Evening star., 1941-06-21
Facing Test in Pittman
As Match Play Begins
Today in Baltimore
Burnett, Lucas, With 7ls,
Also Represent District
In Championship Flight
BY WALTER McCALLUM,
Star staff Correspondent.

BALTIMORE, Md, June 2l.-Per-
haps the tall youngster frcm the
Army Navy and Indian Spring clubs
really is going somewhere in big
time golf. Most of the pros around
Washington, when you ask them
who is the best amateur around the
National Capital, will say, Ralph
Bogart." And they'll add that the
300 FOUNDER who has filled out a
lot in the last year has good future
in golf if the. Army doesn't gobble
him up just as he is getting under
way in the game with a full head
of steam.
The amateurs around Washington
know the big 6-footer is tough.
You don't win two District amateur
championships in a row and the
Chevy Chase invitation tourney on
top of that with only putt and
a prayer. Yet Ralph has had his
moments of inconsistency.
Take the Middle Atlantic cham
pionship at Hot Springs last week.
for instance. Ralph qualified up
there in the mountains with none
o-gaudy 49, He was bumped off in
the first round by one of those
Jansen brothers from Charlottes-
vile, which wasn't promising start
for the lad the pros hail as one of
the coming young amateurs of the
United States.
But when you get around to con-
sidering the Maryland State anna
teur championship, which started
its match play rounds today over
the short Baltimore Suburban Club
course that is something else again.
Meets Pittman Today.
Twenty lone -year-old Ralph, who
hopes to spend the summer playing
in golf tournaments, met straight
hitting Gene Pittman of Congress
sional in the opening round today In
one of those delightfully."- haphazard
quirks of the unseeded draw. Ralph.
of course. is the target in the
tournament. He grabbed the medal
with a level par 10 yesterday, and
he has a reputation even in this
town, where the amateurs are be-
ginning to feel. after taking lot OF
lickings from the Washington lads.
that they are not going to take EN-
much longer. If Ralph gets by Gene
Pittman in the opening round he
should have clear sailing and
good chance to salt down the Mary
land crown alongside of his District
diadem. That little job of win
ming both championships in single
year. by the way, hasn't been done
in quite a while
Down in the bottom half of the
championship fight are two more
Washingtonians, four in all, in the
top flight. They are Volney G.. Bur-
nett. the 1887 champion from Indian
Spring, and Eddit Ault, surprise
entry from Indian Spring. Both
shot lis yesterday, and Burnett
drew Edgar M Lucas. tournament
chairman for the Maryland State
Golf Association, who had IA;
while Ault, a much improved links
man. drew Erford Barnes of Rolling
Road. also in the "A qualifying
bracket.
On the sidelines were the two
finalistS Of last year, Parker Nolan,
who won the title at Congressional,
and Spencer Overton, whom he
licked in 1910. Both shot II in the
medal round. 1t was two strokes
too high to get in. Two Washington
entries are in the second flight.
They are Ray SWearinger of Co.
lumbia, with II, who met Vernon
Shank of Sparrows Point; while
Sidney Kearns of Beaver Dam, with
a 79 behind him. clashed with
Stuart Buppert, unattached Balti-
morean. Buster Mrstik of Bannock-
burn, with a much-too-high 88. met
Jim Robinson of Forest Park in
the fourth flight.
Skinker Failed to Qualify.
Also contemplating future tourna-
ments without another crack at this
one is Earle Skinker, the Columbia
lad. Earle hit two balls over the
fence at the 18th hole yesterday.
The penalty on each shot was stroke
and distance. That accounted in
part for Earle's 80, and his later
withdrawal.
Nolan just played bad golf. In
inelegant language he described it
as "just lousy" 1t was expressive
enough.
Bogart's 10 came despite bad
finish on both mines. He took on
the easy par ninth hole and wound
up with on the 18th, where
an approach went over the green,
leaving him a delicate pitch back
to a sloping green. The pitch went
IS feet past and he missed the putt
for the par.
Semi-final and final rounds in all
five flights of the State tourney will