Evening star., 1938-07-05
p: G.. A. Golf Is Rugged Test for Guldahl
MATCH PLAY j|NX
TO OPEN T|TL|ST
Sizzling Competition Also
Blocks Champions Way
to Little Slam.
BY FRANCIS J. POWERS.


CHICAGO, July 5.-The next item
Of business for Ralph Guldahl, the
national open golf champion will be
the P. G. A. competition that opens
over the aWnee-on-Delaware July
10. If the non-skid Norwegian sue
ceeds in routing his professional breth-
ren, as he did in the open at Denver,
he will be out there all alone-the
greatest golfer of the season beyond
any dispute.
Guldahl is playing every bit as keen
" as when he topped the open field at
Cherry Hills, but there are two very
serious obstacles in his trail The
first is, in the 20-odd years history
OF the P. G. A., only one player has
been able to couple that champion
ship with the national open in the
same season. The exception was Gene
Sarazen, who won the open at Skokie
and the p G. A. at Oakmont in 1922.
when he was just coming to the peak
Of his great game.
Dislikes Match Play.
The other hazard is of Guldahls
own making. Like so many profess
sionals he has a fixation concerning
match play. You find few of the cur
rent generation of professionals who
admit any liking for hole play and
that is due, perhaps, to the fact they
play so little of that side of the game.
Guldahl partially overcame his dis
like for match play in the recent Gin
cinnati tournament On the final
rounds Of that competition, he played
every bit as well as at medal play and
explained to a friend, that he just for
got 1t was match rounds.
If Guldahl approaches the P. G. A.
In that mood, he will be difficult to
check, for today he certainly is the
best SHOEMAKER in American golf He
never has done particularly well in
previous P. G. A. championships but,
after his performance in the national
and Western opens, he is capable of
anything on any golf course.
Competition to Be Rugged.
The open champion will find plenty
OF rugged competition at Shawnee
and not the least of it will come from
Denny Shute, who will be defending
the title he won at Pinehurst in 1896
and retained at Pittsburgh last spring.
Shute is as adept at match play as
Guldahl is at stroke and, should those
TWO happen to meet along the way or
IN the finals, the galleries really will
see some Roman candles and pin
wheels.
Shute is only one of the tough hon.
bres to threaten Guldahl's drive for a
little slam in golf
You can list jug" McSpaden. final
list in the 1887 championship; Jimmy
Hines. Sam Snead, Dick Metz and
Johnny Revolta, who held the title in
1885. Jimmy Thomson also has a
good record in the P. G. A., but may
be tired as result of the Rover Boy
tour he has been making for the past
two years.
Sarazen Changes Mind.
Gene Sarazen, who threatened to
pass up the P. G. A. while wrangling
with George Jacobus, der Fuehrer of
the association, has reconsidered and
will be on hand at Shawnee. Sarazen
b playing quite well, and his differ
ences with Jacobus may be sufficient
incentive to make the Connecticut
squire a formidable contender for the
championship he has owned twice. Old
Man Walter Hagen also will be pres
ent IN the attempt to show his fellows
that failure to qualify for the National
Open did not mean he was all through
rs championship battler.
On the old theory of stringing with
champion until he's beaten, I'll take
Guldahl in the P. G. A. Certainly, if
the fellow hits as keenly as he did at
Cherry Hills. no one is going to give
him any sort of a hiding.