Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-07

* and the straightest driver ir
L. America, is the new professional
match play king. The ire
pressible Diegel, who formerly was To-
Gated in Washington, won the Profess
sional Golfers Association title this
afternoon, downing AL ESpinoSa, rudy
faced Chicago pro, on the thirty-first
green of the championship played over
the five-farm course of the Baltimore
Country Club, to win by and In
final round that was marked by the
Steadiness Of the new title holder ana
the failure of EspinoSa'S putter to func-
ton with the same accuracy that
markei his progress to the final.
Diegel really won the championship
over the morning round where he broke
through an early lead ESpinoSa had
piled up to register brace of brides,
and then, finding the Stocky Chicagoan
lacking accuracy around the cup, pro-
ceeded to pile UP a four-hole lead over
the first Is holes of the scheduled &c.
hole final match.
Diegel now holds two major titles, the
professional match-play crown, which
he won here today, and the Canadian
open championship, which he gained
for the third time last July at Toronto.
He has been a finalist in the champion
ship before, but today marked his first
victory in it. In 1925, at Olympia
Fields, Hagen downed him in the ulti-
mate round.
Diegel Worthy Champ.
There can be no doubt that the new
title holder Is a worthy successor to the
great Hagen, for in winning the cham
pionShip he came through the hardest
part of the draw, annexing his matches
by comfortable margins. His only hard
match was the third-round contest, in
which he ran down curling putt on
the thirty-flfth green to beat Hagen.
Diegel beat Tony Manero, George Christ,
Hagen, SaraZen and Espinosa to win the
championship. Espinosa worked his way
to the final by defeating John Golden.
Bob Mcdonald, Jock Hutchinson and
Horton Smith.
Although ESpinoSa had two-hole
lead through the first seven holes of
the morning round, where Diegel lack
ed his customary accuracy, the flying
Dutchman, who is the playing profess
Sional at the Feninore Club Of New
York, knocked the lead into a cooked
hat by registering successive brides
at the seventh and eighth to square
the match. They halyed the ninth and
tenth In par figures and Leo went into
lead he never relinquished at the
eleventh hole, where low flying air.
plane swooped over EspinoSa's head
and he took three puts to lose the hole
That break seemed to upset the
swarthy Chicagoan, for he took three
puts again on the thirteenth green,
where clump of mud stuck to his ball
In the exact spot where it must be
struck. Leo won the sixteenth with a
birdie 3 to become 3 up and annexed
the seventeenth when EspinoSa made
another mistake on the putting green,
taking three puts for the third time
of the round. Espinosa should have
won the eighteenth, where Diegel's Sec
ond shot left him a difhcult pitch over
two apple trees. But the best he could
get was half, where his recalcitrant
putter again failed him. They went to
lunch with Diegel UP.
Espinosa Misses Chance.
Espinosa had a grand chance to cut
. hole from Diegels lead at the first
hole OF the afternoon session, but the
best he could get was a half after Diegel
had hooked his drive. They halved the
second hole in par Is, with Diegel get
ting good break, for an overstrong
chip shot struck Espinosa's ball and
stopped practically dead. Leo won the
short fourth to become up when Es-
pinosa underplayed his pitch shot. They
halved the fifth and sixth, and Espi-
noSa won his first hole of the after
noon round when Diegei underplayed
his pitch, and found bunker at the
seventh.
Espinosa might have won both the
eighth and ninth had his putter been
working well, for he missed a lO-footer
at the eighth for birdie, and Scooter
to win the ninth curled away from the
cup. This was ESpinoSa's last gasp, al
though he halved the tenth in 4, for
he underplayed chip shot from the
rough at the right of the eleventh green
to lose the hole to par by Diegel
and was too strong with his chip from,
the back edge of the twelfth to drop
another hole to a par by Diegel and
become dornie down.
The end came quickly on the short
thirteenth. Here Espinosa laid his bal
feet from the pin, while Diegel stuck
one up within 8 feet. Espinosa made
. weak putt, which did not reach this
hole, and Diegel missed his putt for the
birdie. Then Al stepped over to Leo
with smile breaking through the Gus
tomary sterness of his features, shoos
hands with him cordially and swung his
arm around Leo's waist. Together they
"aaAc0 Oh LIE green 10 the clubhouse
Wnere a band already was playing ano
Mayor Broening of Baltimore was wait.
Ing to present the prizes.
The championship was worth $2.15(
to Diegel, for the pros each put $40 h
q pool to go to the man who beat
Hagen, and he won $500 in prize
money besides. The winner of tn.
p. g. A. gets $1,000.
win Make Great Champion.
Leo viii make great champion anc
his flrst major title may steady hin
down. He always has been q great golf.
er, one OF the best of the potentia
champions, but somehow he seemed tt
lack in other years the finishing punch
to win this championship. Now he ap.
pears to have 1t and he will be hard u
beat.
Here are the complete cards of tn:
fnalists with pr for the course.