Evening star., 1949-07-01
Star 's0penGo|f
1ourneyStartsat
.PrinceGeorges
Sneod Turns First Nine
In z Under Par "a
In $4,000 Event
By MerrelI WhittIesey

BY Merrell Whittlesey
Sam Snead played a great 75-
foot approach shot. from deep
rough and partially stymied by q
tree. to within a foot of the pin on
the ninth hole and turned the first
nine in two -under-par "a today in
the $4,000 Washington Star Open
at Prince Georges Country Club.
Snead was two under par COM
ing to the ninth and after pushing
his drive to the right of the fair
way he pulled his second to the
left. He had only inches in which
to miss the tree. After carefully
studying the shot he hit it firmly,
the ball rolled dead for the hole,
struck the pin and stopped inches
away.
Snead brdied the first hole by
dropping 4footer, Clipped close
for birdie on the par 5 fourth
and holed 10-footer to 60 three
under on the sixth. He three
putted the seventh, however, to
lose a stroke.
Penna Has Bad Beginning.
Toney Penna, Snead's playing
partner, was off to a discouraging
beginning when he four-putted
the first green for a double bogey
six. missing one through pure
carelessness. That apparently
inspired him. however, as he came
back with four brides in the next
five holes and turned in "a. Andy
Gibson. the other member of the
threesome, was even with So.
The best of the early nine-hols
scores were 33s. three under par,
by Charles Bassler, the Maryland
Open champion from Rolling
Road in Catonsville, and Dave
Douglas, the Delaware pro with
the match-stick build who holds
the Texas Open title. The first
four holes. all comparatively easy.
helped the players get off to good
starts.
The sky was overcast and a
slight breeze made for ideal play
ing conditions. The gallery was
large for early morning and most
Of the spectators were following
Snead's threesome. with National
Open Champion Cary Middlecoh.
Bob Hamilton and Roger Pea
cock also attracting a sizeabls
crowd. Middlecoff was two un.
der par for the first six holes.
Diffenbaugh Scores 73.
George Diffenbaugh, the Ken
wood Club pro, who won a rich
pro-amateur here last year, topped
the early 18-hole scores with a
70, one over par, while his play
ing partners, Host Pro Al Hough-
ton and Clagett Stevens, both
were one stroke higher with 74s.
Houghton. who seldom misses
the center of the fairway. hit two
balls out-of- bounds on the fourth
hole and scrambled to a 6 on the
par-5 hole. Stevens went over
par on the last two holes.
Several additional outgoing 34's
were reported, by Pete Fleming
in Hot Springs, Ark, Glen Deal
OF Morgantown, N. c., Ed Furgol
OF Royal Oak, Mich. Eric Monti
OF Santa Monica, Calf, Henry
Ramson Of st. Andrews, ILL.,, and
Ted Neist of Walla Walla, Wash.
AS usual, golf tournaments at
tract ball players and New York
Yankees Bill Dickey, Tommy
Byrne. Fred Sanford and Charley
Keller was present, while Ray
Scarborough, Sam Dente, AL Evans
and Sid Hudson were on hand
from the Mats.
With the big three of profess
sional golf today, Snead, the
Masters and PGA champion; Mid
dlecof. and Lloyd Mangrum, the
third leading money winner, all
on hand, there wasn't an out
standing favorite.
20 Topnotchers on Hand.
Skip Alexander. SO under par in
eight rounds of the National Cap
ital Open at Prince Georges the
last two years, also had ample
support along with Dutch Har-
rison, the new Canadian Open
titlist. and Johnny Palmer, the
fourth leading money winner from
Badin, N. c.
In all, 20 Of the top Is money
winners were on hand for the
four-day affair, with $4,000 await
ing the winner to be crowned
Monday afternoon. Gov. Lane of
Maryland will be on hand at that
time for the presentation cere-
monies.
Prince Georges measures 6.s72
yards but COLTS biggest hitters
were not bothered by any distance
problems over the par-72 layout.
It is wide open. which favors
Alexander and Chick Harbert,
rated as the longest hitter in the
golf world today. Both are in
clined to mix wildness with their
power.
Alexander hopes this will be q
homecoming for him. The big,
prematurely gray Carolinian from
Lexington has not won a tour
nament since this one last May
and he is missing from the top
Is money winners for the first
time since he started his profess
tSee GOLF, Page A-4D