Evening star., 1941-05-16
Lafferfy Proves Big
Surprise; Coleman
Vindicates Pro
Wealthy Florida Star
Cooked Into Tourney
Here by Barnett
BY WALTER McCALLUM.

So new name will go on the mas
sive chunk of silver that sits, sur
rounded by other big mugs of sill
yer, In the taproom OF the Chevy
Chase Club. That historic old Taft
trophy, presented to the club in
1911 by the first presidential golfer,
will have new name engraved on
1t following today's final round in
the 31st renewal of the tournament.
For of the four men left, none has
won the affair.
Big Ralph Bogart, the reigning
District champion, has been close.
Portly Parker Nolan, the Maryland
State champ, has been fairly close.
But neither of the other semiflnal-
tsts-George Coleman of Oklahoma,
and Ken Lafferty of Manor-has
been up there before with chance
to have his name engraved among
those of the links greats who have
won the old Taft trophy.
Bogart was runner-up last year,
Volney Burnett, to whom hot stuff
is old stuff. Volney makes his liv-
ing putting out other peoples fires
1t must have been with a peculiar
sense of the fitness of things that
Ralph Snuffed out the blaze that
is Burnett in the second round yes
terday yesterday, licking the fire.
man, 2 and l. Nor did Parker
Nolan shed any tears when he
curled in 30-footer on the second
extra hole to lick Claude Rippy, the
1888 and 1889 winner. Rippy has
put the cruSher on Nolan in other
golf tournaments, but Parker got
bountiful revenge this time.
Lafferty Has Been Surprise.
Ken Lafferty, of course, has been
the main surprise in a tournament
that always comes up with one big
surprise. Ken has been a $3.50
golfer around town for years, and
never before has figured as
tournament threat. But win or lose
today he has established himself as
a potential threat. He claShed In
one semifinal with Bogart, while
Nolan met imperturbable George 0.
Coleman in the other.
Coleman is the champion of the
Indian Greek Club of Miami Beach,
where Bob Barnett holds the WIN
ter berth. Bob coaXed him to come
to Chevy Chase to play in the in
vitation affair, and again Barnett
has come up with good golfer.
This Coleman gent knows what it
takes to get a round ball into a
round hole. and can win the tourna-
ment. Two years ago he was
struggling to get into the second
flight" said Bob, Il never have
known a man to work SO hard on his
golf game" Coleman happens to
be a man with a well-f1lled purse.
All you need to play winning golf
is that, plus two arms, two legs, the
necessary eyes and the incentive.
Only Individual Presidents Trophy.
So along around o'clock this
afternoon some gent who figured as
a dark horse before the tournament
opened was to step up and receive
from the hands of Golf Chairman
Bob Stead the replica of the Taft
Trophy. 1t happens to be one of the
most coveted trophies in links COM
petition anywhere. For where else
could you play for a trophy pre-
sented by the President of the
United States?
The only one that comes to mind
at the moment is the Harding Cup
for public links teams. And that
is a comparative babe in arms,
compared with the hoary antiquity
of the Taft trophy, sitting up there
in the tap room, heavily chained.
That Nolan-Rippy match, as a
contest, was one of the best ever
put on in a tournament which al
ways sees close matches. Nolan
was up with to go when his put
ter went haywire. Suddenly, on
the 18th tee, he was 1 down. Then |
Rippy saved the 18th with a great |
bunker shot and an equally great |
putt. He lost his edge by hooking
into bunker at the 18th. They |
halved the 10Th and then Nolan,
Calm as ever, trundled in the 30 |
2ooter that meant the match.