Evening star., 1940-03-28
Pro Gridder's Power
On Links BECOMING
Legendary Here
All District Amateurs
Greatly Outdistonced
By Towering End
BY WALTER McCALLUM.

There are going to be some legends
growing up around Charlie Malone
on the Congressional golf course
this year. Awed golfers are going
to point to a far-ranging spot nearly
a quarter of mile down some of
those expansive fairways and say:
Il saw Charlie Malone knock a tee
shot here one day" Or, Il saw
Charlie Malone play the 18th hole
with drive and a iron"
For the big Redskin end, towering
more than feet 3 inches above
the tee. knocks golf balls from here
to there with even more facility
than he snatches those bullet passes
from Sammy Baugh in November.
Yep, Charlie is quite hitter. in
any company. 1t wasn't any joke
when Parker Nolan wanted to enter
him in long hitting contest last
May against Sammy Snead and
Jimmy Thomson. Charlie wouldn't
have been behind those two noted
sluggers when he caught one on
the nose.
Needs Polish on Green.
The rub came, however, when
Snead. according to Nolan. refused
to hit for fun and wanted dough
for slugging a golf ball. Nolan,
who promoted the exhibition match,
and barely broke even on it, wasn't
prepared to lay out cash to see
Sammy crash into a golf ball.
But Malone, as We remarked, is
no sissy from anybody's tee. He
isn't yet a finished golfer, which
is to say that Charlie isn't as hot
as Bobby Brownell around the
green's Or as good with the irons
as Roger Peacock.
Longest Hitter Around Town.
But he outranges any amateur
around this town from the tee. When
the Redskin smacks 'em they stay
smacked Take that match at Con-
gressional yesterday for example
when Charlie and Claude Rippy
tried to whip the best ball of Maury
Nee and Professional Witty Cox
1t was a shame the way Charlie
piled into those tee shots. He had
successive IS on the second, third
and fourth holes-two of them
brides. He walloped one so far on
the 9th that he was home with 4
iron. And he smacked one so far
down the hill at the 18th that he
took the same club for his second
shot. half missed the ball and still
wound up green high. Charlie and
Claude didn't win. They couldn't
match the unerring brand Of goli
that Cox shot in doing II. But
Charlie did pole out some great tee
shots.
Might Be Winner.
With that natural advantage (and
don't let any one tell you that dis
tance isn't an advantage Malone is
going to be a tough hombre to lick
this year. Indeed. if he gets even a
fair touch around the green's, and
with those pitch shots. he looms as
the toughest of them all. Any fellow
who converts the par SIS into drive
and an iron. and plays the long par
As as drive and pitch holes can stray
from the line and still get home.
Charlie still is on the sunny side
of 30 He can go a long way in
golf 1t all rests with him. If he is
willing to practice and practice until
he gets that short game under con-
troll he can do lot of winning For
there isn't an amateur around
Washington who can keep up with
him from the tee.
Or is Charlie an amateur? That's
what some folks have asked. He
plays professional football, but
that hasn't anything to do with his
golf. And under the golf rules only
man who makes or has made his liv-
ing from golf is rated golf profess
sional I guess the case of Ellsworth
Vines. the professional tennis play
er. who plays a lot of amateur golf
and has turned into pretty good
mashie- -mauler, is just about the
same as that of Charlie Malone.
Ellie" as Bill Tilden used to call
his big pal. never made living from
golf. Neither did Malone, which
should dispose of any doubt as to
Charles amateur status. He can
be and is pro football player, but
also he is an amateur golfer.
Bogart Grows Up.
The amateurs around town. not
favored much with good weather so
far this year, are getting out work.
ing the kinks out of their winter
killed golf. Glimpsed at Army
Navy was tall Ralph Bogart. the
District amateur champion. Ralph
has filled out. He weighs something
more than 200 pounds, which is a
lot of weight for youngster around
20 years of age. 1t means that
Ralph will knock those tee shots a
long way, although he hasn't been a
short hitter Bobby Brownell
heightened his tee shots a good
many yards by putting on some
weight. Rippy has been out with
that smooth game the lean North
Carolina lad has had for years.
and everywhere you 60 you see the
better simon pures working the
winter kinks out of their swings.
They happen to be the boys who
take the game seriously enough to
practice it. That's one of the rea-
sons they are good.