Evening star., 1940-07-27
Old Point Comfort Site
OF Contest Planned
For September
Worshom. Lorkin QuoIify
For Pro Championship
As Vireinions Leod
BY WALTER McCALLUM.

Atlantic golf professionals where
their championship tournament is
concerned are over for a while.
Bobby Cruickshank, president of
the Virginia Open Golf Association.
the same organization which called
the strike of Virginia pros that re-
suited in cancellation of the sched-
uled P. G. A. event in April, an
nounced today that plans virtually
are settled for holding the affair
at the Chamberlin course at Old
Point Comfort, Va, probably in late
September.
Sidney Banks has agreed to give
us about $500" said Bobby. Now
We are trying to have him agree to
add the total money received from
entry fees to the purse If We can
do that We'll have a pretty good
tournament. The prize money may
go as high as $500, which won't be
so bad. And I'm in favor of max
ing 1t an open tournament and
encouraging outside entries. Open
it to the world if the boys will agree
to do that, and the more the mer-
rier."
Bobby has something there.
After the dismal failure the pros
made of the scheduled affair in
April they could do a lot worse
than hold a tourney at Old Point
Comfort in September. even for
reduced purse. Originally Banks
had agreed to put up a grand for
the affair. Now the question comes
up, as it did months ago: Where
can they get anywhere near that
amount of money for the Middle
Atlantic P. G. A, event without
dlpplng into the association treas
uly?" And no one knows the an
sWer to that one. They'd do better
70 take almost any reasonable offer,
rather than merely to play for their
own entry fees, as theys done many
times in the past.
Cruickshank Leads Tourney.
Crulckshank himself. at the age
OF 46 one of Americas outstanding
golf pros. heads the Middle At
lantlc delegation to the national
r. q. A. tourney at Hershey, Pa,
IN late August, Bobby scored IL
67-138 for two rounds of the Five
Farms course of the Baltimore Coun-
Try Club yesterday. 1t happens to
be two under the par of 140 for the
double circuit of that lengthy lay
out.
Very much back on the crest of the
game which twice has won him
second money in the open cham
plonshlp Cruickshank blazed his
way around that rugged course to
top a field of % entrants on a dav
When the temperature mounted up
toward the century mark. The
spectator who said: Those bows
ought to have medals for playing
36 holes in that heat" had it right.
smooth swinging Erie Ball of
Charlottesville, Va, was second with
69-70-139, giving the first two
places to the slim Virginia delega-
ton.
Worsham and Larkin Qualify.
But Washington did all right. win
nlng the last two spots Lew Wor-
sham of Burning Tree. scoring
brace OF lis for 142, won the third
spot and redheaded Gene Larkin
OF Woodmont coming from behind
TO score 72-7l-143, won the final
place, shutting out John Bass of
Baltimore and John O'Donnell of
Rlchmond, who had IA. The Bal
tlmore boys were completely shut
| out.
They didn't win a place as the
Washington and Virginia lads split
/ the section quota of four qualifying
spots.
Gene Larkin was the real surprise
Before Gene qualified for the Ma
tonal Open in June he hadn't played
half a dozen rounds of golf tbs sea-
son. He hasn't played more than that
since he played in the Open. Yet
he has qualified this year for the
two big professional events. So
has Worsham, who will be making
his first trip to the P. G. A. when
that event starts at Shawnee.
Worsham was not a member of
the P. G. A. last year.
Advocates Occasional Golf.
This Larkin fellow is something of
wonder. With a wide, sweeping
swing and a big body turn, he hits
that bail a long way and straight
as string. My private recipe is
to avoid playing too much GOLF
says Gene. Play just enough to
keep your keenness for the game"
Coming to the fifteenth hole late
yesterday some one told Gene he
had four pars to be sure of a
qualifying spot. He hashed up the
fifteenth for 6, which left him
needing birdie and two pars to
beat the l44s already in. He got
a par on the tough sixteenth and
then flung an iron shot feet from
the pin at the short seventeenth
for the birdie. His tee shot on the
final hole was partially stynlied by
trees. but he got his second on the
back edge of the green and ran a
putt down dead to the cup.
Worsham. needing two pars for
a SO, finished 4, 5 for a II. But he
was already in and knew it. Witty
Cox and Fred Mcleod passed up
the tourney.
Cliff Spencer. recently crowned
Maryland champ, whose putter was
far from accurate, scored 73-T4-
147 which was three strokes too
high. But the figures of all the
prognosticators as to the qualifying
figure we're too high. The heat
probably had something to do with
it, for the tee shots ran a long
way and the scoring was as hot
as the weather.
Just for example Cruickshank
| nlaVed tho first nine in a oco;,e CT