Evening star., 1952-05-31
North Carolina Star
|6-and-5 Winner Over
millionaire 0hioan
By the Associoisd Press

PRESTWICK, Scotland, May 81.
Young Harvie Ward Of Tar
boro, N. c.. spiked Frank Strana-
hans bid for third British ANA
teur golf championship today
when he routed the millionaire
from Toledo, Ohio. 6 and S, in the
all-American final round.
The 26-year-old Southern brok-
erage salesman, former winner Of
the. United States intercollegiate
crown, shook of an early case of
putting jitters to- finish with
spectacular streak of brides and
lpars.
He was 4 under fours-the golf
er's yardstick of excellence-from
the l4th through the 9th holes.
Stranahan wild OF Tee.
Stranahan, winner of this his
toric event in 1948 and 1850 and
bidding to become the first Amer
ican ever to win it three times.
suffered q streak of wildness off
the tee. This proved his undo
ing.
He missed almost half the fair
ways. banged into a half -dozen
bunkers, once drove into a sand
dune and repeatedly caught the
rough on his drives.
Ward, ignored when the United
States was picking its Walker Cup
team last year. becomes the 1lth
American to win this trophy since
Jesse Sweetser brought it home
In 1925. This was the third
straight all-American final and
the fourth in the last six years.
The harasSed Stranahan, who
couldn't get the bugs out of his
driving swing, conceded the match
on the 31st green when he was
still 5 feet from the cup in 4.
Ward. meanwhile. was 10 feet
away in 2.
The final match was played un-
der sunny skies over the $751;
yard. par 35-37-72 Prestwick
course. a treeless, seaside layout
with narrow fairways and hand
kerchief green's.
Ward OF in Putting.
Ward started shakily, missing
four puts of under FIVE feet and
one of just 18 inches, but Strana-
han also was wild and failed to
take advantage of his many on.
|portunities.
The match was nip and tuck
through the first nine holes, with
Ward holding the lead three diff
ferent times and being / up at
the turn.
Stranahan leveled the match at
the 10th, where Ward bunkered
his drive. Frank won the 18th
with a par 3 and took the 18th
when Ward 3-putted the hilly
green for a 6.
But at this point the North
Carolinian settled down and pro-
ceeded to win the next four holes
in a row. Ward won the 18th
with birdie 3 and the 18th when
Stranahan missed a three-foot
putt.
Wins Three in a Row.
Starting the afternoon round,
Stranahan won the 10th hole,
cutting Wards lead to up, but
thereafter the result was never in
doubt. Ward took the next three
holes to go 4 up. and the 23d and
Oath were halved. Stranahan
missed a 1-foot putt to lose the
25th Ind then lost the 26th by
Ithree-putting. They halved the
|27th when Stranahan just missed
chipping in.
Six up after ~ holes, 1t became
a matter of how soon the holes
would run out for Stranahan.
While Stranahan was struggling
with his tee shots. Ward was down
the middle most of the day. Both
finalists found trouble, however.
with the freshly watered green's.
which are unusually small and
hilly.
Each Beat Five Scots.
Both Ward and Stranahan
killed lot of Scottish hopes here
on their way through the field.
Each eliminated five Scots.
On the way to the finals, Ward
played 1872 holes in eight matches.
In yesterdays quarter final he de-
feated big Jim McHale of Phila-
delphia, 6 and 5, and then put Joe
Carr Of Ireland on the sidelines
with a 2-and-1 victory in the
ISemiflnals.
After first-round bye, Stran-
ahan played 113 holes in seven
matches. He beat two Scots yes
terday-Charlie Carlow by 8 and Z
in the morning and Robin Cater,
Il up, in the afternoon.