Evening star., 1947-06-13
New Mid-Ahaniic Pro
2 Off Top; Worsham
Shines With 10
By MerrelI WhittIesey
c-ff fr.I.x

here today, but there was no doubt
that of the 13 first-day par breakers,
the 27-year-old Greiner was the
sensation.
Two under par with SO, Greiner
was two strokes back of Harry Todd,
Henry Ransom and Chick Harbert,
leaders with Cts, who are not house
hold names in golf, but solid citizens
of the pro circuit and players'of the
type who can win this tournament.
Greiner was a late addition to
Bobby Locke's threesome, due to
Withdrawals, and when a gallery OF
several thousand followed Locke,
Craig Wood and Greiner off the first
tee a gallerite asked who's this
poor guy Greiner? He'll shoot SO
with all these people watching him.
Otto was placed in fast company
because he led the Nation in qualify
ing with 71-64 in Baltimore and
the jut- -jawed young accountant re-
sponded nicely to his first real
pressure test as a professional. He
even followed Locke's hat-tipping
style and politely doffed his sun.
shade to consistent applause.
Locke Justifies Choice.
Locke, the South African who
justified his favorite's role with q
first round 68, holed a 15-putt for ar
eagle on the ninth hole to go out
in 80, but to the complete amaze
ment of the st. Louisans, he trailed
Greiner by a stroke at that time
Otto was out in 80.
Greiner three-putted the 18th and
18th, the latter when he hurriedly
jabbed a short putt to get out OF
Locke's way, but he barely missed a
chip shot for an eagle on the 18th
and after that birdie he played par
golf for his So. Meanwhile Wood,
the 1941 Open champion, was IL
over par for IA holes before he
picked up on the 18th.
Locke, who played steady, un-
spectacular round except for his
eagle and still finished 3 under par,
congratulated Greiner on fine
round of golf and said you easily
could have been 65." Byron Mel
son, who followed the match in his
new role as a reporter and broad
caster, said "I've never seen that
boy Greiner before, but I certainly
am impressed"
Greiner, who was paired with
Locke again today, finished eighth
in the Capital Open last week and
won $3.50. He is the present Mary
land State Amateur champion, but
will not defend his title at Columbia
Country Club next week because he
decided to try and make his golf
pay for itself instead of paying to
play.
New Tourney Mark Looms.
The closest to sure things in this
47th National Open championship is
that Ralph Guldahl's record of 281
will be broken and that new cham
pion will be crowned. Defending
Titlist Lloyd Mangrum completely
lost his touch in inexplicable fashion
on the front nine and was out in Al,
6 over par. His back nine of SO was
regulation, but too late.
Washington's Lew Worsham, who
shook off horrid Z on the 545-yard
par-5 fifth hole and still finished
with a 1-under-par 10, was sitting
comfortably in contending position.
Lew trailed only the three Ct
shooters, Locke and four tied with
69s-Greiner, Dick Metz, Leland
Gibson and Bud Ward, the amateur
threat.
Worsham, who commands atten-
ton as one of the top players in the
game wherever he goes, knocked in
three 12-foot puts for brides and
Clipped dead to the cup for another.
His only bogeys were from three
puts on the huge second green and
his 7 on the fifth, which ordinarily
is birdie hole. Lew tried to play
an unsmart shot on the fifth, a
wood out of the rough, and hooked
it into underbrush.
In attempting to play out of the
underbrush, Worsham's club was
detected by bush and he hit out
of bounds. His next was short and
he took 7. But to Lewis credit, he
kept his head and was under par
from that point.
Furgol Misses Many Brides.
With Worsham at 10 was Ed Fur
gol, the ex-amateur with the slight
ly withered left arm, who shot a
spectacular 63 last week at Prince
Georges. Furgol, with no exaggera-
ton, could have been 63 yesterday,
but three-putted three greens and
missed countless birdie puts from
10 feet and under. Ben Hogan and
the nonbrother Smiths, Horton and
AL, also had 70s.
The golfers who qualified from
the Middle Atlantic section made
excellent showings. Former and
present Virginia Open Champions
Chandler Harper and George Pay
ton had Ills, Walter Romans Of Bal
timore a 73 after double bogey-6
on the first and John O'Donnell of
Norfolk a IA, despite an on the
ninth, where he had tree trouble.
Charles Bassler, assistant pro at
Chevy Chase, was in trouble all the
way and had IS, four strokes above
his predecessor, Buck Worsham,
now of Mamaroneck, N. Y, who
had an 81.
For the record, the 67s tied Sam
Snead's previous best round, In the
National Open in Cleveland in 1910.
1t appears that the best 36-hole
totals, 13e by Chick Evans In 1916
and Snead in '3s, will be slaughtered
today.