Evening star., 1948-05-24
Harmon-Snead Battle
Still Is Talk Of PGA,
Entering Semifiinals
Nv the A,,oeju,sd Press

ST. LOUIS, May 24.-Jimn,y
Den1aret faced Ben Hogan and
Claude Harmon took on Mike
Turnesa In the semif1nals Of the
|PGA golf tournament today, but
the talk Of the town was Harmor's
1-up victory over Sam Snead
in yesterdays marathon 42-hole
thriller.
With the sun setting in his eyes,
the Mamaronick, N. Y. pro, threw
his white cap down on the I'D
green and then slammed his putter
down on top of it. He had just
sunk q 25-foot putt-a job that
Snead just barely failed to match
q moment later. Snead's putt OF
about the same length hit the back
of the cup and bounced away.
Thus ended the second longest
extra-holes match In PGA tourn-
ment history. There was a 43-
holer at st. Paul in 1882 when the
late Johnny Golden beat Walter
Hagen.
Harmon's cap-throwing was a
good -humored gesture of relief. He
knew his ship had come in. He had
stood off the Slammer's whitening
comeback from being six holes down
at the 21st green of their scheduled
36-hole contest.
Snead Also Good -Humored.
Snead was good-humored, too, in
spite of the pressure, a galloplng
gallery of some 5000, crying baby
and several Bob White birds that
took a late interest in the proceed
ings and gave their whistling call
at some crucial putting moments
when no one around a green would
even dare pull on a cigarette.
Instead of glaring and setting
their Jaws, as some of the stars do,
Snead and Harmon took it lightly
At the 39th, when Snead putted his
ball into the way of Harmons for
a stymie, Claude aimed his putter
at Snead like shotgun, and Sammy
threw up his hands.
When the baby started its crying
at the edge of the green, its father
struck out for the tall timber with
it, but the howl was just louder and
rang back over the scene of the deli
cate battle on the grass.
Snead even talked to his ball,
When it stopped 18 inches short of
the cup after travelling about %
feet he urged Get in"-and applied
body english, but it was dead.
Snead Muffs Victory Chance.
Harmon tried to give the White
Sulphur Springs, w. Va, pro the
match on the 41st, but Sammy
wouldn't take it. With great ap-
proach shots, each was about feet
from the cup. They measured and
Claude was inches away, so he had
to shoot first. He missed. Then
Snead stepped up, took a quick tap
and missed.
1t was on the 36th that Snead
came very near dropping out with
out extra holes. Harmon, on the
edge of the green about IS feet
away from the cup, put it right up
near the lip. Snead, about so feet
out, left himself a 5-footer, short.
He had to make it or lose. He shook
his head slowly, and then aimed.
1t go to the lip, hesitated, and
dropped in.
And on they went to the AID.
Turnesa, one Of seven golfng
brothers, continued as surprise
of the tournament in beating big
Johnny Bulla of Phoenix, Ariz., 6
and S. The performer from White
Plains, N. Y, shot 4 under par for
81 holes.
Demaret of ojai, Calf, and Hogan
of Hershey, Pa, both native Texans,
game through the quarterfinals
with brilliant performances.
Demaret Has 81 Rounds.
Demaret showed the greatest
game of the meet in beating George
Fazio of Conshohocke Pa, and 4,
going the 30 holes in IA strokes
under par with only two puts con-
ceded.
His brilliant 81 on the first 1s
matched the score shot Saturday by
Chick Harbert Of Detroit when Har-
bert defeated Skip Alexander, II
and 10.
Hogan, the 1946 PGA champion,
built up a five-hole lead over Har-
bert in the first 18 yesterday and
STAYED of late enemy rally in the
afternoon to win and !.
Final Of the tournament is sched-