Evening star., 1941-04-20
Getting in Shape Now
To Be at His Peak
In Tournament
Won't Leuye His Game
On Practice Tee and
Refuses to Worry
BY WALTER McCALLUM.

Californian who bludgeoned his way
TO the National Open golf champion
ship over the rain-swept fairWays
of Cleveland's Canterbury Golf Club
last year, isn't going to make the
mistakes several eminent golfers
have made in past years.
Lawson, for instance, isn't going
to leave his game on the practice
tee. Nor is he going to be physically
tired on the day the championship
opens, or worried about his putting.
Those are some of the mistakes
other champions have made as they
entered the defense of their titles.
An air of quiet confidence shows
In all the actions and words of the
puckish Little, as two months before
he starts to defend his title, he goes
about the job Of conditioning him
self for the hardest tournament in
the world to win. "I never make
predictions about what I may do"
he said on visit to Washington.
But I think I'll do all right. One
thing is sure. I'm not going to
worry about lot of things, and I'm
not going to work myself into shape
week before the tournament
opens"
Little Is Surprise Champion.
Lawson was a surprise winner of
the 1910 open. All the pre-tourna-
rnent talk was about Sam Snead.
Benny Hogan, Ralph Guldahl and
Byron Nelson. But when they came
down to the wire and the final hole
of that -spattered tourney, Law
son Little and chunky Gene Sara
zen were tied for the title with 287
strokes. Lawson beat Gene in the
playoff the following day. shooting
70 against the par of 72, and
against Genes 73.
Little, a power hitter from the
day back in 1922 when he first
began to play serious golf, was
an outsider. In 1886 he had
turned his back on a fruitful anna
teur career, during which he won
amateur crowns in successive years
1884 and 1880. and, lured by the
promise of a steady income, had
turned professional. They predicted
Lawson would have a rough road as
a pro; that he wouldn't be winner
in the paid ranks. PRO GOLF said
the men who are supposed to know,
&c CT, OF cto
than the best amateur golf. Law
son will learn that he is in the
toughest competitive racket of them
ALL
So Little learned-a lot He
learned that winning pro golf is a
tough racket; that the pros take
their game far more seriously than
the amateurs, to whom tournament
golf is a lark. Also he learned that
you can't ram that ball at the back
of the cup In medal play. There's
always the next one to make, if
you miss the first.
Slow Starting as Pro.
Championships came infrequently
to Lawson as a pro. He had been
the scourge of the amateurs for
two years, winning almost as he
pleased. But among the pros he was
just another guy named Joe. And
about the time he should have
swung into a winning stride along
came Ralph Guldahl, Sam Sneed
and Byron Nelson. Lawson won the
San Francisco match play champ
ionship, and the Canadian Open,
but these were small ones. The
man who had been the undisputed
world amateur king was just another
golfer as a pro. And before the
public and before Lawson always
was the reflection of Bobby Jones,
the one man who remained an
amateur and stood the pros on
their collective ears between 1923
and 1880, during which he gathered
in eight national medal play
championships in this country and
in Britain.
But Lawson has learned. He won
the big one last year. That places
him forever on the pinnacle re-
served for the best in golf. Salts
fed? Not Little. He wants to win
the open again, and again.
What should be the odds against
an open champion repeating? Well,
it has been done once since Bob
Jones retired. Guldahl did it in 1888,
after his victory in 1887. The odds
should be around 25 to l, but Law
son won't make 'em or take 'em.
"These odds usually are fictitious"
he says They don't reflect the true
situation.
80 or 40 Could Win 1t.
"There are 80 or 40 men with
the shotmaking equipment to win
the championship" says Lawson.
The title is won by the man who
happens to be hot during those
four rounds, and who can avoid
one bad round during the tourna-
ment."
The National Open king isn't
satisfied with his putting. He was
a ball of fire among the amateurs,
knocking 'em dead and leaving 'em
without kick as he rammed in the
puts that won four national titles.
He happens to be one of the longest
hitters in the world, but it was
his red-hot putter that won those
amateur crowns. Medal play is
entirely different" he said. You
can't ram that ball at the hole in
medal play. You always have to
think of the next one. But I wish
/ had that confidence as a pro
l had as an amateur around the
cup.
Little may not win the National
Open this year And again he may.
He has made up his mind on two
things. He isn't going into the de-
fense of his crown with fear that
he won't win, and he isn't. going
to wear himself out practicing. Il
want to hit my peak in the champ
ionship ITSELF" he says.