Evening star., 1939-09-26
BY WALTER McCALLUM.


The initial skirmish in The Star
sponsored round robin tourney for
the Federal match play golf cham
pionship is over, and out of 1t comes
the dark horse in the f1ve-month-
long tournament as probably the
legitimate contender for the title for
which Uncle Sans boys have been
playing since last April.
Swarthy Joe Balestri, the Beaver
Dam Club champion, has gathered
himself quite q bunch of par busters
at the Government Printing Office.
Victors in section 2 of the regular
tourney. they won their way to the
round-robin playoff, and today they
hold the first victory, achieved at
Indian Spring over scrappy Fed
eral Housing Administration outfit,
which won in section l.
The Housing Administration boys
go up against another man-eating
team Thursday at Indian Spring
when they clash in the second match
of the series with Interior, the vic
tors in section 3. Government Print
ing Office, which yesterday won the
initial match by 4 to 2, next Mon
day will meet the victor in the Fed
eral Housing Interior contest.
Playing crack team match golf
the printers won a well-merited VIC
tory. Top scorers among the two
teams were Bill Lawrence Of G. P.
o. and Beverly Mason of F. H. A.,
both winding up with IT'S, after TAX
ing 6 to the last hole. The printers
won 2 points in each foursome,
while losing a single point. Here
are the summaries of the opening
sk1rmish: Joe Balestri and Bob
Elan, G. p. o., 2 points; Don
OBrien and Pat Martino, F. H. A.,
l point.
Bill Lawrence and AL Schneider,
G. P. O., 2 points; Beverly Mason
and Roger Peed, F. H. A., point.
Interior, which dropped only 31a
points in a schedule which included
10 matches and 54 points to be won
or lost, looms as possibly the most
rugged outfit of them all. Thurs
days match will point the way to
the final round scheduled for next
Monday at Indian Spring.
Pros Warned Of Possible Split.
Washington professional golfers
had before them today a warning
from Bob Barnett, spark plug Of the
pros around town, that unless they
get more cooperation from their
brother pros in Baltimore, the long
talked-of split with the pros from
the neighboring town may come
about. This would mean that the
local pros would form their own
organization and withdraw from
the Middle Atlantic P. G. A.
Bob's statement, delivered with
characteristic candor, came at a
luncheon meeting at KenWood at
which final plans for the coming
Middle Atlantic P. G. A. tourna-
ment were discussed. Bob made no
bones about what he said was lack
of cooperation from Baltimore,
adding that whereas the local pros
and AL Houghton, tournament pro-
moter, have raised around a thou
sand dollars for the tourney at
Columbia October 4, and 6, the
Baltimore boys have contributed
about $50. Bob also said he had
initiated a move to draw funds
from the association treasury for
the tourney.
I'VE hope to have 500 people at
that testimonial dinner to Fred Nc
Leod the evening of October g." said
Barnett. 1--WE want to make it the
biggest thing Of its kind ever held
here"
Secretary William c. Barr of the
District Golf Association will handle
the scoring for the tourney, and
Houghton said that 80 amateurs
already have entered, to play for
special amateur prizes. But I think
the biggest thing in connection with
the tourney will be the appearance
of Byron Nelson and Henry Picard
the afternoon Of October S.
After the luncheon meeting the
boys played in a pro-pro best ball
and pro sweepstakes tourney in
which AL Houghton, playing over his
old course, grabbed all the marbles.
AL shot himself q neat and form