Evening star., 1941-05-25
BY BILL BONI,
Associated Press Sports Writer.

tional open golf championship, 45th
IN the line originated by the United
States Golf Association, will be
played June ST at the Colonial
Club in Fort Worth, Tex, and your
correspondent considers this an au-
spiciouS occasion for limb climbing
Not that We are going all the
way out to the end, mind you, and
pick the next champion. But we
are going about halfway out, from
which vantage point it appears that
the 194l champion will be one OF
seven professionals answering to
these names:
Lawson Little, the present incum-
bent. Byron Nelson, winner two
years ago and present P. G. A.
champion; Ben Hogan, No. money
winner of 1910 and again leading
the cash parade in 194l; Sam Snead,
who has come close twice; Craig
Wood, Augusta masters winner IN
April: Jimmy Demaret, sensation
of the 1910 winter tour, and Ralph
Guldahl. who won the open at De-
troit in 1887 and Denver in 1888.
Nelson Pros FavOrite.
Five of these seven call but
Wood, who suffered a back in
Jury in his home Thursday, and Gull
dahD competed in the Goodall
round-robin this week A poll of
this illuStrious half-dozen showed
they feel much as we do, Their
consensus established Nelson the IA
vorite, followed by Hogan, Wood,
Snead, Guldahl, Henry Picard, De-
maret. Clayton Heafner and Little.
Starting at the top and working
down, here is how they shape up:
Nelson-Byron. like Hogan, De-
maret and Guldahl, is Texas prod
uct. He and Hogan used to caddle
together at Fort Worth. Many OF
the experts, because of this, think
they should do extremely well in
their Homecoming, the first time
the open has been played in Texas.
Not so Nelson.
Il think Ill be at a disadvantage,
and Ben is in the same boat he
explains. Because we're home
town boys, every one will want to
talk to us, and our chances Of gen.
uine concentration will be that much
simmer
Putting to be Big Factor.
Nelson believes it will take a
straight hitter and long iron player
to win over the comparatively fiat
Colonial Club course because many
of its fairways are lined with trou-
bIe-threatening trees. He is both
a straight hitter and the finest long
iron player in the business, but
makes no comments on those points.
The greens. he thinks, will be fast,
so that putting is going to be extra
important. Putting is not his strong
est point.
Hogan-Though he led the win
ter money winners, something went
wrong with Ben's game and he feels
he still hasn't found the answer.
However, he's one pro who doesn't
aim specifically at the Open cham
pionship,
I'D rather be the No. l money
winner than the Open champion
because I would feel I'd accom-
pli,hed more" says Ben. Not just
in dollars and cents, but because
Id have the satisfaction of know
ing I can do better than the rest
in many tournaments rather than
just in one"
Hogan Likes Picard.
Hogans best bet for the Open
Is Picard, who took new job in
Oklahoma City this spring so he
could devote more time to teaching
and less to tournaments. That's
just why Hogan picks him-because
Henry will be coming into the Open
under no particular strain.
Wood-At 80, the Masters winner
had been playing better than ever
and had predicted he would win
the Open, when he suffered dis
located vertebra in an odd manner
when he sneezed while STOPPING to
pick up razor blade.
Doctors said he couldn't swing a
club for a week or 10 days How
ever, Wood doesn't have to go into
the sectional qualifying round be-
cause he was one of the low scorers
last year and so he's still a posi-
bility.
Snead-TWice in the past four
years Sluggin' Sam, known as
jackson" to the golfng fraternity,
has come very, very close. In 1887
it took a new championship record
of 281 by Guldahl to beat him. In
1899 it took that fabulous 8 which
Snead scored on the final hole.
GuldahI Could Be Tough.
He still is the man with the great
est natural ability. But he seems
to lack the headWOrk to 60 with it.
OF Snead it's been said that he'd
win every tournament in sight if
he had Bobby Jones for a caddie."
Guldahl-Big Ralph had an un-
happy winter. He just couldn't get
started in anything like the stride
that carried him to the title two
years in succession. If he's back on
his feed come the first week in June,
Guldahl may be tough, for he is
another who likes the kind of course
that pays off on accuracy.
Picard-One of the pro games
more serious students and analysts,
Henry is a wonderful iron player.
While the open will be his first
competitive start since he quit the
winter tour at the halfway mark,
that may have given him just the
practice tune-up he needed to play
as well as he Gid in beating Nelson
for the P. c. A. title in 1939
Can't Overlook Demaret.
Demaret-His principal recon-
for the open are his
ability to play fine shots off hard
turf, which the boys are likely to
find at Fort Worth n June, and
the fact that he has been working
so hard at his new job at the Wee
Burn Club in Noroton, Conn, that
he shed IS pounds in the first four
weeks. Though he had a miserable
summer last year, don't overlook
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