The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-05-27
HARRY COOPER MEDALIST AS MATCHES START
Sam Snead and s a m Byrd Paired in First
 Round of Play
BY OSCAR FRALEY Limited Press Staff COrrespOndent)

United Press Staff COrrespOndent)
 Atlantic City, N. J, May 27. = (UP) Defending champion Vic Ghezzi, golf pro turned Army cor- poral, and Lighthouse Harry Cooper, who captured Inedalist honors, headed their sections of the draw as 32 professionals today started match play in the PGA tournament at Seavie Country Club.
 Cooper, one of the games grand veterans, led the way into the match play rounds when he carded Il yesterday for a 36-hole total of 139; as Lighthouse Harry rode to victory, he left behind five former PGA kings who had turned him back 'in the good old days.
 These former champions, unable to meet the swift pace necessary to qualify, included walter Hagen, five-time winner who came out of retirement to play for Army and Navy Relief; Leo Diegel, Paul Run van, Johnny Revolta and Gene Sarazen, the country squire. The knickered Sarazen had been right up front opening day with @ 69 but he buckled yesterday, shooting a 40-40-S0 to made out.
 Two Sans Meet
 The top-half of the draw finds Ghezzi facing Jimmy Demaret, one of the dangerous Texans: Bruce Coltart, the home pro, battles Tom Harmon; national open champion Craig Wood takes on Rod Munday; Leland Gibson meets Jimmy Gauntt and - in the most promising match of the day - Sammy Snead battles Sammy Byrd Willie Groggin meets Ed Burke, Ed Dudley goes against former champion Denny Shute and Tony Penna matches shots with Jimmy Hines in other matches.
 Cooper faces Mike Turnesa in the lower half while Lloyd Mangrum meets Dick Metz, former champion Byron Nelson engages Harry Nettle- bladt; Jimmy Thomson battles Joe Kirkwood; Corp Jim Tuhnesa meets Dutch Harrison; Jug McSpaden fights Sam Parks, Jr.; Ben Hogan matches shots with Ben Loving and Ky Laffoon tackles Vic Bass.
 Cooper, who became 8 profess sional at the age of IS, nosed out Jim Turnesa, 28-year-old draftee, aa1d Byrd. the former Yankee base ball star, by one stroke to cop the medal They shot 72's on the last 18 for 139.
 Hagen just couldn't find the mas- terly touch he used when he dom- mated the fairways. He clipped, off 77 but his 156 total carried him far out of the match play money.
 Very Steady
 Wood shot a 70 for a 140 total. But the affable blonde bonaber was the most consistent man on the course, touring all four of his mines in 35s. One stroke back of him came Hogan, Nelson and Dudley, all deadlocked at Al. Dudley bounced to 75 after giving the boys something to shoot at with a 66 on opening day.
 Deadlocked at 142 were Coltart, Lloyd Mangrum-who finished with a 68 = and Willie Goggin, Mc- Spaden, Gibson and Thomson were grouped at 143. Trailing them by stroke came six men, Laffoon, Penna, Harrison, Mike Turnesa, Demaret and Snead. Shute, Mum day and Loving tied at 145 and four who carded 146's were Burke, Nettlebladt, MarInan and Metz.
 After tabulation of scores there were five places left for the eight men who had 147 totals. All eight started out together on a miss and-out" play off. Former PGA champion Paul Runyan, western open champion Herman Barron and veteran Tom Mahan were the los CTS, Gauntt, Bass, Parks, Kirkwood and Hines pairing the first hole. Barron and Mahan went one over and Runyan, three-putting, took six.
 From a Connecticut angle,
 Eddie Burke of Meadowbrook,
 and the new golf pro at Avon
 Country club, Harry Nettlebladt,
 scored 146 for 36 holes to qualify
 them for match play, while
 Gene Sarazen, the Brookfield
 gentleman farmer, Frank Straz-
 ga of Greenwich, and Bob Hum
 sick of Fairfield, were too high
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