The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-06-11
PICARD KEEPS SUB-PAR PACE
 IN J. s. OPEN
Strain of Leadership May Cost Him Title-Metz,
 McSpaden Close
By HENRY McLEMORE (IInited Press Staff COrrespondentl

United Press Staff C0rreSpondent)
 Denver, Colo, June 11.-(UP)- Will the Chocolate Man melt when the heat is on? In other words, will Henry Picard, the sharpshooter from Hershey, Pa, prove unable to stand the strain of leading the Ma tional Open field in the run down the stretch?
 Today, with 36 holes to go for the blue riband of golf, Picard was out in front with two masterful 70's for total of 140, two strokes under par over the treacheros Cherry Hills course.
 So far, he hasn't made mistake. Long off the tee, straight as a trol- ley wire with his seconds, and sure and keen with his butts, Picard has been over par only five times in 36 holes. And the bogeys haven't mattered, for he has apologized for them with birdies.
 Done Twice
 Only two men have ever won the national after leading at both eight cen and thirty-six holes. One was Chick Evans in 1918 at Minnekahda, and the other was long Jim Barnes in 1921 at the Columbia Country club in Chevy Chase, Md. Even the great Jones never won in that manner. It was Jones' habit to lay off the pace for two rounds, then throw 8 frightening sub-par third at the boys and coast home from there, while they were still quiver- ing from the shock.
 There were many fine shotmakers in position to overtake Picard should he falter the least bit today. Closest to him was the Arrow col- lar model boy, Dick Metz, private professional to Albert Lasker, Chi cago advertising tycoon, at the lat- ter's magnificent Mill road farm course in Lake Forest, III.
 Handsome Richard, sufficiently re- covered from an automobile accident that almost cost him his right leg a year ago, had halfway aggre- gate of Al after superb rounds of 73 and 68.
 Two strokes back of Metz, with scores of 143, were Harold (Jug) McSpaden and bespectacled Emery Zimmerman of Portland, Ore. Me- Spaden, runner-up to Denny Shute in the last P. G. A. tournament, ex- hibited little early class but moved up rapidly yesterday as his fire and fall-back" method of swinging brought him 67, lowest round of the tournament.
 Zimmerman, a 4-to-1 shot, weigh ing 135 at ringside and playing in this tournament strictly as a vaca- tion project, got around yesterday in Il.
 Putting Trouble
 At IA, very stoop-shouldered and wearing a dirty white hat and stolid expression, was Halph Guldahl, who owns the championship, thanks to his record 281 at Detroit last year. Guldahl would be up there in front today had not his butter betrayed him. From tee to green Ralph has beeen f1aWless. But once on the carpte, he changed from 8 great player to struggling novice.
 If he loses the crown to any play CT other than Picard, Metz, Mo- Spaden or Zimmerman, 1t undoubt- edly will come to rest on the head of one of the four men who started out this morning tied at 145 strokes. They are four great golfers-Harry Cooper. the perennial threat, Olin Dutra, winner in 1884; Jimmy Hines, twice Metropolitan Open champion, and Willie Hunter, the slight Cali fornian who won the British anna teur as long ago as 1921. Willie, and this is fashion note-is playing in a corset, necessitated by an in- jured back.
 Those are the probable 1888 open champions. Oddson the rest of the field were pretty fancy.
 Those betting against Picard had this to remember: In the Augusta Masters last April, they waited for the Chocolate Man to melt but he came swinging down the stretch to take 1t all.