is bun understood un un- are the one who can an overcome these bad breaks brck Just Juit the same lime if 11 that 11 little old man manI I chooses you its it's tough |
