Evening star., 1951-09-14
Gag|iardi Leads
Young Jacobs
In U. 5. Amateur
New Yorker Is z Up
After 18;; Benson
Trails Maxwell
BY the Assoclo,ed Press
By the Associotsd Press

BY the AsSoeidted rTeSS
BETHLEHEM, Pa, Sept. a.
Joe Gagliardi of Mamoroneck
N. Y, was up on Tommy Jacobs
|16-year -old National Junior Coli
champion from Montebello. CALI. :.
after Is holes in their 36-hole
|semif1nal match for the National
Amateur Golf championship.
Billy Maxwell. the red-hot col
lege golfer from Odessa, Tex.
fired his way into an early lead
over j. C. Benson, the bulky
Pittsburgh real estate dealer.
After IL holes. the 22-year-
old Texan was 6, up.
Gagliardi. playing the difficult
6 6,979-yard. par 36-35-7l Saucon
Valley course as if, he owned it.
lost only one hole to Jacobs on
the front nine. He carded a
medal score of 35 although the
green's, softened by watering over
night, made putting difficult at
times. Gagliardi had upset Sam
my Urzetta. defending champion,
and 1949 winner Charlie Coe en-
route to the Semi-flnalS.
Benson couldn't get his swing
in the groove this morning and
needed Al strokes for the front
nine. Maxwell won five holes in
a row from the third through the
seventh, although he was stroke
over par on that stretch.
Gagliardi went 4 up at the 18th
but Jacobs got that one back on
the next hole as both encountered
trouble. Joe had a regulation 8
on the 187-yard 18th while Jacobs
was in the rough and then 3-putt-
ed for a S. Tommy made hi:
par. on IL, where Gagliardi was
in the rough twice.
Gagliardi Boosts Margin.
After freckled-faced Tommy
made it two winning holes in a
ROW on 13. he slipped over par
again and Gagliardi won the next
two to go up through Is.
Gagliardi was trapped and ther
over the green on the 352-yaro
18th. On IA, Gagliardi got his
and Jacobs missed a 5-footer for
a half. Joe took the 612-yard
18th, longest hole on the course
when he Clipped nicely from the
fringe and dropped a 5-foot putt
while Tommy hit his second into
"a trap. and missed a 10-foot putt
after reaching the green in 4.
Jacobs took the 448-yard 10th
by sinking a 10-foot putt for a
par 4 after both were short of
the green with their second shots.
Gagliardi missed an 8-footer.
Gagliardi's drive on 18 hit a
big tree. Jacobs pitched to with
in seven feet of the cup and
canned his putt for a birdie
while Gagliardi had a S.
With Benson's game showing
signs of a complete collapse, Max
well won 10 and II to go up.
Both were over par as they halved
the 18th. Maxwell got his par 4-3
on the first 2 holes of the back
nine.
A cooling breeze blew across the
course as the morning rounds be-
gan, tempering the humid heat for
the big gallery. but heavy clouds
carried threat of showers later
in the day.
Young Jacobs. who still has
peach fuzz for a beard, played
some of the four-day -old tour
ney's most sensational golf yes
terday in eliminating Edward P.
Martin, Winchester. Mass, pro-
bate officer, 4 and 2.
Youngest in Al Years.
The National Junior champion
made several great recoveries as
he became the youngest player in
At years to reach this tourna-
ment's semif1nal round. The great
Bobby Jones was II before he
made the finals in 1919. Jones
was % at the time he won his
first amateur crown.
Officials of the United States
Golf Association dug back to 1904
to find another 16-year-old semi
flnalist He was Fred Herreshoff,
who lost to Chandler Egan in the
finals However, young Jacobs,
whose father manages a public
links course one block from their
home in Moutebello. wasn't the
least hi perturbed by all the ex-
citement over his accomplishment.
His only comment was. "I'll do my
best against Mr.. Gagliardi."