Evening star., 1935-05-14

TIMER faces turned toward Pitts
burgh and the national open
golf championship - the goal
and dream of all golf pro-
fessionals - four Washington men
who make their living bY aiding ailing
golf buffers started to work today to
build up their games for the big test
at the Oakmont Country Club near
the Smoky City June 6. 7 and 8.
The quartet of qualifiers from
Washington for the national tourney
are AL Houghton of Kenwood Golf
and Country Club, Leo Walper, pro-
prietor of driving school at Bethes-
da, Md; Cliff Spencer of Beaver Dam
Country Club and Roland R. Mac
Kenzie Of the Congressional Country
Club. The first three were back in
town today after their success in
qualifying yesterday at the Baltimore
Suburban Club with identical 36-hole
scores of 142. Mackenzie was to ar
rive in Washington around noon to-
day after a hurried motor trip from
Oakmont. where he placed third in
the test with a total of 157.
For the balance of the 16 local
men who faced the starter in the
Nationwide tests played yesterday
over IS widely scattered courses the
sectional qualification rounds were
just another golf tournament, quickly
rN1ouo6 rt,iaL1yr fnro0ttor All
but for two Chevy Chase players, who
for hours hung on the ragged edge of
qualification and then were dropped
into oblivion. to await still another
year for their chance
At the Suburban Club Bob Barnett,
with a total of l43, seemed sure
qualifler. until tall Cliff Spencer. who
had been counted out of the tourney
after he played the third nine in 80,
came home in 80 to nose out Barnett
for one of the four places.
Lunn Loser in Play-off.
Up at Pittsburgh tall, husky Rich
ard Lunn, former District amateur
champ. tied for last place at 162 and
lost in the play-off with a par S
against d =. MOI Will rISu
Mcleod. Columbia's grand old master
ever forget the tricky little fifteenth
hole at Suburban, a 312-yarder which
the Scot could play in with a drive
and a kick. He kicked up a on it
IN the morning and it seemed to take
something out of Freddie, for up to
that time he was pointed for a II
and q OnnH chance EJa Rnichod u-ifl1
147
Nor will the gallery who watched
the boys finish in the gloom of the
evening at Baltimore forget the great
last-minute stand put on by Cliff
Spencer, or by Barnett or even by
Houghton. For the latter, conceded
sure qualifier before the tourney,
had to stage a great rally to get in
at all, playing the back nine in 33 to
qualify, and holing a tough six-footer
on the last green. Bob Barnett,
knowing he had to take off the wraps.
finished 8. 2, 8, two under par, and
still it wasn't good enough. Cliff
Spencer. also, knew he had to put
everything into that last nine and put
it he did. with one of the greatest
stretch finishes of any golf tourna-
ment ever played. Followed by his
winsome wife, the Beaver Dam pro
time after time converted disaster into
par, and wound up with a sub-par
80 for the back nine. The other
qualif1er at Suburban was Ralph
Beach, home club pro. Long before
the tourney every one conceded he
would qualify, and nobly did he re-
spond, with subpar cards Of 68-69 for
total of 1877 to lead the field and the
Nation. But the main honors of the
day go to Walper, the long hitting
phlegmatic man from Bethesda. Two
years ago Leo could hardly break 80,
and every one who could play much