Excerpt from Spalding's Athletic Library Golf Guide, 1921: Containing the Newly-Revised Rules With Interpretations

Of the United States national golf champions who began the season of 1920 modestly wearing their honors and sturdily striving to retain them as competition started for supremacy in another year, only one was successful.

The woman triumphed. Miss Alexa Stirling of Atlanta retained her title as the champion woman golfer of the United States, and won in addition the championship of Canada as well as the championship of the South. She played excellent golf all season. Her combined skill and knowledge of the game and her perseverance and faithful application to the task which she had set for herself made her game of golf an admirable creation. She has not lost a match since 1915, when she was defeated on the twenty-second hole in the semi-final round by Mrs. Clarence H. Vanderbeck of the Phila delphia Cricket Club, who won the title that year. Miss Stirling has won the national women's championship three times in succession and has been victor for three times in the Southern championship.

Whatever difference of opinion may exist as to the personal abilities of the men golfers of the United States - the leaders of men golfers - among the women there seems to be no disapproving nor dissenting voice to the acknowledgment of Miss Stirling's superiority. The women golfers of the United States have said there is no woman who can defeat her. There may be some player who will overcome this Georgia girl at some time in her career, if Miss Stirling continues to play until she is forced to admit defeat, but none seemed to approximate that possibility during the past sea-son. The women players of the United States have called her the Glorious Golfing Girl, a fanciful title appropriately bestowed.

F rom abroad there came that stout-hearted and stout-muscled player of Great Britain, Ted Ray, to take away the open championship. There were American golfers at Inverness, where the championship was played, who had their chance, but they were not quite equal to the game of the power ful professional of the land across the sea. It was a close battle. Vardon was in the thick of it for awhile, as well as his contemporary, with whom he was speeding through the country; Leo Diegel, Jock Hutchison and Jack Burke spurred the victor to his very best, and his very best was just a little too much for them. Whiter Hagen, former holder of the title, was vanquished, but he played well except for one unfortunate round.

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