Evening star., 1947-07-04
BuI|a, Ghezzi Fade Out
Of British Open Golf;
Stranahan in Chase
By Glenn WiIIioms
Assoelotsd Press Sports Writer

HOYLAKE, England, July A.
Johnny Bulla, Arizona airplane
pilot from Phoenix, who twice has
been runnerup in the British Open
golf meet, fired rounds of 74-7l
today for an aggregate of 2s7 In
the 1947 tournament.
He was one of the first finishers
and 1t is hardly likely that his
final score will bring him into title
contention. Fourteen men started
&e afternoon round with scores
lower than Bulla's 226 total for
54 holes.
Bulla's final round card:
HH' fn ---44s ----44s s4t s4t ssssssEEss sssEEsss-r
Vic Ghezzi Of Kansas City, Kans.,
four strokes of the pace at the
start of the final round, skied to
a 79 and 72-hole total OF 304 that
eliminated him from all champion
ship consideration. Much Of his
last round was played in q light
rain.
) His card:
ehe1zi IN iSst--sS5 -sS5 az $55 sss5fs-st2 s5s-t2
stranahan hSs4 Gets in s4t RanniSr. RSSamS.-"
Toledo (Ohio) Amateur Frank
Stranahan negotiated the course in
IL for a 54-hole total of 200 to stand
only one stroke out of the lead at the
three-quarter mark.
Stranahan's third-round card:
3us IN - - ate ate SIS s444-3s y.
Stranahan was right behind three
British pros and an Australian tied
for the lead at 221.
OF the British pros, Henry Cotton
had 147-74221; Arthur Lees 49,
72-221, and Fred DAILY 143-7I22l,
Fiery Little Norman Van Nida,
Australian champion, who played
considerably later than those three,
Joined their group with 150-71-22l.
Stranahan Barely Missed Tie.
Stranahan, the only amateur left
in the tournament, missed a tie for
the lead on the last green when
his 40-foot putt rolled dead for the
cup, only to stop on the lip after he
had reached the green in 2.
For Stranahan to win the British
Open would be feat not repeated
since Bobby Jones won this course
in 1880 with total of 291-a score
that was not beyond Stranahan's
reach.
Three British pros stood well up
with three-round totals of 223. They
were:
L. B. Ayton, who shared the first
day lead with Cotton, 149-7+223.
Reg Whitecomb, 1898 Open cham
pion, 152-71-223.
Daily, the Journeys halfway lead
er, nursed lead of four strokes
over Cotton and King with q first
nine-hole tally of 36, two above par,
but blew up coming home for AZ
and 78 for the round.
Bulla Has Typical Luck"
Bulla played most of the third
round in a cold mist and with what
he called "just my typical luck. ~ :
He garnered one bird4e and six l-4
over-pars. 7
Bulla holed a 2o-yard chip from
well off the green on the 10th and
a spectator cried 20 Johnny, Y
Johnny!" but he had no luck on the !
18th, where his tee shot went into.
a bunker and his recovery rolled
IL feet past the cup. He missed a
5-foot putt on the 14th and So ,
footer ran within an inch Of the
hole and stopped short on the 18th.
Playing in Hoylake's thin mist.
Ghezzi lost stroke on the second
hole when his ball went through
the green and he had to come back
for two puts. At the short fourth
he raped his tee shot within 6
feet of the cup and then rammed
the ball home for a birdie.
He Clipped within S feet Of the
hole on the eighth, but missed the
short putt. He missed 2-footer
on the short 18th.
Ghezzi's chips were working to
perfection, and on the 18th, where
his drive trickled into bunker to
the right of the green he blasted
out to within 3 feet of the cup.
On the 10th, he confidently sank .
2O-foot putt to keep himself at
level fours.