Show S ej Or of ofa 11 S S I flee yee e iSS Wv g 7 C GRANTLAND GRANTLAND RICE BY GR D RICE Copyright 1923 New York Tribune Inc For Por those 1 who ho watch natch atch with open eyes ys sport In its v various ramifications holds ields many interesting sights And there thre is usually something different from Crom new something slightly anything one ono has ever seen before I PI Ing a round of golf at Bellear FIB Fla recently we happened to come upon one on of these thes bizarre specials of oC the competitive field There was as a ball tour match under underway underway way which apparently was being fought out with a keen ken earnestness and with all the attending thrills of ofa ofa a close competition I In the battle batti array were H 11 S Chap Chap- Chapman Chapman Chapman man of N J W V V H f Mat Mat- Matthews Matthews Mat thew ot of Rochester G B Beecher of Ohio and E U B Ii of Denver I And the tho feature of th this match that tho the combined ago age of the four golfers s was 32 ears an 0 of years to tho the man The oldest vas nas five eighty and the tho oung I oung- oung est oune-est est st was six seventy-six Why not some somo omo on one may Y ask since golf golt Is an old mans man's game tamo gameY I In the first place these were not to tobe tob bo be called old mon nice since they 1 wore wor oro still In the th competitive arena of ot sport In Inthe Inthe the second place one might ml ht mention this banzen open champion ono ono one Sweetser Swe t er amateur champion twenty 1 Collett womans woman's cham cham- champion champion champion pion nineteen The Th combined ago age of the throe three thre loading American chamPions v n as two twenty years under tho the aver aver-ac aver aver- ago ago age of ot this four ball match The average ago aco of the three thre champions was less than one-fourth one of the aver aver- average age ago age ago of these thes four tour veterans Th 1 three champions still h he e more than sixty years ears to co S-O before they como come to the amo so-mo Twilight Inn toI I It these thes four tour veterans veteran had been merely ambling In aimless fashion around th the course courto it would have beena been ft a different matter But they wore ivero not They were war hitting the th ball bali just as keen about the th result as any youngster youngster young- young ster tr It was 1 as ono one of those thos das da s of blue and gold cold something om worth orth lii log for and nd in watching these thes four tour golf golf- golfers toilers ers era one on could visualize the th painted p pie pie- luro to bo be known as asi The Road flack to Morning The trip around a golf course is about five miles mlles considering the fact tact that tt not oven even the select can walk In a straight tine Tin down the mid mid- middie mid middle die dle Its It's It no small part of a cheerful Ide to know kno that at nt eighty fl 0 j the human frame framo Is I still capable ot of o com coin comI competing and I over a mile five stretch finding in the tho nh all th t the youngster of twenty can hope to Imo know Golf Is capable of ft S greater creator ago aco va variety 8 than any sport port iet et devised other r sport could find four our competitors competitor tore tors tor with Ith an ago of eighty eighty- two T The man or tho time woman around thirty five or forty begins to this 0 over er In tho the knowledge knowledg that It tt Is la I worth orth orth something to base hav ha e a g time uno to play an QU CO has bas passed t slaty s ty or C I- I seventy Only a year ear or two ago aco on one of the tho th major generals of Civil war warda da dais s 1 was as still pla ng golf s-olf at Ormon 1 At about the th same am time Pinehurst hU hUIt It its I veteran of four four And probably probably probably ably but 01 toi golf colt fe fw few of o these thes would ha hae hav e reached any such uch ate ago It was as-an as again worth orth a l southern trio to see seo e men of seventy and seventy five sun suntanned suntanned tanned healthy looking marching to battle it with Ith th the tho alertness and th the springy stride of kids Many of thoi those thoe around sixty burned brown by the and winds looked hooked to be b around And at t sl they were still hit hit- hitting tine hit ting tho the ball bail about as os far tar DB as a ever ver nell ell Over ards Within the tho last four tour re years rs the th Jan Jan- January uary usry tournament tour has been beel non on twice by golfers around th the sIxtY mark W Yo YoA A Alexander Ale of ot Chicago non the first sixteen sl teen In 1920 while Hus-h Hus of Dallas Tox Tex won this year Mr was playing at a 78 clip while 1 Mr hall Halsall In his final had a par I 4 for tor a 73 71 when the match ended Both and Hagen Haren hav have taken more than that on the Belleair course John Ball Bail iso s v a close to sixty he ho reached the th fourth round In tn th the British championship of 1921 And there thereas was as a gap tap of four four years ears between his hi tirs and last title It is something to remain In Inthe inthe Inthe the championship lists for tor twenty tour as the usual order Is less les than ten One On of the outstanding features of golf golt Is that such auch uch veterans as a Martin Gondon condon of Memphis Hu Hugh h Halsall Of Dallas and others from th the seniors clan can tot got such line fine distance front fron tIme tho teo too something our around HO and yards la ft a notch back of tho longest hitters At sixty or OT mort their S SIngs Ings are ar still as free and as and as well wll timed as tho the better b twenty twenty- t players around twenty one or t to o and distance or length len of course Is no part ot of a handicap to their play 00 00 |