Evening star., 1935-05-15
TOLL MADE DUTRA
OPEN GOLF CHAMP
Only Time He Had Early in
Career Was Before and
After Days Work.
By q Stan Correspondent of The Star.

6y u Sthu correspondent OF me 6tar.
~HcAGo. May l5.-Few golf
1 champions ever worked harder
~ at the game than Olin Dutra.
who will defend the national
open title at Oakmont next month.
Dutra has worked much harder to
perfect his own game than almost
any other professional and his skill as
o shot maker Is due to the long hours
spent at practice.
"You see, I started in professional
golf much later than most Of the
boys" related Dutra while spending
day here. II was an amateur until
I was "a years Of age and did not
get Q lot Of time to play until I
turned professional. I quit caddying
when I was IA and went to work in
q hardware store in my home town of
Monterey, Calf. And . boy working
In q small town store did not have
much chance for play.
''I used to get up at 4 o'clock In the
morning and after quick breakfast
! would slip over to the Monterey Club
and play a round of golf all by my
self. Then I would 60 down and open
the store and work until pm. Then,
loading my clubs in the truck, would
go back to the golf course and prac-
tice shots until dark. But as an
amateur I had few chances for COM
petition.
Lacked Needed Funds.
"NEY BROTHER Mortie finally
M persuaded me to turn pro-
fessional, and my first job
was at Fresno. Calf. Naturally
did not have much money and was
obliged to do everything around the
club myself. Could not even afford
q boy to chase balls, 50 I worked out
o scheme whereby I could get plenty
Of practice and still save money.
would drive o couple Of hundred
balls of the first tee, and then 60
down the fairway and hit them all
back toward the tee. There wasn't
much fun doing that, but 1t gave me
q strong back.
AFTER q few years at Fresno, had
o chance to move to the Brentwood
Club Of Los Angeles, o really fine
club, and there had the opportunity
to engage In real competition. My
first national open championship was
Bobby Jones last, and when won
the title In my nth try, thought
I had done very well. At Brentwood
I was kept very busy teaching. but
never too busy to get in at least two
hours practice every day.
"On one of the fairways at Brent
wood there were tall pine trees, about
so yards apart. I made those trees
my target and spent hours hitting
shots between them. That Is how I
developed control Of my woods and
long irons. Another stunt used to
do at Brentwood was practice hitting
all sorts Of shots into the winds, which
blew In Of the Pacific. Some Of the
boys say play the winds better than
any American player, and II 50. you
can credit the gales over Brentwood.
Still Practices Lot.
II also spent . lot Of time on the
practice putting greens. That's hard
work, bending over golf ball for an
hour or more at time, but ! figured
7 was 50 far behind when I turned
professional that I needed the extra
practice. I still spend q lot Of time
practicing. Golf Is q game you cannot
neglect, and when q fellow quits work.
ing on his game, the game soon will
leave him. Sarazen always was great
hand to practice Q lot and there are
none better in the business.
Speaking Of Sarazen reminds me
that read where Gene does not give
me much Of a chance in the 1885
open at Oakmont. I wonder If Gene Is
by any chance trying to talk me out
Of the championship before it Is played.
Well, Just for fun. I'll tell Gene that
II he wins at Oakmont the man he
will have to beat is Olin Dutra. I
think I will play well at Oakmont. I
am in better health than last year and
my game has improved in many de-
tails. Maybe I won't do o thing, but
I Just have an idea that am going
to put up quite q battle to retain the
championship won at Merton Cricket
Club.
But ! am getting away from my
subject. The point I am making Is
that II any one wants to be q good
golfer, he must work at the game. II
there Is any one reason why I was
able to win any championship 1t Is
because never quit working ct golf."
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