The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-06-04
WALTER HAGEN IS POPULAR AS
 EVER IN MEET
Difficult BaltrusOI Course Will Prove Test For
 Greatest Golfer
BY HENRY MCLENFORE

.
 Baltugrol Country Club, Spring. field, N. J., June 4--(UP)-CoOl, cloudy weather, Q smattering of spectators, corps of police, and an army of food and novelty vendors, greeted the early starters in the 4Oth national open golf champion ship over this historic course today.
 The skies were heavily overcast, and promised rain before the last twcsome, Charley Kocsis of Mich- igar, and James A. Martucci of New Jersey, got off in nnid-after- noon. The break fin the weather was welcomed by the big field of 10e, for the heat of the past few days had been most punishing.
 Early Birds
 The dew was still on the grass when the first pair teed off short- ly after breakfast time. This early bird twoson1e was composed of Jack Munger of Dallas and Zell Eaton of Oklahoma City. They started all right, too, Munger snaring 8 birdie four on the opening hole, and per. ring the next three, Eaton pared the first three holes and went one over the fourth.
 An hour after starting time, the crowd began to swell. Picard, des- pite his early start, drew a size. able gallery. Several hundred hill- and-dale trampers horse showed around the starting tee waiting for Jimmy Thompson and Craig Wood, the two big hombers, to start fir. ing.
 Munger and Eaton, first to reach the turn, had 37 and 35 respectively.
 Picard off
 Behind Munger and Eaton at two-minute intervals, moved the rest of the field of 134 pros and 34 amateurs. The first big name" player to unleash his guns was Hen- " Picard of Hershey, Pa., big winter winner and one of the hottest fave arites for the title held by Sam Parks of Pittsburgh. Playing with Herman Barron, Jewish ace from White Plains, N. Y., Picard started at . blistering pace, and was two under par at the end of four holes. Barron was one under. The lanky PeSinsylvanian grabbed Q birdie four on the opening hole, pared the second end third, and birdied the fourth.
 Maurice MacCarthy, Jr., of Cleve- land, an amateur, and Bob Mac- Donald of Chicago, both rounded the turn in 37, one over par.
 Jerry 0ranferante of Lexington, Mass, and Fred Morrison, of paSa. dena, Cal, each had 36 for the first nine.
 The early scores indicated that the course was very fast. Nearly all the boys were holding close to par on the straight shot out to the turn.
 Among those who didn't do 50 well on the first nine were John Rogers of Denver, who had 38, and Tan c. Robertson of TannerSville, N. F., with 8 30.
 Good Drive
 Gene Sarazen matched with Ralph Guldahl of Beverley Hills, California, drew gallery of some 200. 9arazen, 10 to 1 in the betting, belted a beautiful drive off the first tee, the ball carrying 275 yards down the middle. Guldahl wasn't so fortunate with his opening blast, the ball hooking into a trap.
 Johnny Gaucas, Schnectady pro, playing with amateur Harry Todd of Dallas, found the going tough and turned in 40, against Todd's 36.
 Wood Good
 Craig Wood matched Picard'S score on the first four holes and was two under par. Thompson open cd with 6 birdie on the first hole when his second made the green, but he was one over on each of the second and third holes. He pared the fourth. Eaton still was oae- under going to the fourteenth.
 Picard turned the first nine in S4, two under par.
 sarazen three-putted the first green to take five. Quldahl came out of the trap beautifully with his second to catch the edge of the green and then was down in two, thanks to 6 ten-foot putt.
 Barron, Picard's playing partner, &ASU Ah80 W O<s -
 Pickard picked up his two birdies on the first and fourth holess and then shot perfect figures the rest of the way out. Barron's fortunes shifted back and fourth. After pick irR up birdies on the first two holes, he pared the next five, took e six on the 630-yard eighth, and apolo- gized with Q beautiful three on the ninth.
 Springfield, N. J., June 4.-(UP}. -The national open, hardest of all golf championships to win and the easiest to lose, began here today at breakfast time when two southwest erners, Zell Eaton and Jack Munger, fred q pair of long tee shots down the tree-bordered first fairway of the Baltusrol Country club course.
 Zell and Jack were the first oil
 e N-.. l