Evening star., 1953-06-02
Memphis Pro Posts
Low Score for Open;
Four Turnesas Out
BY the Assoeiaisd Press

AODOCC, handsome 4O-year-Old
Southerner who gave up ambi-
tions to be an actor and turned
professional golfer. took the No.
l qualifying spot for the Nation
al Open championship from a
field Of more than 1900 Of the
Nations golf experts.
Abbott was all by himself out
in front Of the 268 golfers who
qualified yesterday in the first
step Of the new system of get
ting into the Open tournament.
Julius Boros Of Mid-Pines, N.
c., last years National Open
champion, and 81 other players
were exempt from the tests
which saw almost all of the
leading professionals get through.
A number Of the top amateurs
failed to qualify.
Notable among the failures
was the famous Turnesa golfing
family. Mike, Willie, Joe and
Joe, jr., all were eliminated in
the New York City area COM
petition. Joe, jr., is a George
town University student. Only
Jim Turnesa, who as the de-
Tending PGA champion auto
matically escaped the first
cutdown, is still in the running.
Abbott 5 Under Par.
Abbott, professional at the
Memphis Country Club for five
years, made the neighboring
6.167-yard Memphis Colonial
Country Club layout in S under
par, 69-66-135. Next among
the candidates, who qualified on
80 widely scattered courses
were Dave Douglas, veteran
tournament pro from Newark,
Del, who had a 69-67-136
despite a morning thunderstorm
at Philadelphia, and Ray Gaf-
ford, the pro at the Northwood
Country Club in Dallas, where
the 1852 Open was played. Gaf-
ford also shot a 69-67-l36.
Former PGA Champion Chan
dler Harper of Portsmouth. Va,
qualified at st. Louis with
72-69-141.
Dick Chapman of Pinehurst,
N. c. former British and United
States amateur champion, failed
by a stroke at Philadelphia.
Jim McHale. Walker Cup
team member from Phila-
delphia, missed by the same
margin at Mamaraneck, N. Y,
and Big Bill Campbell of Hunt
ington. w. Va, could get no
better than an alternate's spot
at Huntington.
Herman Barron of White
Plains. N. Y. was squeezed out
in the Mamarmoneck trials.
while at st. Louis, where the
field was studded with tourna-
ment professionals who had just
finished the Western Open.
Johnny Palmer Of Badin, N. C. =,
and Bo Wininger of Oklahoma
City failed to qualify.
More Preliminary Rounds.
Under the new qualifying setup
being used this year for the first
time, the players who passed yes
terday will enter a 36-hole pre-
liminary competition at Oak
mont, Pa, June 9-1O. They will
be Joined in these preliminary
rounds by all of the players who
were exempt from qualifying,
except Boros. After this So holes,
the low 149 players and ties will
enter the regular 72-hole Ma
tional Open tournament. Prize
money will total $40, 1000, with the
top professional collecting SIS, 900.
In addition to Boros and Jim
Turnesa, these were the name
players who received byes into
the preliminary rounds:
Harvie Ward, as 1852 British
Amateur champion: Bobby
Locke, as 1852 British Open
champion; former Open Cham
pions Ben Hogan, Sam Parks,
jr, Gene Sarazen. Lloyd Man
grum. Cary Middlecoff, Chick
Evans, Craig Wood, Lawson
Little. Lew Worsham, Johnny
Farrell and Billy Burke; and
these players who were among
the low 20 scores in last years
Opened Oliver. Johnny Bulla,
George Fazio. Dick Metz, Tommy
Bolt, Ted Kroll. Sam Snead, Earl
Stewart, jr., Clarence Doser,
Harry Todd, AL Brosch, Jimmy
Demaret. Horton Smith, Milton
Marusic, Doug Ford, Bill from
bley and Amateur James jack
son.