The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-06-09
NATIONS BEST GOLFERS FACE. MURDER COURSE
Cherry Hills Will Require Almost Perfect Play
 From Start to Finish
By HENRY McLEMORE United Press Staff CorreSnondeI

Denver, Colo, June 8-CUP)-That wild and woody gold scramble-The National Open Championship-start- ed here in the wild and wooly west. today.
 Over fairways as narrow as the mountain trials that pierce the near by rockies, over traps as treacher- ous as the willy redskins, and over rough as dense as the native forest. 167 amateur and professional golfers sought the blue ribbon of golf.
 For three days the golfers will strive for the National Open Title to them as precious a nugget as ever was mined in the high hills that look down on the course. Eighteen holes today, the same tomorrow, and then thirty-six on Saturday will pro- duce the winner.
 Who will be that winner?
 In The Air
 No one knows, any more than anyone knows what number will next come up on the roulette board Because the National Open, of all big sports events, is the most un- practicable. Form runs for Mir Sweeney in the open. Who would have picked Sam Parks, Jr., to win in 1885? or Tony Manero in 1886 or Ralph Guldahl last year?
 Outsiders to the hilt, they came swinging through the mists of ob- scurity to take it all; to humble shotmakers who overshadowed them in renown.
 Of the 167 players in this years open, not more than dozen lacked faithful followers who thought they might possibly put four good rounds together and win. That brings up the question of what constitutes four good rounds at Cherry Hills.
 When the tournament was given to Cherry Hills, bringing 1t farther West than ever before in history, it was believed that the winner would have to break 280. Because Cherry Hills-The Cherry Hills it's members play-is simple golf course. But that Cherry Hills does not exist to- day. It has been gone over by ex- perts and toughened. Big fairways have been made into ribbons; rough has been allowed to rear its ugly head at will, and traps have been deepened and furrowed with a cal- culating hand.
 Surprising
 This is fact: Of all the players who have practiced on it, not one has had four rounds whose total would break 290. Even Henry Picard, co-favorite with Sam Snead and Ralph Guldahl, the defending cham pion, has not had four rounds under 285-and Richard has been here for weeks and has played the course fully 25 times.
 There has been an occasional out burst of scoring. There were two 69's today, submitted by Jimmy Hines of New York and Harold (Jug) Mos baden of Boston. And there was a 66 a few days ago, turned in by Sam Snead. But it is of interest that Snead, the very next day could dc no better than 78.
 Here is another fact: The winner will be golfer who has more than muscle. He will be man of thought This is no course for brute slugger The long hitters have proved this by using spoons and brassies off the tee Jimmy Thomson, mightiest hitter of them all, will play all but five holes with an iron. Every shot is selec- tive one at Cherry Hills. There is but one right spot, for the ball to land and the player must decide what club to use to put it there.
 The greens are magnificent. They are the best carpets any National Open has offered in a decade. The fairways are lush and sure.
 In short-the losers will have nc alibis and the winner, be he un- known or famed, will have played sound and brainy golf.