Evening star., 1950-10-03
Par Scorers SET Pace
lnD.C. Open on Rough
Indian Spring Layout

Inuldn opIlng Ldy0W
The District Open golf cham
pionship has been won with Z and
II under par the last two years at
Indian Spring, the first total by
Walter Romans and last years
record 129 for SO holes by Charley
BaSSler.
This year the Indian Spring
club members have been suffering
for weeks. playing out of knee
deep rough and running their dis
positions, just because some vain
committee members wanted to
tougher the course for the Dis
trict Open and make sure nobody
would shoot 129.
The 70 golfers who played the
first 18-hole round of the 36-hole
tournament yesterday found wiry
rough that made any shot off the
fairWay. virtual penalty stroke.
There was nothing to do but play
sacrifice shot if a shot strayed.
Course Not Scorers Paradise.
But all that preparation was for
nothing and the members could
have been enjoying themselves the
past weeks instead of losing golf
balls and tempers. Because Indian
Spring is playing much longer this
year than in the past two District
Opens and the greens are trickier.
The course, now par SO instead of
10, is not a scorers paradise, even
If there wasn't any rough.
The co-leaders going into the
second round today, Pros Johnny
O'Donnell and Harold Ootman Of
Norfolk. proved that the tall grass
wasn't any great handicap. Be-
tween them they were off the fair
way only once and still just man
aged to shoot par Sos: Oatman
was not off the fairway and
ODonnell played just one shot
from the rough.
The 10 shooters, George Fazio
OF Woodmont, Witty Cox, three
time winner of the District Open,
from Congressional. and Earl
Fling. 26-year-olds shop assistant
at Columbia, had their troubles on
the greens, not with the rough.
Cox never was off the fairway, but
missed a half-dozen putter-length
puts and Fling missed the fair
way only once.
Fazio Scores for Caddie.
Fazio, playing the course for the
first time, visited the rough four
times, but en- three occasions his
ball was sitting up and he
knocked the approach shot on
the green. Fazio had pressure
troubles or he might have been
better.
When George started his round,
lbs caddie said "Mistuh Frazio"
ah is bettin' on you today, 81 you
shoot 10 or better, so please don't
make any mistakes" So through
out the round when Fazio was
hugging par he kept asking
"How'm I doing?" The fellow who
tied for the National Open title
was doing all right by his caddie,
as long as he didn't stray over
10. On the last hole Fazio had
a 30-foot putt and asked his cad
die to help line it up. The boy
told him it broke IAN inch and a
third to the right" Fazio Tipped
the cup for his birdie.
O'Donnell tied for third in this
tournament last year with a 1873
score. one that probably will win
today if he can duplicate his 50.
Oatman tied for second the pre-
v1ouS year with 139 and that year
O'Donnell tied for fourth. ODon-
nell is a former Maryland and
Virginia Open champion, but the
pudgy Oatman still is looking for
his first title, although he is a
consistent sweepstakes winner.
Cox Has Putter Trouble.
Cox, playing one of his favorite
golf courses, could have been in
the mid60s with any putting luck.
Fling had par for a 50 coming to
the 18th. but took there.
Bassler, who also kept his long
tee shots out of the rough, made
his errors around the green and
was tied at II with Andy Gibson
OF the c. c. Of Maryland and
Johnny Musser, the All View pro.
Eddie Ault of the host club led
the amateurs with 72.
District Open sponsors are A. S.
Kay, Alan Mills. Ross Smith, Lloyd
Klenert, Marty Gordon and the
District Golf Association.