Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 81, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 April 1919 — FOUR BRITISH GOLF STARS DEFER TRIP [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FOUR BRITISH GOLF STARS DEFER TRIP

Presence Necessary at Home to Restore English Golf. Braid's Stock as ClUbmaker Goes Sky* High Because of Remark of President Wilson—Women Postpone Team Matches. _ From a very close friend of Harry Vardon, the. British .open champion, comes a letter in which this la written : “Showed ail your comments on the American visit of the ‘four Britishers’ to Harry Vardon myself. There has been a great deal of discussion here about the four going over, but I understand now that they have put off the visit till next year.’’ ♦ By the “four Britishers” are meant Vardon, J. H. Taylor, Jim Braid and Ed Ray, with the possible addition of George Duncan. Early last winter it was announced that they would visit this country in 1919, but soon after came a statement allegedly from Vardon that If their presence at home during the entire season was necessary to encourage the restoration of British golf, they would postpone their

American tour. It was the comment on this doubtful aspect of their ’visit that evidently was laid before Champion Vardon. James Crossan, the Wheatley Hills professional golfer, who is conducting a golf school at the Pouch Mansion with J. M. Whitehead and Ed Galligan, is ajso of the opinion that Vardon will jnot come over this year. He bases this belief on a letter just received from his father, George Crossan, who is in the golf business at Kirkcudbright, Scotland. Mr. Crossan wrote that he thought Vardon and his confreres would defer their American visit till 1920, and his son infers from the tone of the letter that he had had a talk with Vardon. It is said that Braid’s stock as a clubmaker, always high, has gone still higher through the remark of President Wilson in Paris that he always plays with a set of clubs made for him by Braid. He says he has found them to be just right and could not desire any better. While the governing body of British golf women has been looked upon as favorable to the resumption of the British open championship, it has been generally understood that it would oppose the holding of the International team matches until 1920.

Champion Harry Vardon.