Evening star., 1939-05-18
Meck|ey-BrownF Final
Appears Likely in
Maryland Meet
Overton Leeds Fine Lot
Into Opening Play for
Toft, Sherman Cups
By WALTER McCALLUM.

That twin-ringed circus of Wash
ington's two major golf tourna-
ments moved toward a climax
today, as the top feminine golf
ers of the Capital and Marylard i
swung through the second match
round in the Maryland State cham
pionship: and one of the really fine
fields ever to play for the Taft
and Sherman trophies at Chevy
Chase ran through two rounds OF
hogkilling show that will find
late today only four survivors left
in the chase for the big mug which
sits high in the taproom at SWanky
Chevy Chase.
Any way you figure it's Washing
tons big tournament golf week TINS
spring, with the women smack in
the middle of stern chase that
probably will find Betty Meckley
former holder of all the titles in
this territory, and Marion Brown
the reigning District and Middle
Atlantic champ, clashing in the
final round for the Maryland tit e
Saturday.
Chevy Chase Tourney Open.
But you can't say the same thing
about the Chevy Chase invitation
tournament. That show is wide
open, with no pronounced favorlrp
for the crown, unless you figure
that Spencer S. Overton, the tact
turn, aging Baltimore veteran who
won the medal yesterday with a
level par SO, is the red-hot gent
and the man to lick. And you
could do worse than pick Spence
to win that Taft Cup. The onl"
question is whether those aging
legs and that fiery competitive tenn
perament will hold together that
immaculate golf game through five
rounds of hot golf in three days
with four of them compressed into
two days.
After all, Spence Overton is no
loose -jointed kid. swinging with all
he has and seeing only a far-away
flag. He has been through the
competitive fire in a thousand golf
tournaments. and he has the back
ground of losses, which is more
than the kids have. All of which,
together with his middle-aged years
weigh against a man in such a fast
game as modern competitive golf.
OvertOn Near Course Mark.
But Spence, we'll on the way to his
late 40s, still is quite golfer in any
company. l remember back in 1888
he shot 10 in the amateur cham
pionship at Cincinnati and had all
the newspaper boys scurrying around
to find out about this scholarly look
ing gent who played so well.
Well, he still has it, and probably
he's a better golfer than ever. He
had to be to outstrip that field with
his 50 yesterday, a score that only
once has been bettered in the medal
round at Chevy Chase. Maury Nee
shot 81 in 1888, to set course rec
ord, and George Voigt did a SO in
1927.
But Spence had no soft touch
smack in the opening round today
where he met Ralph Bogart of the
Army Navy Country Club and Wilson
High School, and boy who happens
to be one of the hottest kids around
town. Ralph did a 72 in the medal
round. which gives you an idea of
what Old Man Spence had to do.
Drawn strictly from the hat Cthey
do those quaint things at Chevy
Chase, today's first flight pairings
were as follows: Capt. F. L. Parks,
Columbia I78), VS.. Charles Malone,
Indian Spring t76); John F. Brawn-
er, Chevy Chase (75). VS.. Frank j.
Allan. Pittston. Pa. 75); Leo Cul-
linane. Kenwood (70, VS.. Luther
Steward, jr.. Columbia (78); Bart
Yount, Columbia (78D, vs. Ted Rut-
ley, Belle Haven (70; John B. Ryer-
son, Cooperstown. N. Y. CID. VS.. L.
B. Platt, Chevy Chase (76): Spencer
Overton. Rolling Road (69), VS..
Ralph Bogart, Army Navy (72); Vol