Evening star., 1941-06-08
Avenges British
Open Defeat in
Shading Shute
Back Injury in Brace,
Vet Paid in Full for
Year Of Hard Luck
BY BILL BONI,


FORT WORTH, Tex, June T.
Craig Wood was paid off in full to-
day for long years of golfng hard
luck.
Under a broiling sun and before
galleries that totaled some 10000
steaming Texans, the 39-year-old
veteran from Mamaroneck, N. Y,
stole the United States Open golf
championship right out from under
the noses of those Texans who had
been sure this was going to be the
Lone Star States own golfng show.
Bracketed in first-place tie at 36
holes with Denny Shute, 1910 Cham
pion Lawson Little and Clayton
Heafner. Wood broke that deadlock
by matching par for the grueling
Colonial Club course with a 10 ON
his morning round.
Makes Thrilling Finish.
This afternoon. playing last among
those with a chance to take the
title, he appeared to be wavering
occasionally but each time got back
to par. He closed out his round
with a thrilling 30-foot putt on
the home green that brought a
ringing cheer from the banked ranks
OF spectators and gave him another
10 for 284.
With that 72-hole score, four over
what was very tough par all the
way, the big. easy-going blond beat
Denny Shute, who once nosed him
out In playoff for the British Open
title, by three strokes. and scored
his second major triumph in two
months after never having taken
one before. Two months ago at
Augusta, Ga, Craig captured the
Masters title.
Thus the man who until this wear
had been known as the great run
ner-up' captured the biggest prize
OF them al-worth $1,000 Of the
United States Golf Associations
prize money, but worth far more
than that in prestige.
Expressed His Confidence.
A month ago Wood told this writer
he was confident in his ability
to win the Open, that his age would
prove no handicap. and that his
game was better now than ever
before. Two weeks ago, in a freak
accident, he tore one of his back
muscles and couldn't hit a shot
for the next week or 10 DAYS. There
even was possibility he wouldn't
be able to start.
But Wood came down to Texas
several days ahead of time, bought
a polo belt TO support his back and
proceeded to fire successive rounds
OF 73-71-70-7o over a course on
which only two men were able to
break par-Shute with a SO the
first day, Ben Hogan with a 65
IN todays morning round.
The putt he dropped on the
eighteenth was typical of the man,
With Shute already in the clubhouse
with his 287, Wood could have af-
forded to play safe and merely trv
to get his first one close. Instead,
he hit the ball boldly for the cup.
one one of the most trying green's
on trying course. AS 1t plunked
into the hole, broad grin spread
over his face and made him seem
years younger
Putter Is Telling Weapon.
That putter, a valuable weapon at
Augusta, was the club that stead
led him several times on his final
round. On the third hole. the sixth
hole and the treacherous 447-yard
para fifteenth his wood shots
wavered of line. On each of them
he got down in one putt for his pars
from Is feet at the third, IS feet
at the sixth and feet at he seven
teenth.
And it was a 10-foot putt that
started him on that last l8 holes
with birdie 4 on the 569-yard first
hole. where brides are as scarce
as easy holes on this golf course.
On that last time around the
zoos yards of the Colonial course.
which proved so disastrous to the
home bred Texans. Wood went over
(See GOLF, Page B-9)