Evening star., 1938-04-23
WALPER, LOVING,
TOURNEY CHOICES
Defending Champion, Other
Capital Pro Impress in
Middle Atlantic.
BY WALTER McCALLUM.
Stan Correspondent Of The Star.

OLD POINT COMFORT, Va. April
23.-Two of Washington's top golf
professionals were installed co-favor-
ties to win the Middle Atlantic pro-
fessional crown here as star field OF
pros gathered from all over the mid
Atlantic sector started the 72-hole
grind in quest Of the crown won last
year by Leo Walper, unattached driv-
ing range professional.
Walper himself, who has been here
| for week, took top rank in the pre-
tournament dope along with Benny
Loving, assistant pro at Congressional;
Bobby Cruickshank, the long hitting
mite from the Country Club of Vir-
ginia, and Al Houghton. the silver
haired Chamberlain Country Club pro
who finished out Of the money last
year. but who has been burning up
the track in practice rounds.
New Record Expected.
The water-fringed fairways of the
Chamberlain course are in for a singe-
ing. and the mark Of 289 established
by Walper will be cracked this year.
That's the prediction Of the dopesters,
based on the fact that the putting
greens, which were of stubby Bermuda
grass in the midsummer tourney of
1887, are of bent this year, and put
ting will be more accurate.
Championship golf tournaments al
ways are won around the cup. There
are 20 gents in this tournament who
can hit EN- up to the greens with un-
falling accuracy. But Bermuda grass
isn't the best putting surface in the
world and bent generally is considered
the best.
The tournament isn't little
money" affair when you consider that
It's a sectional championship and not
major event. Top money will be
$500 and the total prize r,oney will
be $1,000 for a two-day e*-alr. Any
pro who finishes in the money, or in
the first 10, will at least pay expenses.
But one of the major disappointments
is the failure of Witty Cox, the Dis
trict open champion, to come to Old
Point. Witty didn't do so wen here
last year, but as one OF the top-notch
pros OF the land, he would be rated
first in this field. The boys were to
play So holes today, with another So
hole grind to wind up the affair to-
morrow.
Capital Pairs Trail.
Some idea Of the low-scoring posi-
bilities of the course was given yes
terday when Erie Ball of Charlottes-
ville's Pennington Country Club paired
with T. Mckinney johnson, Phoebus
banker, to win the pro amateur
tourney with low net of 81. Only
small field of early arriving pros and
local amateurs competed.
A Washington combination of Cliff
Spencer and Volney Burnette tied for
third place with 81, one stroke behind
Rut Coffey. the Winchester pro, and
G. L. Campbell. The Spencer Burnette
score, however, was tied by Jack Isaacs
and Maj. Rex Stoner from Langley
Field.
The best pro card of the 1s-hole
tourney was turned in by Ball of the
winning pair, q sub-par 10. Beaver
0~~AAA paw k>oV<A - AVA CCCUuU OSSL.
While the stars from all sections of
the State, Maryland and the Capital
district were here, Chandler Harper.
the Portsmouth stylist who has been
denied admission in the tourney,
braced himself at home and criticized
the P. G. A. for what he said had been
unfair treatment by the ruling body,
The CATCH" Harper said, "is that
since making my application the P.
G. A. has changed the ruling making
five years Of pro service the first quail
f1cation for membership in the asso-
ciation. When applied, the rule was
three years and that rule was not
changed until last November, ana at
that time I had been q pro three years
and one month" Harper said that he
did not think the boys in the Middle
Atlantic Association had tried to keen
him out. but added bluntly, Some
thing is wrong and I'm not taking II
| lying down."