The Wilmington morning star., 1940-06-08
Little And Horton
Top National Open Meet
Strong Wind Makes Snead's
Score Soar; Three Tied
With Card Of 141
BY GAYLE TALBOT

Cleveland, June 7.-lP-Wind, rain
and tournament filters proved a
little too much for Sam Snead to-
day and the boy from the mountain
country fell back into a three-way
tie with Lawson Little and Horton
Smith with 141 at the halfway
stage of the National Open golf
championship.
Sam, whose 81 in yesterdays
opening round broke all open rec
ords, was the big show today. A
tremendous crowd followed his
every stroke and nearly made it
impossible for him to play several
holes. A sudden, violent windstorm
at the short 18th he took a disas-
trous five to finish with a IA, two
strokes over par.
Little, playing around early be-
fore the storm blew up, shot him
self a brilliant 50 to catch Snead.
Forton Smith, playing late after
the elements had subsidized, produc-
ed a 72-even par-to make it a
trio at 141.
Frank Walsh, the veteran, who
still veal sky-blue Knockers,
s'roked the only other SO of the
day to land all by himself in the
second notch at 142. Ben Hogan
and Sam Parks, Jr., were deadlock
ed at 143.
SiXty-six players who shot 1853 or
better for the first two rounds
qualified for the finish, but it is
extremely doubtful that any of
those over 144 tonight will catch
the leaders in the final So holes
tomorrow.
Titles name was on many lips
tonight. The big fellow, who won
two American and British cham
pionships a few years ago, said he
had that ole feeling" again. His
SO today was a masterpiece, and
when Little is in that humor he is
hard to get along with.
Smith, one of the last of the
stars to come in, had an excellent
chance to take the leadership alone.
He needed only par scores on the
last three holes to finish ahead of
Snead and Little by a stroke, but
he frightened and took a 4 on the
short 18th, the same hole that
blasted Snead's hope of finishing
ahead for the second straight day.
Canterbury was much harder to-
day than On the first round. Out
side of the 69s by Walsh and Little,
the only exceptional scores were
los by Lloyd Mangrum and E. j.
(Dutch) Harrison. Many of the
others scared high and such
name" stars as Harry Cooper,
Jimmy Thomson, Bud Ward, Jim
my Demaret, Clayton Heather and
Johnny Goodman failed to qualify
for the final 36.
Demaret, pride of the winter cir
cult, and Heather, the long-hitter
from Linville, N. c.. each tore up
his card and withdrew in disgust.
Demaret played out the round in
81 blows and then refused to sign
his card, but Heather simply quit
in a huff when he got tangled Up
in a hedge on the 10th and couldn't
get out. They said they didn't like
the course to begin with.
The storm, though of only about
40 minutes duration, Undoubtedly
upset Snead. 1t struck him while
he was playing the fourth hole and
he began spraying his drives all
over the landscape.
When the storm ended, as sud-
denly as it had begun, Sam recov-
cred nobly on the back nine. He
picked UP three brides in rapid
order and again was even with
par. And then he struck that ter
rible 18th, missing the green with
his drive, flubbing his second and
doing practically everything except
falling flat on hi~ face.