Evening star., 1952-06-12
Heal
May Be Factor
In Dallas Play
Suruzen Wants to Bet
280 Won't Be Broken
At Northwood Course
BY MerFelI WhittIesey
Stor StoH Correspondent

| O1AA0AO, CO1lC 4A.-oCU 11OSd1l
who plays his greatest golf wher
there's the greatest incentive. hat
something to spur him on today
as the National Open champion.
ship, the greatest show in gol.
and one of the tops in all sports
got under way over the 5-year.
old Northwood Club course.
In 1947, they were saying Hogar
couldn't win the Open, but he die
with a record score of 276 thai
may stand for years. In 1949
the year after his near-fatal auto.
mobile accident, they said hi
couldn't come back, but he die
in one of the most dramatic fin.
ishes in history.
Last year it was the trumped-
up Oakland Hills course near De.
troit that defied Hogan anC
everybody else, but Ben ripped il
apart with a last-round 81, low.
est of the championship by two
strokes, to win by two.
Two Others Won Four.
Now the question is whether
Hogan can become the third player
in history to win four Open cham.
pionships. Willie Anderson, ir
1901 -03-04-05. and Bobby Jones
in 1923-26-29-3O, were the others
Hogan also could become the first
to win it four times in four sue
cessive tries, as he was absent in
1948.
It was cloudy, hot and humid
as the field of 162 started play
over a course that has none OF
the history that such famed lay
outs as Oakmont. Winged Foot
Medinah, Merton and Baltusrol
have. Northwood was farm land
a few years ago, and it's the
youngest club ever to play host to
the Open.
The entire field was to play 18
holes today and tomorrow, with
the same pairings. Only the low
$50 players and ties will be eligible
for the final SO on Saturday. If
this oppressive heat continues, it
may be the man with the strongest
constitution. and not the best golf
game, who prevails.
Sam Snead, who had to make
a last-minute decision as to
whether he will carry his bronzed
blade putter or a borrowed semi
mallet heat putter, was a virtual
ico-favorite with Hogan, on the
law of averages If nothing else
Snead. who has found almost
every conceivable way to lose the
Open championship, appears due
to win it and become the holder
of the PGA, Masters and Open
titles at the same time.
Sentiment for Mangrum.
There's a strong sentiment for
the emotionless Lloyd Mangrum
who won the Western Open two
weeks ago and was third in the
$15,0 900 Ardmore Open last week.
Mangrum has said he doesn't
know how to play better golf
than he's playing at present, and
a break or two could make him
a two-time champion.
The foreign threat consists
solely of Bobby Locke. the South
African who is Gene Sarazen's s
personal choice to win. The fact
that Sarazen and Locke are play
ing partners in the first two
rounds may have something to
do with Genes selection. Sara
zen, incidentally, is the only play
er entered besides Hogan who has
won the Open more than once.
Gene won in 1922 and again 10
years later.
The amateur threat is great in
number-36-but> there doesn I
seem to be one capable Of becom-
ing the first since Johnny Good
man in 1888 to win the title. Billy
Maxwell, the National Amateur
champion, couldn't win the Brit
ish OF French Amateur titles, and
this competition Is slightly
stronger q
Jack Burke. jr., the leading
money winner but practically un-
heard from since he left the easy
courses Of the winter tour, has
some support among top money
winners but non-major tourna-
ment winners such as Doug Ford,
Tommy Bolt and Dave Douglas.
Par is 70 for the 6,782-yard
course which makes the 72-hole
par 280. Sarazen was willing to
wager $1,000 that 280 would not
be broken, but some think it will.
The course does not play nearly
as long as the yardage indicates.
There's no chance of hiding" the
pins. and several of the par As re-
quire iron shots off the tees.
Lew Worsham, who brought the
Open title to Washington in 1947
after beating Snead in playoff
Is a threat. Charley Bassler, the
Rolling Road Club pro, who paced
the Middle Atlantic qualifiers, was
in bed for SO hours here with a
temperature and is far from ton
form. The husky Bassler has been
bothered by various ailments for
more than a year.
The other Middle Atlantic quail
ihers were Chandler Harper, the
1850 PGA champion, and Johnny
Bass Of the Clifton Park Club In
Baltimore. Harper has a hunch
he might do some good on this
type of course. Bass has beer
|playing alternately well and badly
in practice.
ICoge Star Quits Richmond
|