Show or CJ RICE It lt doesn't pay to quit In any game ame This Is truer of 0 golf than titan any other form torm of competition even when a n champion Is In the lead There Is no other game where a a. lead can be cut away so N quickly and where a n. sided one-sided match can be bo turned upside down with such stunning quickness Once the tho holes loles begin to drop away they can n melt like I snow snow- snowballs n balls oel I trenac chucked k Into In a furnace or wither w after acter the manner of ot feathers thrown to the flames Mental poise poiso can be wrecked more quickly In golf than anywhere else as mental panic comes on with a rush Or the luck of ot the tho game jame It Itself It it- self eif can cnn bring on this reversal A short while ago ngo Abe Abo Mitchell w s playing Compston In the tho final round of a a. British big money tournament Mitchell had been playing better belter golf bolt all day He lie was finally five up with only dimly nine or orten ten Hn holes left Tho The gallery galler was wa about ready to scatter when Compston hit his streak Mitchell I slipped and within less than nine holes Compston was In tho the lead lea leadon lealon on his way home to victory It can happen anywhere at ot any time lime In the recent British open ope Mac ac Smith started with a a. five five- stroke lead lea l over Jim Barnes for forthe forthe the last eighteen holes but when the dust had settled Barnes Darnes had hadbo beaten baten bo aten Smith by two or three strokes lie Ho had picked up at least seven se strokes on the final march When hen Jones and Hagen finished the tho first round at Wor Wor- Worcester Worcester cester Hagen had ha l a 72 and Jones a 77 7 Its about time some one remarked that Hagen was beat- beat beatIng beatIng Ing log Jones Walter has been du to lead the tho In With that five stroke lead It Is now a n. cinch There Isn't I nt a- a golfer goiter in the world who can spot Hagen five strokes and catch him Yet that I afternoon by b the thirteenth hole Jones was a n. stroke to the tho good Within thirteen holes he had hn l picked up the tho five strokes and ano added another r. What would the better belter have been that Willie or any other golfer could coul l have spotted spot spot- spotted spotted ted Bobby Jones four strokes with only nIne holes left and left and still stilt win Jones Joncs was four Cour strokes ahead of as nil they started for tor the tho t nth tee tec Four strokes with nin 3 holes to go with go-with with Bobby Dobby Jones In front Who ho would have havo taken 10 to 1 against MacFarlane 7 1 The Thear par ar 0 o last nine Is thirty-six thirty anti Jones came back In thirty thirty- eight Yet ho he not only dropped droppel the th four strokes but still another When hen MacFarlane picked up UI five strokes on nine holes against Bobby Jones Jone ho he proved that any an- anything thing can happen In this bewilder bewilder- bewildering lug ing sport MacFarlane In turn hart had Just completed a n sigh of ot relief when he t-e finished at Shawnee There Ther Theras catch him bun was as no one ono who could Starting for tor the the- tenth tee young Bill Dill Kline of ot Garden City was elx ix or seven Beven strokes behind with only nine holes left So ho he was vas checked off 01 tho the list In going over the various lists It was discovered that Kline could Ule itie by corn com coming corning ing home lome In twenty He lIe had hail just gone out In thirty H lie HII had to do ten strokes for tor the tho last half better belleI than a stroke a 1 hole But this 1 I is Just what null Bill Ill Kline did 11 1 He lie ended tIme the performance by driving the tIme last green and rap rat rapping rapping ping rIng an nn footer eighteen for tor a I two had picked up five strokes on Hobby Bobby Job b Jones In nine nina holes and Kline had picked up six lx or seven loven strokes on MacFar MacFar- M 1 lane lsne h ne In nine nino holes holc It lt can hap hap- pen I In an intercollegiate champion champion- championship ship many years ears ago one of the tho contestants stood nine up on the ninth green reen In an hole eighteen lie ho had won the first nine holes But Dut ho lost the match on the tho nineteenth green reen when his hla opponent reeled off oU ten holes In Ina Ina ina a row How could this happen nine up he began to lako tako it t easy to loaf loa along He lie had al almost al- al almost almost most forgotten the match After Arter losing being two or three holes he tried to get going again and Fours and threes had suddenly changed to fives and sixes A men men- menial menIal meniaL ial panic did the tho rest There are arc times when one golf golf- golfer er Cr r will Ill get a n sudden streak where nothing goes wrong for quite a II distance There Thero are other times when tho thc best of ot golfers goiters will sud suddenly denly lose their touch This may tony come from staleness over eager eager- eagerness ness or some Bome kink In tho the days lays mental attitude which cant can't be ex cx- l. l So Ito the golfer goiter who gets discouraged after aCter losing three or four tour holes Is making a a. mistake It may lIlay be bo his day to come from be behind he- he behInd hind and cut away a big lead which Mch Is always the tho great thrill of the game There Is is nothing quite like turning a forlorn hope Into a victory and there thero Is al- al W S 'S the tho chance chanco for tor this In 11 golf golt where fortune can shift with such swiftness There are some golfers who cant can't carry a lead These are arc areat areat at their best when down lown with some semite so 1 0 definite target to shoot at There are tre others who are arc hard to beat once they get the tho Jump and ond open up a a. gap gal This Is nil all a matter of temperament It takes as much nerve to hold a a. lead as It does docs to ec me front from behind There U is no shock quite so great ns os that of ot having a substantial lead suddenly cut away awa This is the tho greatest nerve erve test of 0 the tho lot |