Golf

British Open. Sleek, smiling, lavender-knickered, rubber-soled Walter Hagen padded softly across the 18th green at Hoylake, England, chipped from the clover, holed a six-foot fall-away putt, kissed his wife, was chaired to the clubhouse--British open champion for the second time in three years. Last year Hagen fell a single putt short of the same gesture.

Play was led at 147 the first day by E. R. Whitcombe, popularly ranked as Britain's second best (after ex-champion A. G. Havers). Play was still led, at 302, for 72 holes, by Whitcombe, until sleek "Walto" added up his 301 and shook hands with everybody. It was a brilliant "victoree," it re-convinced golfdom that beneath "Walto's" glossy and bond-salesman manner there lie rock-ribbed nerves and a truly sporting temperament.

Scores: (Par is 76, record 70).

*Hagen 77 73 74 77--301

E. R. Whitcombe 77 70 77 78--302

*Macdonald Smith 76 74 77 77--304 Frank Ball 76 77 74 77--304

J. H. Taylor 75 74 79 79--307

Geo. Duncan 74 79 74 81--308

*Jim Barnes 78 77 79 75--309

Other Americans present but obscure: Gene Sarazen, Gil Nicholls, Johnny Farrell (disabled by boils).

Buffalo Invitation. At Buffalo, N. Y., Glenna Collett collected. Since that now-famed Buffalo women's invitation tournament was first held (1922), Glenna has twice collected at Buffalo. Prize packages for Glenna this year were the low medal (won in 80) and pretty Edith Cummings, Empress of the nation's links (done 6 and 5 in the final). Empress Edith shaved the women's course record to 78 in Round No. 1.

Trans-Mississippi. At St. Joseph, Mo., James Manion of St. Louis made himself Trans-Mississippi champion by scotching Eddie Held, defender, on the 36th green of a sizzling semifinal; by smothering Lawson Watts, fellow townsman, 11 and 10 next day. Held left St. Joseph with the qualifying medal. It was his for 144 strokes, one of which sufficed him for the entire 13th hole.

Intercollegiate. At Greenwich, Conn., the qualifying field of collegiate golfers found itself seven strokes behind six-foot Lauren Upson of California. His 145 strokes included nine holes in 3 and two in 2.

To Yale went the team match; Dartmouth second, Harvard third, Princeton fourth.

Match play suited Upson until the semifinal. There he became impaled on the putter of W. H. Taft of Dartmouth, who promptly sank back 6 and 5 before the Nordic siege-gunner, Dexter Cummings, defending champion. To the Intercollegiates a two-year victory was unique.

* American.