GOLF FOURSOMES. HITTING A CADDIE.

Two very remarkable incidents occurred in the final of the London Amateur Foursomes Tournament, at Walton Heath, on Saturday. The finalists were the local club (Messrs. E. W. E. Holderness and Noel Layton) and Addington (Messrs. C. V. L. Hooman and G. L. Mellin). The first incident happened at the third hole, where Walton were 1 up. Mr. Mellin, who was continually “pressing,” with the usual disastrous results, hooked his tee shot way among the thickest heather. As the ball was on the point of plunging into this sea of misery, it struck the bag slung over the shoulder of Mr. Holderness’s caddie. The caddie was hardly to blame but, much as they disliked having to do it, Addington were compelled to claim the hole under Rule 18. James Braid, the referee, saw that they did so.

The second incident occurred at the very next hole. Mr. Mellin had badly hooked his second shot into a foot of heather, but level with the pin. While addressing the ball Mr. Hooman moved it, the easiest thing to do when the ball is caught in the roots of heather. The slightest pressure of the clubhead releases the support on which the ball is resting, and it moves, generally to a far worse place than before. There is nothing very unusual about accidentally moving a ball. What was distinctly unusual was the subsequent event. Completely oblivious, momentarily, of the law which says that partners “shall strike alternately,” Mr. Mellin, who was standing by, encouraged his partner to have “another go” at it. Mr. Hooman, strangely forgetful also, did, and was so far successful as to hit the ball on to the green, close to the pin. Then it dawned upon them simultaneously that they had blundered. Mr. Hooman had played out of turn, and so the hole was irretrievably lost. On the two holes the sides were quits, which was as it should be; but I cannot recollect in a first-class match, two such extraordinary incidents following one another.