Evening star., 1940-04-28
Sectional Test Round
Likely 10 Draw Big
Field Next Month
Six Expected to Qualify
At Manor; New P. 6. A.
Group Here Looms
BY WALTER McCALLUM.

BY WALTER McCALLUM.
With their sectional P. G. A.
championship tourney very much up
In the air and prospects for revival
with heavy slice of money remote,
professional golfers of Washington
turn toward the high spot of the
links year-the national open cham
pionship, to be played near Cleve-
land June s, and g. Aided by the
recalcitrant attitude of Bobby
Cruickshank and the Virginia pros,
they made a sorry mess of the
scheduled P. G. A. championship at
Old Point Comfort.
Bob Barnett, vice president of the
Middle Atlantic section, thinks the
whole thing could have been avoided
by a little diplomacy. II don't see
why they acted so hastily on Har-
per's application" said Bob. "They
didn't have to take immediate ac-
tion. They could have held off, and
they also could have invited Harper
to play in the tourney. 1t coald all
have been ironed out without so
much fuss" The tourney was can
celed when Virginia pros threatened
to boycott the affair if Chandler
Harper's entry was not accepted.
New Sectional Group Likely.
President Ralph Beach of the Sec
tional P. G. A. stood fast on the rules
which provide that an applicant
must be o. KID by the national body
before playing in any P. G. A
sponsored affair. The Chamberlin
Club, fearful that the affair would
draw only handful of entries, called
1t off and withdrew their offer of a
$1,000 guaranty.
But reverberations will continue
for quite while, even though the
sectional tourney may come off at a
later date. 1t hasn't ended yet and it
may result in split between the
Virginia pros and those from Wash
tngton and Baltimore. Or wouldn't
1t be smarter for the Washington
group, as they've limited several
times. to form their own sectional
association?
With the national open coming
up soon and the P. G.. A. affair can
celed, the pros are looking toward
the big affair with more than usual
keenness.
1t all comes because the sectional
qualification rounds will be played
at Manor Monday. May 81, at 36
holes stroke play. And also because
those who do qualify at Manor will
not have to travel far to the scene
of the championship itself. Cleve-
land is only lengthy days travel
by auto from Washington and only
overnight by train. But the big
point for the pros and eligible
amateurs to remember is this: They
have just 16 days to file their entries
for the championship. These must
be in the hands of the United States
Golf Association by pm. Tuesday,
May IA, accompanied by the usual
check for five bucks. Amateurs with
handicaps not exceeding three
strokes may enter. Last year Am
ateur Bobby Brownell won one of
the places and played in the cham
pionship at Philadelphia.
Virginia Pros to Visit.
Main hurdle for the ambitious
boys, of course, will be the sectional
rounds at Manor May 81. There
probably will be a minimum of six
places open at Manor since the Vir-
ginia pros will come here to play.
No separate sectional rounds are
slated in Virginia this year and
Bobby Cruickshank of Richmond is
in the automatically eligible list of
the first 80 and ties in the 1889
championship.
1t still seems shame that the
United States Golf Association
doesn't consider former champions
worth a shot at the crown without
forcing them to go through the
grueling sectional tests. Fred Nc
Leod, 1908 champion, for instance,
would be an attractive figure playing
in the Cleveland tournament. But
because the U. S. G. A. makes former
champs qualify sectionally, Freddie
probably won't be in there. He hasn't
qualified for several years now and
he isn't getting any younger. Nor is
the pace getting slower.
The Maryland State Golf Asso-
citation will run the sectional
rounds at Manor, with Emmet
Gary, secretary, in actual charge.
Washington will be a hot spot
for sectional qualifying for the
major U. S. G. A. championships.
In addition to the sectional rounds
for the open and amateur Journeys
East Potomac Park gets the sec
tional rounds for the national pub
lie links championship, scheduled
between July 5 and 8.
Federal Golfers Lined Up.
Eight golf teams from as many
Government units will swing into
action Tuesday in the initial series
for the Federal match play cham
pionship in the tourney sponsored
again by The Evening Star. The
schedule for Tuesday finds Securi-
ties and Exchange Commission
clashing at Kenwood with Justice
in section l, Federal Housing meet
ing G. P. o. at Army Navy in Sec
ton 2, w. P. A. meeting G. A. O.
at Capital and Congressional Lii
brary meeting Navy at Indian
Spring, the last two matches in
section 3. Glass B teams will not
1naugurate their schedule until
May 6.
Walter Hagen, the Old Duke OF
golf, at 48 years of age a pretty
competent par-mauler, will play this
afternoon at East Potomac Park
The match, in which Cliff Spencer
East Potomac Park pro, also will
play, is due to start. about 2::3O.
Congressional starts its breakfast
foursomes today, with the Walter
johnson trophy tourney to wind up
this afternoon.
Georgetown golf team gets its
first big test Tuesday. meeting Skip
Alexander and his Duke University
crew at Capital. The match may
give you and you real line on