Evening star., 1939-05-09
By WALTER McCALLUM.

There may be a highly interesting
and practically unlooked-for angle
to the driving contest on May 81
at Congressional between Jimmy
Thomson and Sammy Snead when
these two mighty maulers of golf
ball step out to arm up with few
big wallops from their distance clubs
before they move out on the tee in
a match which will find them vieing
with National Open Champ Ralph
Guldahl and Witty Cox.
Suppose George K. Brobeck or
whoever does the announcing at
the match, cracks out. something
like this And we have an added
entry in the ong-driving sweep
stakes. A member of our club,
whom we think can hold his own in
any driving competition. want to
present Bill Rumple of Congress
sional.' And suppose Bill happens
to catch one right on the nose, as
he does whenever he plays golf, and
suppose it goes yards beyond the
best that Jimmy and Sammy can
hit?
Rumple Can Hit 'Em.
Just in case you think we're
having a hop dream, let us assure
you that If that does come about
and If Bill is willing to strut his
stuff against Thomson and Snead
it isn't any certified cinch that
these two mighty hitters will find 1t
easy to park a ball past the best
effort of Bill Rumple.
You don't hear much of Bill. He
isn't a good golfer. in the sense that
he scores down in the low 70s every
time he starts. Id guess that Bill
is a middle-80 shooter and that
when he cracks 80 he stages a
private little celebration. But for
sheer. unadulterated smacking of a
golf ball l don't believe there's any
amateur around town, except pos
siblly Charlie Malone, who can stay
along with him.
The big bunhers across the fair
way at the eighth at Congressional
are around 430 yards from the tee.
Against a head wind they become
a problem for the second shot. But
Bill has parked his tee shot In these
bunkers several times and once,
with the wind at his back, he drove
through them. a distance around
$50 yards. One day he hit one on
the par-5 18th, a 525-yarder, that
carried him away down in the fiat
to spot where he played his second
shot with niblick The 18th hole,
around 300 yards, is too short for
his driver.
Overdrives 18th Green.
When Bill really connects with
one he's afraid of busting the
windows in the clubhouse, so he
takes a spoon on this hole. Yep,
Bill Rumple, in any mans book. is
quite hitter from the tee. It's
shame, In a way, that he hasn't
mastered the finer points OF golf.
With his natural advantage of such
tremendous length from the tee
he'd be a rugged customer to lick,
just as Charlie Malone, another guy
with a big wallop. is going to be
tough in the coming tournaments.
They say power doesn't make
much difference, but they are
wrong When you can play a par-5
hole with a drive and a short iron,
power does make a difference. And
even If you play your second shot
from the tiger country it's far better
to play it with niblick than No.
iron from the fairway. Power
does count, and don't let any one
tell you it doesn't. So Bill Rumple
may be the Paul Bunyan of golf
around Washington. And If he hap
pened to catch one on the nose on
May 81, and parks it away OUT
there beyond the best wallops Of the
two biggest hitters in the world,
would that make Bill the world
long driving champion?
Next big tournament for the local
pros will be an amateur-profes-
sional affair at Winchester, Va, on
Monday, May is. All the local paid
lads will troop up to the picturesque
little town in the Valley Of Virginia
W 0tICA1Ht W AlCA xVuV SOAACy, VIC
home pro, on his own course. They
may find that q tough assignment,
fur Rut is rugged little fellow with
q lot Of golf in him.
Walper Wins Pro Tourney.
Leo Walper may be the gent to do
1t, though. for Leo just now happens
to be very much in the groove. He
is a better golfer than he was last
year, and is hitting the ball q long
way, and putting like q wild man.
You don't need any more proof
that Leo is right" than to scan
the scores in . little informal pro
sweepstakes tourney held at Indian
Spring yesterday Leo literally
spread-eagled the field with q two
under-par 60 to win by three shots.
Tied for second ut u were George
Dtnenbaugh Of Kenwood. and Bob