Evening star., 1939-10-01
Columbia Pro Shoots
Us Regularly On
His Home Links
Tournament This Week
To Be Augmented by
Tilt Of U. S. Champs
By WALTER McCALLUM.

It may be the last chance the
veteran will have to win q major
sectional title, but If there's one
thing most Of the pros and prac-
tically all the amateur entrants will
pull for this week, when the Middle
Atlantic P. G.. A. Tournament gets
under way at Columbia, it will be
for Fred Mcleod to stick his snub
nose and his red face under the
wire Friday afternoon winner at
the end of the 72-hole tournament.
Few people realize nowadays that
for nearly 20 years Freddie Mcleod
was one of the top professional
golfers Of the world; that in his
time many Of the topnotchers of the
game have taken lessons from Fred
die, including Bobby Jones; that
thrice he has been the second scorer
In the National Open championship,
and that Freddie is the only pro
in this sector who ever has held the
national crown. You lose sight of
the good men of past years in the
rush Of new champions to the top.
for the American public loves q
winner; and wants new one every
year.
A Testimonial to Fred.
Starting Wednesday at Columbia
the Mid-Atlantic pros will put on
a show for Freddie. It will be
testimonial to one of the finest
1inksmen ever to flip niblick shot
out of the sand; and to one of the
grandest little guys who ever pulled
on spiked brogan. Their 1899
championship will be in the nature
of testimonial affair to Fred, and
will wind up Friday night with
dinner to be attended by flock
Of well-known golf figures.
But the greatest testimonial Fred
die could have-to Freddie-would
be a win of the championship. I'm
possible, you say, because the pro-
cession has passed the skill of the
57-year-old North Berwick Scots
man? Not a bit of it. Freddie is
far from doddering old gent who
needs wheel chair and black magic
to get around a golf course in 70.
He played more than 500 rounds Of
golf over the same course last year,
and averaged better than IS.
Such an average won't win the
tourney, for it probably will take
286 or better to do that. But there
isn't any reason why Freddie
shouldn't do the winning score. No
man lives who knows the rolls and
tricks of the Columbia course as
well as the Mcleod.
Exhibition Intrigues Fans.
But the high spot of the tourna-
ment-and one in which Freddie will
take parts the exhibition match
billed for Thursday afternoon, when
Byron Nelson, National Open champ,
and Henry G. Picard, national P. G.
A. champ, will appear in an exhibi-
ton match. The boys behind the
tournament aren't emphasizing this
affair much, but from the public
angle it will be the biggest thing
of the three-day show. There will
be no entry fee to the public, and
even though they don't talk much
about it, the pros are going to find
a tremendous gallery following the
Nelson-Picard match. It will be
Byron Nelson's first appearance in
Washington. The blond bombshell
from Texas never has shown here
before. Picard has been here several
times, but not since he won ma
tional title. Included in the four
some will be Mcleod, and the top
scorer over the first round Of the
tourney Thursday morning. The ex-
hibition match will start about 2
o'clock, although the time is as yet
indefinite.
Deadline Falls Tomorrow.
Entries will close tomorrow night,
and the tournament probably will
draw rs entries, including the anna
teurs, for whom special prizes have
been put up. An amateur cannot
win the title, but if he wins first
place he will get the equivalent of
first money-$4O0-in merchandise.
Favored entrants will be Witty
Cox, District open champ; Bobby
Cruickshank, twice runner-up for
the National Open; Leo Walper, de-
Tending champ; AL Houghton, Erie
Ball, Andy Gibson and Cliff Spencer.
But lot of the boys are hoping
Fred Mcleod will come home the
winner. There won't be so many
chances for grabbing q major Sec
tional crown ahead of Freddie. At
his age YOU don't often whip the