Evening star., 1940-06-02
Three Capital Pros
Lack Training for
Tourney Strain
Test Deemed Too Touch
For Man With Club Job;
Fed Linksmen Line Up
BY WALTER McCALLUM.

the NaClOnal open championship
going? Do they have a chance to
get anywhere in this blue-ribbon
classic of golf in tournament which
happens to be the biggest thing in
the game and still would be even if
the grim business in Europe was not
going on?
The answer isn't hard to guess.
The plain fact is that, up against
the array of well-conditioned, tour
nament-toughened veterans who will
gather at the Canterbury Golf Club
Thursday to hear Starter Joe Dey's
initial call of Fore, please" the
three Washington contenders have
no chance at all to win and little
prospect of finishing among the
first 30.
Lewis Worsham, the 22-year -old
Burning Tree pro, who led the field
IN the sectional qualifying rounds at
Manor last week with 1873, has plenty
of ambition and a good deal of golf.
But he hasn't enough golf to win the
Open championship. Not against
such crack field of par-busters as
that which will be at Cleveland
George Diffenbaugh of Kenwood and
Gene Larkin of Woodmont, good
golfers though they are, will be along
Just for the ride.
Club Job Handicaps Pro.
In the words of Witty Cox, "You
just can't work at a club job and
keep your golf game in shape to
trail along with guys who work at
the game, not for an hour a day,
but for and 10 hours" Witty,
who has been around the tourna-
ment circuit for quite a few years
and happens to know all the angles,
Is convinced that no pro who works
on the lesson tee has chance
against the modern masters of
birdie making.
THE pro who holds club job and
works at 1t hasn't chance against
these fellows who play tournament
golf. 1t just can't be DONE" he says
THE tournament players think, eat
and sleep golf and golf shots. They
get out and do road work to train
their legs. They carry hand-squeez-
ers to strengthen their wrists. They
practice hours daily, and they work
at it until the swing is automatic
What chance has club pro, busy
on the lesson tee for six or eight
hours a day, against fellows like
that, no matter how good he hap
pens to be? No, it just can't be
done.
Intensive Training Needed.
"Teu you what I'd have to do if
I had serious ideas about tourna-
ment golf. would have started
two months ago conditioning myself,
getting to bed by 10 o'clock every
night. I'd have to cut off giving
lessons more than couple of hours
a day. T would practice at least
two hours day, and I'd play about
four or five rounds week to keep
my judgment of distance. Then I'd
play in couple of tournaments to
get the feel of it. It's different
you know-this tournament golf. For
one thing, the courses are tougher,
and somehow putt gets longer in
q tournament. and harder to make" !"
Nor does that mean that Witty
doesn't respect the game the three
local boys can play. 1t simply means
that the odds are stacked tremen-
dously against them. Personally
pick Worsham to make the best
showing. The boy is keen and wants
to make his mark in the national
He can have couple of good rounds
and may make the first 30 who will
qualify automatically next year.
Peacock, Rippy After Title.
Today at Five Farms, four of the
finest amateur golfers in this terri
tory will get together to play for the
Maryland best-ball championship
Roger Peacock and Claude Rippy of
Indian Spring, a couple of better
than-average shotmakers, will meet
Spencer Overton and Erford Barnes
of Rolling Road for the title. Over
ton and Barnes happen to be the
champs, but they'll be up against
something hot this afternoon. Pea
cock is blazing. He has scored Cts
over two tough courses during the
last week.
Entries will close tomorrow with
Paul Carey for the Federal Golf
Association championship to be
staged June 10 and II at Beaver
Dam. The affair, for Government
golfers, probably will draw around
200 entries. Entries for the Times
Herald women's golf tourney, to be
staged at Manor and Chevy Chase
next Thursday, will close tomorrow
Entries for the class A players will
be taken by Mrs. T. N. Beavers at
Wisconsin 2430, while entries for
class B players will be received by
Mrs. H. w. Rowan at Wisconsin 7142.
Big Tournaments Ahead.
Next big tourney for the male links
stars will be the Middle Atlantic
Golf Association amateur champion
ship, to be staged at Baltimore's
Hillendale Club June 13, IA and 15.
Secretary Bill Barr of the associa-
ton sent out notices last week. The
tourney will be the usual three-day
affair and Roger Peacock will defend
the title he won last year at Chevy
Chase. The next week will find
the Maryland State amateur title
tourney on at Congressional, to wind
up Sunday, June %. Peacock will
not play in that one, for he has
made arrangements to play in an
affair in New York.
Plenty of conversation is going
around among the women regarding
a change In the rule requiring all
clubs wishing to enter second and
third teams in the team Journeys to
enter first teams as WELL Some of
the weaker clubs claim they have
on chance in the first matches, but
would have a chance in the second
and third groups. The rule may be
changed later this year, and prob
ably should be- Chevy Chase had nc
easy road to the first-team cham
pionship. 1t was pushed to the limit
by a strong Manor team, which will