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The reason given for the decision was that the US team was not representative, having too many players who were born overseas, but Golf Illustrated revealed that Ryder had already decided to withhold the Cup for 12 months; Owing to the uncertainty of the situation following the General Strike it was not known how many Americans would come until a few days before the match. Gold medals were awarded to the players instead. George’s opponent in the singles was the famous trick-shot exponent Joe Kirkwood, who was born in Australia. Golf Illustrated reported that Gadd had played ‘perfect golf’ in his 8 & 7 victory. In the foursomes he and his great friend, Arthur Havers - the 1923 Open Champion, beat the strong American pairing of ‘Wild Bill’ Mehlhorn and Al Watrous.

A few days later George went up to Formby for the Northern Professional Championship. In the field were nine of the ten Americans who were over to play in the Open at nearby Royal Lytham and St Anne’s, including Kirkwood, Mehlhorn, Watrous and the ‘Ryder Cup’ team captain, the flamboyant Walter Hagen. He had brought his own caddie, Macfarlane, who had to carry a bag of 22 clubs, which none but the strong would attempt to carry twice round a golf course. (Hagen was paid $500-a-year for each club he carried). He finished down the field at Formby, but he made the trip worthwhile by playing in an exhibition match at nearby Southport and Ainsdale and earning £40 plus £10 expenses. He and fellow American Joe Stein beat two local amateurs by a ‘dog license’ (7&6).
Walter was a notoriously bad timekeeper and at Formby he arrived by taxi to hear his name being called. He attracted the attention of the starter, dashed into the locker room to change and was allowed to start. Two other members of the American team were disqualified for the same offence - Kirkwood and the reigning Open champion, the émigré Cornishman Jim Barnes.

In the opening round George equalled his own course record of 70, set in Open qualifying two years earlier, to share the lead with a local player, Bill Davies, then at Prenton, Birkenhead. Aubrey Boomer, the twenty-year-old Channel Islander based at St Cloud, France, was close behind. A few weeks earlier Boomer had won the Daily Mail £1200 tournament at St Andrews and George had shown good form when sharing the lead after the first two rounds, but faded away on the final day when a violent rain storm broke over the Old Course and disrupted play. On another difficult final day of wind and rain at Formby it was George who went on to take the Northern Professional title with a total of 296, despite aggravating an old ankle injury when he slipped on the clubhouse steps before the final round. A Surgeon bandaged up the foot and George limped round in 77 for a “gallant victory”, as the Times put it. Sharing second, three shots behind, were Davies, Mehlhorn and Ernest Whitcombe; Watrous finished well, setting a new Formby record with a 68.

In June regional qualifying for the Open took place for the first time and George went to Sunningdale, his favourite course (along with Gleneagles), for the southern region event. He was drawn with the young Henry Cotton, now setting out on his relentless pursuit of golf’s greatest championship.

George had an individual style of putting, (famously adopted by the American Leo Diegel) with which he gave the ball a confident rap. He used it to great effect in rounds of 71 and 70 for 141 to qualify in second place behind one of the greatest ever players of the game, Bobby Jones, who shot his famous ‘perfect round’: 33-33: 66, described by Bernard Darwin as the best round of golf ever seen. Jones added a 68 for 134 to be seven shots clear of George.

The Times reported that George was still limping and looking as if the game was hard work – “a very courageous as well as skilful effort”.



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