Evening star., 1942-09-12
BY WALTER McCALLUM.


teur golf champion is the biggest
surprise package handed to local
linksmen in many years of the COM
petitive game around the Capital.
Certainly 20-year-old, strapping
Bill Bailey, jr, the new champ. and
a budding candidate for an ensign's
commission in your Uncle Samuel's
Navy, has put across the biggest
single job of giant Staying in the
modern history of the game around
this town. But take it from fellow
who has seen 'em all over quite a
stretch of years, the boy has heart.
He also packs lot of golf shots, and
can trot 'em out when he needs EN-
No one in what turned out to be
one of the weaker District cham
pionship tournaments gave foot
2 inch blond and personable Bill a
tumble when he qualified Wednes-
day A few eyebrows went up when
he licked Medalist Bill Wenzel in the
first round, and no one was sur
prised when he knocked off slender
Billy Griffin in the second round of
that tourney at Congressional.
And when he whacked Page Hufty
in the semifinal every one thought
the kid had come to the end of the
| trail.
Parker will treat the kid gently
and firmly and with due considera-
ton, but he'll lick him." seemed to
be the thought of the few who came
out to see once-portly Parker No
Ian win his first District title.
Bailey Steals the Show.
But the kid with the heart turned
it into a one-man show. And the
show was all about Bill Bailey, jr.
the unknown son of a Senator'S
secretary, who came to play and
have some fun and wound up win
ming the District title in the biggest
bombshell that has been dropped
into local golf ranks in three
decades. He licked Nolan, and 2.
Big Bill is, as we said before,
| feet 2 inches rigged for his shower
He weighs ITO pounds (too light fol
football, he said), he is a senior al
the University of Pennsylvania. has
been member (junior) at Ken
wood for seven years, but only lately
has begun playing there. Uncle
Sam has put the finger on him, ano
when he graduates from Penn next
June he expects to come out with
an ensign's commission.
Now as to his golf. When the
powers -that-be at KenWood sent
in the list of names for the Mary
land State team matches a few days
ago they didn't include the new
District champ. Few people knew
anything about his game, and fewer
realized that here was boy moi
only with lot of golf shots but
considerable courage. Bill playee
around Rock Creek Park for a while
where he wasn't rated one of the
top notchers. He hasn't shown any
thing much at Kenwood, which il
the reason they don't know about
him. But he will be known from
now on.
Has Little Links Background.
In other words, the new chamr
has no golf background as have
most of the men who figure in win
! ming tournaments. He has played ir
very few and yesterdays win wa;
his first of any championship. He
plays all his shots with left to righ
twist, and he knocks that ball &
long way, usually straight as {
string. But his chipping is tht
killer. He has the knack of slippins
those chip shots very close, and HI
doesn't miss the putt.
OF course, there will be thost
who'll say Bailey was lucky. They'll
say he caught Parker Nolan off hi
game which will be true in a sense
For Parker wasn't his usual i'm
maculate self in that final ro,lne
which Bailey won at Congressional
yesterday by 4 and 2. Nolan, fol
example, completely muffed twt
bunker shots and on other occasions
sprayed the ball around the ex
pansive Congressional landscape a.
few people have seen him do.
YOungster Didn't Quit.
But when Parker turned on tn,
heat, and won holes in row Il
cut the youngsters lead down to
single hole with to play, the kit
didn't quit. He answered by win
ming the next two holes, and thel
fired the killing shot on the 18th
15-foot put that slid into the til
for a win. In that spot, with th
veteran Nolan bearing down hard
over a course where he knows ever,
blade of grass, a kid with less moxi
than young Bailey might hav,
curled up and quit. But Bailey KEEP
chunking 'em down the groove, ant
won when the going was tough an,
getting tougher.