Evening star., 1935-06-05

Pittsburgh, Pa, June 5.-The
age-old drama of the missed
short putt, public enemy No.
and 2 and 3 of the golfng world,
again is to decide the national open
golf championship, which starts over
Oakmont's bunker -sprinkled acres to-
morrow, with l62 contestants finishing
APP their practice today for the three
day test for Olin Dutra's crown.
Up here where the mist and smoke
barely lifts from the Oakmont hilltops
by 10 am. some fellow is going to
blow the championship on a 4-foot
putt and some fellow with steadier
nerves is going to bang one into the
cup and win.
Hanging around up here on the
hilltop. where the ninth green runs
into one of the biggest practice greens
in the world are some three-score pro-
fessionals. all of whom can drive and
play the irons as well as any man
who ever Stroked a golf ball. They
are level from tee to green. Some
of them can drive a mite further than
the others; some can plant an iron
shot closer to the pin.
Last Few Felt Toughest.
RUT when it comes down to the final
analysis this 1885 national open
1,,.Ir- 1Ilo irt-c
pionship that has gone before. Is going
to be decided within 4 feet Of the cup.
It's going to be close. so close that
a half inch of level bent grass will
decide the winner Of the champion
ship and the forgotten man of golf
the fellow who finishes second. It's
always that way in the national open
and particularly will it be true at
Oakmont where a great field has
gathered for the championship.
Four days Of putting over these
tricky and fast greens have convinced
Roland Mackenzie, Congressional pro,
that the championship is going TO be
won with the putter Oakmont has
3l0 bunkers scattered over its hilly
stretches. but these furrowed eXpanses
Of sand don't worry the pros anywhere
near as much as the 4-foOt putt
under preSsure-particularl the ma
tional open championship pressure.
You can steer the ball away from
the bunkers. and after all YOU can
figure that the other fellows are get
ting in them. too" said Roland. But
] predict that the fellow who is get
ting down all the puts from 4 feet
down to the wee ones is going to win
this championship. These greens are
fast as lightning, as true as billiard
table. but they have little undulations
in them that are hard to see. Com
bine these with the nerve strain Of the
championship and you will find that
the tournament is going TO be won
once more on the putting green. They
will all miss EN-, but the guy that gets
down the most will win"
Sarazen in LImelight.
TRYING to pick winner from the
field gathered here is like trying
In choose winner in bunch Of two
year-old maiden horses. Most Of the
clubhouse conversation centers around
the Stocky figure of Gene Sarazen. the
great flnisher Of golf; around Dutra,
q really great golfer who hasn't gotten
the publicity break he should get. and
around Paul Runyan. But Runyan.
If you can believe the clubhouse
sharps, isn't long enough for this
course, where they call hole of 465
yards, uphill, par 4. and where
hole of 265 yards is a par 3. Sid
Brows, the f1nely-drawn South African
who won the Philadelphia P. @. A.
championship. is getting little con-
Sideration, but the two who tied for the
title back in 1927 are getting little more
than a glance. Eight years is long
time in golf, and the scoring pace has
been stepped up considerably since
Tommy Armour and Harry Cooper
tied at 30l back in 1927.
What score will win? I think you
ran bet that any one who breaks 298
p-iII he the neU omen rhamDion