Evening star., 1940-06-05
Score Of 285 or Less
Needed for Crown,
Links Aces Say
Interest High in Sneod,
Nelson, Hogan, Demoret;
Three From D. c. PIoy
BY WALTER McCALLUM,
Star Stan Correspondent,

Quar- StaH correspondent.
CLEVELAND, Ohio, June S.
Sheer length and a well-trapped
golf course with the usual watered
fairways are about to be revealed
in all their futility again by the par
shattering masters of golfdom in
the United States Open, which
opens tomorrow.
Canterbury Golf Club course, II
miles out from the heart of Cleve-
land. with ribbon stretches of fair
way laid down between the usual
wilderness of Ohio hay, has l25
traps along the hazardous route to
the cups. 1t also has around 1000
yards OF length, with a big sector
OF this length squeezed into two
notes.-the ninth of 553 yards and
the sixteenth of 615 yards. But the
pros again are set to reveal that
mere length, and few traps, don't
stop them from busting par.
Canterbury happens to have a par
OF 70 to the round-or 288 for the
quadruple circuit. Yet the boys al
ready are talking about winning
score of 285 and possibly better. 1t
will be better-in all probability.
Interest in big Four"
Only one course in recent years
has baked them. That was the
Spring Mill course of the Philadel-
phia Country Club last year, with a
par of SO and a four-round par of
276. The winning score was 284,
which was eight over perfect" fig
ures. But any course with a par of
70 won't Withstand the charge of
the shock troops of golf
Here they are talking about the
big four of the championship, listed
as Byron Nelson, the tall, blond de-
Tending champion, who has been
singularly unsuccessful so far this
year; Sam Snead, the author of
COLTS most expensive and spectacu-
lar bloWup last year, when he took
an 8 on the final hole of the cham
plonshlp at Philadelphia: Betting
Benny Hogan. the Texas mite, who
tops all the money winners, and
grinning Jimmy Demaret, winner of
five Of the winter tournaments.
Yet it's quite possible some hun
CRY gent who hasn't been thought
of may come sneaking in under the
wire. Sam Parks did it in 1885,
Tony Manero did it in 1886. The
Open championship, which hap
pens to be the toughest tournament
In golf to win, is the one where
the dope seldom clicks. If a IA
vorite wins, that in itself is news.
Putting Will Decide.
Among the trio of Washington
entrants Lew Worsham, only five
years out of the caddie ranks and
keen 22-year-old who has over
weening championship aspirations,
looms as the strongest of the lot.
The local lads, overshadowed by
the big names of golf. probably
aren't going anywhere. But again
they may.
You never know to what heights
youngster will rise with the chips
down. Worsham rose to the heights
in the sectional qualifying rounds
at Manor. scoring a last-round 66
to lead the field. Another round
like that at Canterbury and he can
finish in the money. But he isn't
likely to win-or come close.
Over such long course as Can
terbury the sluggers should be on
top. But all the men who qualify
for the Open can hit the ball a
long way. Again the Open cham
pionship will be decided by the
man with hot putting blade. IF I
don't hole at least two puts of 20
feet and more I'm not Scoring -
said Ralph Guldahl. That's the
way it is in this championship.
There are a hundred men who can
drive and play the irons. But the
winner is the man who is knock
ing down those lengthy putts-and
not missing the short ones.