The Exploits of the Secretary
Thanks to Peter Miles.
How many members know that Mitcham Golf Club's Secretary was runner up in the Amateur Championship?
No …. DaveTilley has not been hiding his light under a bushel!
The man in question is James Wallace. The year in question is 1934.
Wallace was an accomplished Scottish golfer who joined Mitcham Golf Club in 1935 as Secretary and Manager. The 1937 edition of the Professional Golfer's Handbook records that he held the amateur course record of 70 – the professional course record was Nelson Hambly's at 69.
Unfortunately, when Jimmy Wallace (Troon Portland) played the 36 hole final at Prestwick he came up against the young American Lawson Little who was, in the opinion of the highly-regarded golf writer Charles Price, “the greatest match player in the history of golf."
And Lawson Little was playing well! Bernard Darwin called Lawson Little's 14-and-13 victory "one of the most terrific exhibitions in all golfing history." He shot an unofficial 66 in the morning, five better than the course record. In the 23 holes completed Little had a dozen 3s on his card!
Little had an expert short game. He used a variety of clubs from around the green, and in fact often carried as many as seven wedges among his 26 clubs, an excess which in 1938 prompted the USGA to institute the 14-club limit
Lawson Little went on to become U.S. Open Champion in 1940 so James Wallace was in no way disgraced by his defeat – he had defeated 6 other players to reach the final.
Wallace was still Secretary in May 1939 when, playing off a handicap of 3, he partnered Nelson Hambly (Plus 2) in the Wildernesse Foursomes a competition for club secretary and professional.
Wallace also captained the Rest of the World team against an England team in the celebrated matches held each year at Mitcham after the new club house was opened in 1934. A Pathe News clip of the 1935 match can be watched here... http://www.britishpathe.com/video/news-in-a-nutshell-14/query/mitcham
Read more about Lawson Little here … http://www.worldgolfhalloffame.org/hof/member.php?member=1074
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