Evening star., 1941-06-01
Win for Dark Horse
In Order, Declares
Chevy Chase Pro
WoIper, Spencer, ,Worshom
Deemed Well Equipped
For Title Meet Grind
BY WALTER McCALLUM.


are dark horses in the National
Open golf championship opening
Thursday at Fort Worth, Tex.
No matter what the folks at home
and abroad may feel about the
chances of three Of the four WASH
ington entrants in the Open, Bob
Barnett of Chevy Chase, Cne of the
keener observers of links affairs,
thinks the men mentioned can and
probably will cause a big splash in
a tournament in which nowadays
you hear under discussion only the
names of the big shots such as
Hogan, Nelson, Little, McSpaden,
Snead and Guldahl.
Fred Mcleod, pro at Columbia,
If he goes to Texas, will be going
only for the ride. Freddie, good as
he once was, has no chance against
the top linksmen of the land nova
days. You don't win national
championships at SO, which is Fred
dies age.
Dark Horses Have Chances.
Barnett, however, is keen on the
chance of one or more OF the other
three WaShingtonianS in the Open.
And not only to do all right, but
even to win. 1T isn't out of order
for a dark horse to win the Open"
said Bob. Take Sam Parks in 1885
or Tony Manero in 1885, he added.
They strictly were 100-to-1 and
more before the tournament opened.
And the lightning can strike one
of the three boys from Washington
if he gets a hot putting streak"
Bob may have something there,
for none of the three Capital en-
trantS is precisely a green pea in
the National. Even Lew Worsham,
who laid the foundation OF his golf
in the caddie pen at KenWood, Will
not be a newcomer to the big show.
1t will be his third appearance.
Spencer and Walper will be playing
in the National for the fourth time,
and are old hands at the champion
ship game, men who won't be aWed
by the glamour that goes with the
big title affair.
But consistency is the key to a
good National championship show
ing. You don't take 78s and win
the big title nowadays. You have
to stick around 10 or II all the
time. A 78 or worse usually means
30th or 40th place.
Worsham Keen Competitor.
Spencer had a hot putter at
Columbia, course he always has
plaved we'll. The same putting
streak at Fort Worth would give
him a winning chance. But Spencer
never has had that chance before
The psychological angles enter into
the situation of a competitor who
never has won big tourney facing
a stretch drive with dangerous rivals
on his heels.
On the temperament side Walper
has the ideal psychological setup.
He has a great tournament tempera-
ment, and the priceless knack of dis
missing the last bad shot and con-
centrating on the immediate buSi-
ness at hand.
WorSham is yOungSter with a
fine golf game and a good competi-
tive heart. He shot a 10 following
a round in the 80s in the first Ma
tional he entered-at Denver in
1888. But Lou never has been up
there with the fierce light of pub
licity beating on his lantern jaw in
a major tournament. He has the
shot-making equipment to win, but
he hasn't proved he can take it
under fire.
National Open Great Lottery.
II any Of the boys from Washing
ton finishes in the first 10 that man
Will do all right. But the National
Open is a great lottery.
Dark horses have won before and
VIII Win again. A blazing putter
and consistent determination may
shove one OF the trio up there in the
hot glare of the championship spot
light. And it wouldn't be too bizarre
Cor one of them to win. They have
a chance and all are good golfers.
You'll hear a lot about Hogan and
Nelson, Little and Guldahl, Demaret
and Snead. And you won't hear
much about Spencer, Walper and
Worsham from the Nations Cap
ttal. They'll be submerged in
field that obviously will include the
best golf ball pushers in the world.
But they can do all right in the big
show this year. So Barnett thinks.
And Barnett has habit of thinking
straight on golf matters.
We'd like to see an old and tried
campaigner such as Witty Cox in
there showing that ball up against
the hole. But Witty didn't take
Whirl at the open this year.
Stars Face p. G. A. Test.
No sooner will the boys be back
from the National Open than they'll
face another championship tourney,
This time it will be the sectional
qualifying round for the P. G. A.
title, the test to be played at Rich
mond's Lakeside Country Club June
16. Three men will qualify from a
potential starting field of about As
P. G. A. members eligible in this
sector. Sam Snead of Hot Springs,
Va, probably will be an entrant.
Greenkeepers of the Mid-Atlantic
area will play June 8 over the Mount
Pleasant course in their monthly
tourney.
One of the largest entry lists in
years will start in the women's Dis
trict championship at Manor to-
morrow Question mark of the
tourney is Mrs. T. F. Neblett, LouiSi-
ana State champion. The woman
to lick, as always, will be Mrs. Betty
P. Meckley, Washington'S most con-
sistent feminine player over a
stretch of years. Betty has won
the title several times and will be
the one favorite again Match play
rounds open Tuesday, with the final
round scheduled Friday.
Bannockburn Deadline Near.
Entries for the Bannockburn Golf
and Country Club invitation affair,
one of the major events around the
Capital this year, will close tomor-
row with the club Golf Committee,