Evening star., 1936-05-15
FAvOR|TES LISTED
AT 12-T0-1 ODDS
Many Have Mechanical
Game to Win, but Are Shy
on Concentration.
BY GRANTLAND RICE.

\A/ less than three weeks away,
Wv the job of picking the WIN
ner from ITO starters is
now open to the public All you need
is a Delphic oracle. second sight and
the ability to hit 20-to-1 or 30-to-l
shot on the nose.
Last June, Sam Parks overturned
the Zeppelin at a price better than
so to !. This isn't likely to happen
again, for there will be no such glacier
greens at Baltusrol as those Oakmont
tossed at the field.
They soon will be streaming into
the New Jersey meadow from every
corner of the map and veterans and
kids, amateurs and pros will be hook
ed up in the hardest three-day strug-
gle that sport offers.
Sarazen Lone Winner.
TN THE 12-to-1 class, where the IA
vorites sit, there should be such
names as Henry Picard. Gene Sarazen.
Horton Smith, Paul Runyan, Johnny
Revolta and Harry Cooper. These are
all seasoned campaigners and only one
of them, Sarazen. ever has won an
open. Picard's fine iron play will make
him especially dangerous, as the Her.
shey star is also a fine putter and
among the longer hitters. Sarazen,
with his lunches working, is always
a factor. 1t is about time also that
Horton Smith, Runyan, Revolta or
Cooper crashed through, considering
their tournament records for the last
few years.
These six stars have been among the
better scorers for several years They
are not only fine golfers, but they
have hammered their mental atti-
tudes into scoring moods from coast
to coast. Which means they can
stick to the job through 72 holes-a
Job few can handle under the con-
slant pressure of concentration.
Cruickshank LengthenS Drive.
WHO belongs in the next bracket?
Here we have such stars as
Jimmy Thomson. the prodigious wall
1oper, who proved at Richmond lately
that be also could keep on collecting
pars or better-Ky Laffoon, who can
be brilliant at any given span-Olin
Dutra, who won two years ago at
Merion-Bobby Cruickshank, who is
playing the best golf of his career.
In this last season the wee Scot
has picked up 20 additional yards
from the tee. He always has been
a fine iron player. consistent putt
er and one Of the most determined
challengers. These should be placed
around IS to l in any book that
might be made. They are all good
enough to win. So Is Craig Wood,
the Jerseyman, who has regained
his long = lost putting touch. Dem
ny Shute is another who must be
given his chance-who has proved
that he could win.
What about the veterans? This
list will be handled by Mac Smith,
Walter Hagen, Tommy Armour.
Johnny Farrell and once again Bobby
Cruickshank, who carried the war
to Bobby Jones at Inwood back in
1928. This will be Mac Smiths twenty
sixth year in his pursuit of the open.
One OF the star golfers of all time
one Of the best of the scorers at money
play-Carnoustie's famous son has
yet to win his first big prize. Each
year the job grows harder-the trail
gets longer. Walter Hagen won his
last United States open at Braeburn
In 1919. II years ago. and yet no later
than last June he chased Sam Parks
all the way to the seventy-second
green through rain and wind. The
Haig never can be counted out.