Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-06-27
Helpful Rainfall
FaiIs 10 Arrive
|AsPGA Begins
Ookmont Greens PIo,
Easier When Wet;
Fovorite Locking
lLater Story on Page All
By MerreIl WhittIesey
stor stuff CORRESPONDENT

| OAKMONT, Pa, June 27.-The
National PGA championship, long
lest golf tournament Of them all,
|opened here today over the world
famed Oakmont course, scheduled
flor a seven-day run Of 216 holes
flor the winner and runnerup, with
lshorter distances for the others.
The rains for which the top
flight professionals had hoped
failed to arrive and the Oakmont
Country Club green's were light
ming fast. The pros had prayed that
rain would soften the putting sur
faces and allow them to shoot
flor the pins instead of merely
trying to make their approaches
Istay on the green. Scattered
Ithundershowers were predicted
this afternoon.
| Lew Worsham. former National
open champion and host pro. said
1.-THE course plays several strokes
Ieasier" when wet.
With Ben Hogan, National Open
champion, having gone into COM
lpetitive retirement until next
March with his Masters and Open
titles, this grueling grind does not
have a favorite.
The names heard most frequent
Ily as qualifying started were
Sam Snead, the 1912 and '49 cham
lpion; Lloyd Mangrum. the leading
money winner but never better
than PGA semifinalist, and Jim
IFerrier, the 1947 winner and Sec
ond leading money winner.
| Oakmont Tough Course.
Right back of the big three,
IWorsham, Roberto deVicenzo. the
handsome. powerful Argentine,
land Jackie Burke appear to have
1.-THE next best following.
With memories of the tricky
Oakland Hills course at Birming-
ham. Mich. and the National
Open championship only 10 days
old, most of the pros actually were
glad to see Oakmont. despite the
fact that it is known as one Of the
toughest courses of them all.
However. unlike Oakland Hills,
this course has not been rebuilt
for one tournament, nor made
unreasonable. In fact they say
it's easier. If anything, than it
was when Sam Parks won the
4 National Open here in 1885 with
299, which is a stroke under even
75s per round. Tommy Armour
won the 1927 Open with 301 on
this course.
Last-minute changes put seven
Pittsburgh district pros into the
Ifield as requirements for qualiflers
who failed to appear. Notable
labsentees were Johnny Revolta,
1885 PGA champion from Evans
ton, Ill, and Dick Metz of
Arkansas City, Kans., and young
Joe Kirkwood. jr.. the Hollywood
movie and golfing figure.
Qualifying Starts.
The entire field was scheduled
to play IS holes today and another
18-hole round tomorrow. The low
So qualifiers and Chandler Harper.
defending champion, go into
match play at that time. On
BLACK Friday" two 18-hole match
play rounds will reduce the field
from "a to 16, and from Saturday
through next Tuesday, 36-hole
matches are scheduled.
For all this work there is ap-
Iproximately $4,000 in prize mon
ley, although this is known as a
$4,000 championship. The re-
Imainder of the guarantee goes
towards paying partial expenses
lof the non-qualifiers, and Of the
lPGA officials who hold daily meet
lings on the scene.
Some of Oakmont's traps are
Ibig enough for the foundation OF
Ian ordinary house. It has tre-
mendous greens, but the carpets
ARE in good condition.
, In addition to the "a match play
!. berths, there's $3.50 and the Alex
( Smith trophy awaiting the low
qualif1er for So holes. The es-
S innate is that a score of 141
three under par. will be good
enough for the medal, and that
36-hole totals of 1856, or a pail
lIof TBS, will qualify for match play
Hogan, Demaret Missing.
The only big names missing are
:, Hogan, who hardly could endure
= the long PGA grind: Jimmy Dem
aret, who is attempting to gel
even for being fined for playing
. in the Mexican Open last winter
and Dutch Harrison, who sur
prised by showing up, and Their
: withdrew. Dutch long has beer
opposed to the match play condi-
tons of the PGA, and usually
doesn't even make an appearance
Washington golf fans have ar
interest in. Worsham, still con.
sidered District property; George
Fazio. the pro at Wood
mont last year, and Harper, de.
Tending titlist. In addition ths
Middle Atlantic qualifiers at Con.
gresSional Country Club las
2 month were the Virginia ane
Maryland Open champions, Jacl
Isaacs and Charley Bassler, ane
Norfolk's John O'Donnel and Har.
; old Oatman.
2 Worsham has the best practic.
round to date, a SO, and Basslel
surprisingly shot q SO. Last veal
Worsham lost to Johnny Palmer
in the second round and Basslel
lost in the first after qualifying
with the third low score.