Imperial Valley press., 1941-01-06
Sports Parade
By HENRY McLEMORE

LOS ANGELES, Jan. s. (UP)-
Johnny Bulla now belongs to that
distinguished organization whose
membership is limited to those golf
players who blew a chance for fame
and fortune by an act of ineXcus-
able carelessneSs.
He now knows the password and
secret grip of the club that lists
among its members such men as
Bobby Jones, Craig Wood Roger
Wethered, Eddie Loos, and Ed Oliv-
er.
Bulla became a member in good
standing yesterday when he played
the wrong bail on the first falrWay
in the third round of the Los An
geleS $4,000 open golf champion
ship. With admirable nonchalance
but questionable judgement, he
stepped up the ball of Harold (Jug)
McSpaden, who was playing IN
threesome with him, and smote it
toward the green.
That shot cost him two strokes.
Penalty, the 54-hole lead, and prob
ably will knock him out of first
prize money of $500. With golf
competition as keen as it is TO-
day, fellows who throw away two
strokes just don't win.
The only consolation Johnny can
gain is from the fact that this is
not the first bonehead play to be
made by a member of his profess
sion. Roger Wethered, brother OF
the famed Joyce, lost the daddy OF
all golf tournaments, the British
open, by carelessness in 1921. In
looking for his ball in the rough
Roger stepped on it and was pen
allied a shot. That threw him into
a tie for the title with Jock Hutch
inson and Jock licked Roger in the
playoff.
In this same Los Angeles open
tournament in 1929 Eddie Loos
threw away the title and the dough
by playing the wrong ball. On the
list hole Loos, with the title in his
grasp, played magnificent shot
from the rough. The crowd gather
ed around the green cheered wildly
when the ball rolled to within two
inches of the cup. All smiles, Loos
walked up to the ball to sink the
tiny putt-and then staggered as ii
someone had Whacked him over the
head with a brassie. Because as
he started to putt he saw this stem
cilled on the ball. walter Hagen"
Loos had played the Haigs ball and
the two stroke penalty gave Ed
Dudley the title.
And there was Oliver at the ma
tional open last year at Cleveland.
He would have been in the playoff
for the title with Sarazen and Lit
tie had he not started his final
round before the time assigned him
by the tournament committee. He
was disqualified and all his bitter
tears in the locker room could not
move the officials to forgive him.
Even the great Bob Jones missed
an open tournament through care
lessness. In 1925 at worcester he
moved his ball while addressing it
in the rough. No one saw it move
but Bob, but the sportsman that
he is, he reported to the scorer
and an extra stroke was tackled on
his score. That one shot threw him
into a tie with Willie McFarlane
and Willie licked Robot Robert in
the playoff.
The chances are that Craig Wood
would have won the national open
at Merton in 1884 but for care
lessness. Playing superbly, Craig
was going great guns when he play
ed the wrong ball from the rough.
Not knowing that a change in the
rules made such a mistake punish
able by a two stroke penalty, he
found his own ball and played in
on discovering his error, and turn
ed in his score for the hole as four.
He was disqualified for turning in
an incorrect score and Olin Dutra
went on to win. Craig thought the
old rule-the one which said there
was no penalty for playing the
wrong ball if only one shot was
made before the error was dis
covered-was still in operation.
Maybe the old golf maxim OF
keep your eye on the BALI should
be changed to keep your eye on
YOUR own ball