"Patty"

At the centre of that small band of serious, sunburned young women who spend most of their days playing golf against each other in tournaments all over the U. S. are a few members whose accomplishments have made them known by their first names to a larger public. Thus to U. S. sports page readers, "Glenna" is Mrs. Glenna Collett Vare, six times

National Champion and the ablest player in the country. "Gino" is Virginia Van Wie, champion from 1932 through 1934. "Maureen" is square-jawed Mrs. Maureen Orcutt Crews of Miami who has been runner-up to the other two more often than anyone else. Last week, it became apparent that this exclusive little cabal was henceforth to be enlarged by "Patty." Patty is Patricia Jane Berg, a snubnosed, redhaired, 18-year-old from Minneapolis, whose doings on golf links for the past eight months have caused her to be recognized as the most promising recruit to the U. S. troupe of female golfers since the original appearance of "Glenna" herself. Last week, like most of her colleagues, Patty was in Ormond Beach, Fla., for the Women's South Atlantic Championship. She took the qualifying medal with a 73, four strokes under women's par. She won her first three matches, in each of which her gallery was by far the biggest on the course. She lost, in the final, to Lucille Robinson of Des Moines only when Miss Robinson sank a 6-ft. putt on the third extra hole. It was Patty's fourth major tournament of the winter. In the third, at Palm Beach last fortnight, she lost to "Maureen" in the final, after beating "Glenna" in the second round. The others, the Miami Biltmore Women's Championship and the Women's Champions' Tournament at Punta Gorda, she won.

Patty Berg began to play golf about four years ago, because her father, a well-to-do grain-broker, disapproved of her previous pastimes. She had been manager and halfback for a small boys' football team. Using a set of sawed-off clubs he gave her, she qualified for the championship flight in the Minneapolis tournament a year later. After this her father bought her a new set. Patty liked these so much that she took them to her bedroom every night, stacked them up against the wall before going to sleep.

Last summer, for the first time, she entered the Women's National partly because it was being played over her home course, Interlachen. Reporters were amazed by Patty's earnestness, her freckles, her costume of a boy's sweatshirt and the assurance with which, though she weighs only 110 and is just over 5 ft., she consistently drove 200 yards. Patty Berg amazed them further by beating five opponents in a row. In the final, she played Mrs. Vare. The match appeared to be over when "Glenna" was 4 up with six holes left to play. Patty won two of the next three. Mrs. Vare won only by sinking a hard putt on the 34th green.

Whatever disappointment Patty felt in Ormond Beach at being beaten in the final of an important tournament was alleviated by something else which happened last week. With the seven other U. S. women golfers who have performed most ably through the past year, she was named by the U. S. Golf Association to play in England next May in the Curtis Cup matches, major team event of women's golf. Critics hoped her opponent on England's team would be "Pam" Barton, who is one year older than Patty, more redheaded, almost as freckled.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.