Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-02
WINS TEXAS OPEN
AFTER LONG REST
Veteran Abe, Out of Bigtime
Play Since 1923, Beats
Par in Three Rounds.
BY GAYLE TALBOT. JR.,
Associated Press Sports Writer.

CAN ANTONIO, Tex, Febru-
airy 2.-Abe Espinosa, veteran
~ Spanish professional Of the
Medina Country Club, was
81 $3.50 richer today, the result Of
three sparkling rounds of sub-par
golf in the tenth annual Texas
open tournament.
The elder of the two golfing
Espinosas, who lost his last impor-
tant tournament in 1928, the
Western open, mastered the diff
cult Breckenridge Park course
with rounds of -74-67-69-2S1,
to beat out his closest rivals, Har-
ry Cooper, Frank Walsh and Joe
TurneSa, by 2 strokes.
Victory Of the genial Abe, who adj
mitted he was playing the greatest
golf OF his life after two-year vaca-
ton from the principal tournaments,
was a surprise.
Unaffected by an excited. unwieldy
throng that trailed the favorites on the
last two rounds. Espinosa calmly
was noticed as he finished with q burst
OF brides on the last three holes, and
1t was two hours before the crowd ap-
plauded him as the new champion.
While Abe was coming up from far
back to capture the big prize the gal
lery attractions spent the day exploding
all over the course.
Three Leaders Blow.
Densmore Shute, dapper defending
champion from Columbus, Ohio; Harry
Cooper, young Chicago star, and Joe
TurneSa of Elmsford, N Y, started the
fnal round in triple tie for the Lead
ership, each with 210 strokes, and two
lower than Espinosa. Shute, previous
~ model Of consistency, went sky
high on the home nine and finished
with a "a. Turnesa and Cooper took
Us, two over par, to divide second.
third and fourth money with Walsh.
curley-headed Chicagoan, who wound
up with par-cracking SO. Turnesa's
misfortune in three-putting the last
two green's cost him the difference be-
tween $3.50 and the healthy check
handed ESpinoSa.
Shutes unsightly IA showed him into
tie with Witty Cox, steady BROOKLYN
veteran, for third place, with 284. It
was worth 1852 to Cox, but Shute col
lected an extra hundred for his victory
IN the opening days pro-amateur
event.
Golden Gets Low Score.
All alone at 285 was John Golden.
the sturdy Stamford, Conn, shooter.
who collected $685. His brilliant 68
on the final round, the lowest score of
the day, pulled him out of a hole.
Three professionals came next with
286. They were Craig Wood Of Deal,
N. j., who took a SO; Charles Guest,
Los Angeles, who took a u, and Tom
Lally, San Antonio, who cracked at
last to take "a. Lally won S108, Guest
and Wood each pocketed 500.
Through some quirk of the pay-off
system, Horton Smith, the blond New
Yorker, and Francis Schneider Of Dallas
also drew 500, although their totals
were 287.
Well knowns who had to be content
with lesser prizeS-and they got small
toward the last-included Jack For
roster, Cradell, N. J., with 288; Ralph
Guldahl, Dallas, 200; Al EspinoSa, Chi
cago. 293, and Tony Man%o, Elmsford,
N. Y, 294.
John Dawson, Chicago ace, led the
amateurs to the wire with a 72-hole
total of 200. four lower than that Of
Tod Menefee of San Antonio.
A second Texas money tournament,
the Harlinger open, viii attract the
stars to the Rio Grande Valley this
week. A purse Of $500 has been
posted for four days of play, starting
Thursday.