Excerpt from F. G. Tait, a Record: Being His Life, Letters, and Golfing Diary

The afternoon was fine, and once more an immense crowd followed the players. Mr. Tait, with his substantial lead of three holes, was generally looked upon as a comparatively easy winner, and few in the crowd could have been prepared for what was after wards to take place. As was the case in the former round, Mr. Tait got close up to the wall from the first tee, and he had a difficult stroke to play for his second. This time, unfortunately for him, he got over the wall and on to the railway, thereby losing a stroke, and these misfortunes lost him the hole for his Opponent was down in a perfectly-played four. Mr. Tait looked like making good his previous mistakes at the short hole. He had a beautiful pitch from the tee to within three yards of the hole. Mr. Ball however was dead with his second, and Mr. Tait, failing to get down in the like, had to be content with a half in three. As far as the long game was concerned, the Cardinal could not have been better played; for both were within thirty yards of the green with their seconds. After that however Mr. Ball had a fine loft to about two yards of the hole, and Mr. Tait, being very short with his approach, had to play the long Odds. Mr. Ball failed in his effort for a four, but as matters turned out he did not require to hole out in that figure even for a half; for Mr. Tait failed to take his chance, and Mr. Ball was thus only one down on the match. Play now became more interesting than ever. Going to the burn, Mr. Tait took a dangerous line, but getting away a cleanly-hit ball he kept out of trouble, and as Mr. Ball sliced his second into the bank at the waterside, it looked as if the Scotsman was again to forge ahead. Mr. Ball had a very bad lie, and as he had very little chance of getting out of his difficulties, it would have been better for him to have gone into the Pow burn, for in that case he would simply have lost a stroke. He made one attempt to get clear, but was no better ofl' than before, and with Mr. Tait on the green in two he gave up the hole. This made Mr. Tait two up again, but the Hima layas was perfectly played by the Hoylake Club representative, and Mr. Tait being very short with his run up, the Scotsman's lead was once more reduced to one, Mr. Ball holing out in three, while his opponent required one stroke more. Matters had now been taken from the interesting to the exciting stage, and the tension became very severe when Mr. Ball, by winning the Elysian Fields in a nice four, was able to square the match for the first time since the start. The Railway was halved in four - one too many. Mr. Ball was too strong from the tee, and found the burn.

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