Evening star., 1951-07-02
Charley BassIer Gets
First Experience With
Snead in PGA Today
fLater Story on Page A-D
BY MerreTI WhittIesey
Stnr Stnff Cogresnondenf


the Pro-Amateur at Washington
Golf and Country Club today. be-
cause you see the Catonsville
Clouter has moved into the Big
Time. Instead. Charley Is playing
Samuel Jackson Snead in a semi
final match in the National PGA
championship over the famed
Oakmont Country Club course.
Just a few weeks over six years
ago, BasSler and Spencer Overton
won the Maryland State four-ball
championship at Chevy Chase and
the next day Charley turned pro
as an assistant to the late Bob
Barnett at the same club.
For most of those six years, the
clubhouse lawyers around Mary
land and the District have been
saying Charley was headed for
stardom. Several times he threat
ened, but fell back.
His Big Chance Arrives.
Today Bassler has the oppor-
Itunity that confronts few young
golf pros, meeting Snead. and only
two matches away from one of the
games four major titles.
In the other 36-hole semifinal,
Ellsworth Vines, ex-tennis champ
ion who turned seriously to golf
liz years ago. plays blond. curly
haired Walter Burkemo who, like
Bassler. is making his first serious
bid.
Snead summed it up yesterday
when the four semif1nalists gath
cred for a picture. Sam greeted
the others with his winning smile
and said, IT see we have lot OF
new faces"
Bassler never has played a
round of golf with Snead, not
even in practice. He shook hands
with Sam yesterday in a shy,
bashful manner. while Sam was
just bubbling over.
BasSler again was the last player
off the course yesterday. He had
to wait until the veteran AL
Brosch missed an 8-foot putt for
a par on the 36th green before
Charley won, l up. in thrilling
match to watch. For the So
holes over one of the greatest
golf courses, Bassler was 3 over
par, but for 80 holes he was l
under.
Snead Extended Again.
Snead again had his hands full
and was forced to play 2-under-
par golf to beat Jackie Burke, 2
and l. Sam sank a 17-footer for
birdie on the 35th green to win
after being 5 up at one time.
Snead played 3-under-par golf,
yet only beat Ffed Haas with a
birdie on the 18th; was under
against Marty Furgol and won with
a birdie on the third extra hole;
was 4 under against Lloyd Man
grum and won only and 2, and
2 under yesterday. He is II un-
der par for the match-play
rounds and hasn't had a breath
ing spell.
Vines. l down to Johnny Bulla
only for a moment but never more
than 2 up. finally won, up, in
a comedy Of errors on the 36th
hole. The bespectacled, emotion
less Vines won the hole with a
bogey 5 to Bulla's duffer-like g.
But for the day Vines was one
under par.
,Burkemo. 3 up at one time
against 47-year-old Reggie Myles.
was caught on the 33rd, but won
the last hole with a regulation par
a as the dead-tired Myles drove
into trap and took a weary S.
Best Golf of Career.
Bassler, playing in his third
IPGA championShip-he failed to
qualify at Richmond and lost in
the first round at Columbus last
Iyear-has played the finest oom-
Ipetitive golf Of his career. Char
Iley, the reigning Maryland open
champion qualified with 146, two
over par.
In the first round, Charley was
even par in beating Ed Furgol,
l up, and the same day trounced
Jim Turnesa, 5 and 4, with three
under-par golf. just after Tur-
mesa eliminated Chandler Harper,
the defending titlist. Saturday
BaSsler was 6 over par for 81
holes in defeating George Bolesta,
l up, in the worst possible weather
for golf.
Yesterday he added the red
haired, bespectacled Brosch to
his victims. Brosch, 39-year-old,
many-time winner of the Long
Island Open and Metropolitan
Open, is a tough campaigner.
AL has been playing tournament
golf for a good many years, and
particularly has been a threat
in the National Open. He holds
the PGA record for 18 holes with
81 in the Texas Open last win
ter. Brosch depends more on
accuracy than distance, and on
the late holes yesterday he said
If he had to bend over one more
time. he wouldn't be able to get
up. BY that time, the strong, 1885,
pound BasSler was outhitting him
by at least 80 yards.
Bassler. like Vines, never was
more than 2 up. and was down
only for a moment. Brosch won
the first hole with a birdie, but
Bassler squared the match on
the third hole with a par 4 and
was never headed.
Bassler led, l up, at the 18-hole
mark with a morning IA to a 76
for Brosch. due to a two-stroke
difference on the ninth hole,
which BaSSler won with a birdie