Show WILL COMPETE IN BRITISH OPEN GOLF EVENT I Former Champion Nov In Now I In Splendid Form orm for Competition I By BT RAY IO Special Correspondent orr of or Standard Examiner Copyright 1926 by Consolidated Press l ress Association ST CT AUGUSTINE J Fla ha Jan 23 23 i Genc Gene stocky little home homebred homebred homebred bred professional professional- golfer is th the latest player to 10 announce his in ln In-I In of going abroad next to compete In the British open I championship This announcement means that the American prots- prots professional Invasion ot of British golf this year will be quite as formidable as that of the amateurs representing the tho American Walker cup team With Jim Barnes the present British open title holder Walter Hagen British ex-British champion John John- Johnny Johnn ny fly n Farrell l arrell Leo Diegel MacDonald Smith ard d In the group go going go- go going ing to Europe the array of ot talent representing America in British competitions will be the stron strongest cst ever decision to go abroad Is Influenced by the tho fact tact that hat the hard hitting hitting h young Italian Italian-Ameri can has hIlS recovered the tha golf golt form lIe showed in 1922 when he won both bath the open and the professional championships and by the fact that I the British open tournament this year will be played on the I i course In tho the northern part of Eng Eng- England Eng England land likes the course courso and feels eels confident that he can do well there Most of the star golfers goiters cnn can play well on a a course they like Psychology Pt perhaps but true none the less It was on three years ears ago when first went to Eng Eng- England England land that he won the professional championship 0 of northern England defeating Hagen lagen tot for the title For Forthe Forthe the last two years has in a II sort ot of slump It Is not that he has been playing plang badly but he has not been winning and his game Ihas has suffered from rom changes he ho has made To stand out in golf or In any other sport for tor that matter one must win consistently as Hagen nd Jones have bave done No got golfer r has hns pl played better beHer over a prolonged period than MacDonald Smith did last year but Mac failed to win a a major title and all alLot of his bis wonderful scoring practically went tent for naught Of OC late has haa been hitting the ball with all aU of ot his forme former vigor Igor and accuracy and when GentIs Gene GeneIs Geneis Is right there is none better as he e I proved In 1922 The former open champion has also gained his con confidence eon eon- In the matter o of courage ge has bas no superior It may maybe maybe maybe be recalled that his wooden game and his long iron shots as well which featured his game ame In 1922 have been ben off oft the past two years DurIng this period Gene had a t ten ten- tendency ten tendency n- n dency to slice his wood shots and to hook with his Irons Now he lIe Is old man direction himself again and he Is playing the iron shots with that slight drift to the right which Is so effective In playing to toI I fast or 01 slippery greens I was a big favorite with the British and they will undo bt undoubtedly edly welcome the news that he will return this spring Like Barnes and Hagen and the other American pro pro- professionals has his heart seton set seton on on winning the tho British open He 10 feels that he has a good chance of turning the trick this year The return of Hagen to the British Brit DIt- ish open will also be good new news to the Archie Compston England's grel greatest est professional golfer who no now Is in Florida says Hagen has as big a following In Great Britain as ho he has hns here The American Invasion means means that Great Britain will have to muster Its greatest strength to tun tu this drive the strongest ever made In golf against that country In th the open Great Britain will rely on Comps Comps- Compston Compston ton Duncan and Mitchell to stein the he tide Just how much Comps on oncan can aa be relied on can be better as as- as a little later on when th the bl big fellow gets pets Into tournament play here He lIe will make his appearance In American tournaments tournaments ments next week weel at Sanford Fla VIa MacDonald Mac Smith Is starting an another n an- anither other ither of low scoring that ought to land him somewhere t this ls year His victory In the recant Texas exas open was registered with tour four brilliant rounds averaging 72 7 strokes per round That is b golf golt de deluxe deluxe |