Evening star., 1938-06-11
EIGHT TR|FLE SHY
OF 14O HENRY HITS
Softened Greens Promise
More Sub-Par Scoring
in Denver Wind-up.
BY RUSS NEWLAND,
Associs ted Press SPORTS Writer,

DENVER, Colo, June 11--When the
sun rolls over the Rockies late today
they'll be crowning the 1888 national
open golf champion.
The big show will be over, unless Of
course 72-hole tie resets the stage
for a play-off. Such an anti-climax
has not taken place since the memoir
able battle between Billy Burke and
George Won Elm in 1881 Burke won
at the end OF u extra holes, a world
record.
One guess was about as good as
another as the field of go battle-worn
survivors marched of for final 36-hole
skirmiShes with par, uncertain weather,
their own temperaments and a mighty
tough course known as Cherry Hills.
The push over the halfway mark
saw the advantage. slight as it was,
hitch-hiking ride with slender,
straight-shooting Henry Picard OF
Hershey, Pa. He wears his face in
Gloomy Gus" fashion, but it doesn't
affect an assortment of plain and
fancy shots which enabled him to snare
the lead at the end Of SO holes.
Picard Couples Fine 70s.
Picard coupled two fine 70s, good
enough to set the pace when time to
whittle the field to the so low scores
arrived.
The big question of the day was
this; Would superior golf continue
flowing from Picard's clubs to break an
old-time national open jinx-that
which since 1916 has seen only four
leaders at the end of SO holes boom on
to the championship? =
Chick Evans, the amateur. did It
% years ago and his 139 for the first
SO holes never has been equalled. Long
Jim Barnes was the leader at the half
way post in 1921 and won the crown.
Willie MacFarlane was the front run
ner in 1925 and eight years later, ANA.
teur Johnny Goodman duplicated the
feat.
Those who picked Picard rated: his
chances excellent. He was seldom off
the fairways in the first two rounds
and his putter made the ball behave.
Observers, who in the past have been
taking it on the chin by poor guesses,
hesitated to hop on any one of the
first nine leaders.
Nine Pros in Top Cluster.
1t was Picard or Dick Metz, Harold
McSpaden, Emery Zimmerman. De-
Tending Champion Ralph Guldanl,
Jimmy Hines, Harry Cooper, Olin Du-
ira or Willie Hunter and take your
choice
Another cause for speculation vas
the condition of the course. Greens
wetted down by sprinklers, plus an
occasional and unwelcome rain shower,
brought about a wealth OF par and sub
par rounds yesterday where only .
few cropped up the day before when
the putting surfaces were hard and
unyielding.
Seventeen equalled or shaded par fig-
ures in the second round compared
to three super-performances on the
preceding day. Softer greens today
meant better scores.
AS they swung into the third stage
Of the battle. Metz. good in golf as
we'll as looks and from Chicago, was
on Picard's heels. He had q 3-under-
par SO and total 14l. McSpaden, from
Boston, and the Portland. Greg, dark
horse" Emery Zimmerman, were we'll
on the pace with 142. Defending
Champion Guldahl, at IA, considered
himself in a fine spot to repeat.
Hines, Cooper in Running.
Another years lease on the cham
pionship headpiece would mean that
Guldahl of Madison, N. j., would be
the first title holder to repeat since
Bobby Jones turned the trick in 1929
and 1890.
| Racing smoothly at 145 strokes. only
| iSee PICARD Poca AT,