The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-06-08
THREE-WAY TIE.
MAKES US. Open
PLAY A TOSS-UP
Little and Smith Join
Snead as Leaders of
Golf Classic
BY HARRY FERGUSON
UNITED Press Shorts EditOr)

Cleveland, June 8--(UP)-The So
players whose hearts we're stoutest
when the pressure goS heaviest go
the weary distance of 36 holes to-
day. And at shutdown here on the
windy shore Of Lake Erie the 1910
National Open Golf Champion will
be crowned.
1t may be any one OF 81 men, for
the leaders are SO closely punched
that two hot rounds will almost
guarantee a victory. Only five
strokes-a range of from 141 to l46
separate the top 81 shooters at
the end of the. first SO holes. A tie
and q playoff Sunday would not
be surprise.
The axe fell last night at the
halfway mark when the top RO
scores and ties were notified that
they conld continue playing today.
All others we're eliminated and some
Of the great names Of golf failed to
come In with the 36-hoie total of
1853 that was needed to stay In the
tournament.
Here are some Of the boys on the
sidelines as play starts today.
Johnny Goodman, former anna
teur ard open champion; Bud Ward
OF Spokane, Wash, current amateur
title holder; Jimmy Demaret, hot
shot CT the winter circuit who with
drew after bad round yesterday;
MARITIME Pose, open champion Of
Argentina; Lighthouse Harry Coop
er, the great SHOEMAKER from Chi
cago; Jimmy Thompson longest
driver In golf; Enrique Bertolino,
PGA champion of Argena; myster-
oius John Montague from Califor-
ria who had a 36-hole total of 1862
and probably could have done bet
ter with his shovel, rake and base
ball bat; and DIN Dutra, former
open champion.
Three men are in the van of the
chase this. morning-locked in a
three way tie at 141 for the leader
ship. They are Lawson Little. one
time British and American Amateur
champion who now Is professional
at Breton Woods, N. H.; Slammin'
Sam Snead, the long hitter from
the hills Of West Virginia and Hor-
ton Smith, best putter in golf. OF
those three, Little was the bright
star of yesterday. He shot SO,
three under par and picked up five
strokes on Snead, who blazed
around the Canterbury Country
club course on Thursday for a rec
ord breaking 81.
Hot on the necks of the leaders
is the veteran pro, Frank Walsh
from Rumson, N. j., with 142. At
143 are Benny Hogan, 130-pound
wonder boy from Texas who out
drives professionals Weighing al
most twice as much as he does.
Here are the others who seem TO
have chance for the title that BY
ron Nelson won last year at Phila-
deiphia.
At 144-Ralph Guldahl, Leonard
Dodson, Dutch Harrison and Victor
Ghezzi. At 145-Jock Hutchinson
Jr., son Of one Of the great golfers
Of all time, Gene Sarazen and
Craig Wood.
At 146-Jim Fouls, Henry Picard,
jug McSpaden, Leland Gibson
Byron Nelson and Andy Gibson.
The winds that roar off Lake
Erie played cruel prank yester-
day on four men-Snead, Hogan
Wood and Sarazen. Early in the
day playing conditions were ideal
The fairways were baked dry and
drives were rolling far and true.
There was no wind and the
greens were in splendid shape. On
der those conditions Little, an early
starter, went out and fired his SO
But by the time such late starters
as Snead, Hogan, Wood and Sara
zen got going, gale was raging
Rain fell hard and hevy, the no
torious winds Of Canterbury" car
ried good shots as much as twenty
yards off line.
The storm lasted only about a
half hour, but In those 80 minutes
snead. Wood. Hogan and Sarazen
lost precious strokes. The story OF
this tournament may be written,
when q champion Is crowned to-
night, IN terms OF that quirk In the
weather which Is such vital part
Of the game Of golf