Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-06-05
Golf
CONTINUED From First Page.)

captain OF the George Washing
ton University golf team, was
setting an early pace for the Simon
pures as he was four under par
through the seventh hole.
The tee markers were on the front
and the pins in the center of the
green's. The weather was perfect
and from the sub-par scores at
the end of nine holes it appeared
the course record of 66 would be
short lived.
The first 18-hole score reported
was two-under par 10 by AL
Houghton, the home pro who was
out in So, even par. Houghton
birdied two of the last four holes for
an incoming "a.
/ Harold Oatman, Norfolk, (Va.)
pro, was out in 80, three under, and
other good early scores on the front
nine included 34s by George Schnei-
ter, the PGA tournament chairman
from Ogden, Utah, and Dutch Har-
rison, OF York, Pa, and 35s by Cliff
Spencer of East Potomac, Dick Metz
Of Chicago, ex-tennis great Els
worth Vines and william McFarlan,
local amateur.
Sam Snead, the man the crowds
say has all the strokes of golf when
he's right, rated as co-favorite with
South Africa's Bobby Locke as the
field of lis opened today's play.
Twenty under par for four prac-
tice rounds, he has regained his
putting touch-at least in prac-
tice-and if he maintained his swift
pace there seemed little doubt that
he would either win the tournament
or be among the top four or five.
Snead, who has been getting
miserable results with his putter
since he won the British Open last
year, stopped by the local office
OF his sponsors the other day and
looked over a hundred or so putters,
He watched Salesman Ed Semmler
stroke the ball with one and said,
Eddie, I'd give million dollars to
stroke the ball like that" Semmler
said, Everybody else has given you
a lesson, so I'll add my two cents
worth" He told Sammy to bend
his left elbow, keep it away from
his body and stroke the ball.
Sam played So holes yesterday
was 10 and ga, with the latter
round including a six under par
start on the first six holes. "I've
got 1t, he kept repeating to Semm-
Ter, and last night Sam had his old
winning smile.
Meanwhile, Locke is perfectly con-
tent with his own putting stroke,
one that has helped him win more
money in six weeks than any players
but Jimmy Demaret and Ben Hogan
have accumulated on the entire
winter tour.
Locke, who finally satisfied the
autograph seekers and played 10
practice holes, appeared without his
Knockers. He uses extremely light
clubs that carry his own name. He
played two or three balls on each
hole and was out of the fairway
only once. Many of the old school
goEerS were delighted to watch him
play pitch and run shots, instead of
the hit-and-bite shots of Snead, etc.
10 Top Winners on Hand.
With Washington off the time
tournament trail for many years.
the local golf fans are not too ia
miliar with any players except the
top names. Thus, fine golfer such
as North Cardinals Johnny Palmer,
the fifth leading money winner, is
scarcely known here, yet among the
touring pros he is rated along with
Worsham and right back of Locke,
Mangrum and Snead in this tourna-
ment.
Ten of the 20 leading money win
ners were on hand, with only Ed
Oliver, the Texas Open winner and
National PGA finalist, and Detroit's
Ed Furgol, No. 8 on the cash list.
without practice round. Oliver
has played the course before, how
ever, as he once lived here for sew
eral months.