Evening star., 1953-06-08
1OS-Ho|e Open Grind
Starting Tomorrow
Big Test for Hogan
By the Associased Press

$50 National Open golf cham
pionship tomorrow. and the big
question is whether Ben Hogan's
legs can stand up under the
pounding Of 108 holes over two
Of the toughest courses in the
world.
Since his near-fatal automo-
bile accident in 1949. the little
Texan hasn't subjected his legs
to the punishment they'll have to
undergo in the next five days.
The first two rounds tomorrow
and Wednesday will be devoted
to qualifying in which a field of
299 will be chopped to 149 chal-
lengers for the title now held by
julius Boros.
Starting at 8 am. half the
field will tackle Oakmont, the
heavyweight of all golf courses,
while the other half will take out
over the neighboring Pittsburgh
Field Club. Players will change
courses Wednesday. with the low
149 scores for the two rounds sur
viving for the 72-hole champion
ship proper Thursday through
Saturday at Oakmont.
Par Unbroken for 72 Holes.
Oakmont is 6,916 yards of saw
tooth traps, massive green's and
treacherous rough which has de-
fed the masters of the sport
down through the years. No one
has ever broken par for 72 holes.
The Field Club is just as tough
"a "souped up" layout of 6,712
yards with taxing hills and
snug, almost invisible, fairways.
Oakmont is par 72, the Field
Club par II.
Hogan begins his qualifying
test, new wrinkle for Open
play. at 1:20 pm. at Oakmont.
His partners are George Fazio
OF Clementon, N. j., whom he
beat in a playoff for the 1850
title at Merton. and AL Mengert,
one of the more promising of
the younger pros.
Hogan is tired. The three
time Open champion says so.
His game, lacking some of its
old-time sharpness. looks it. But
he still is the favorite because
he remains the coolest and mosa
calculating thinker on the fair
ways today. u
The big issue is Hogan's ability
to take the strain. He is 40
years old. He still limps notice.
ably from that automobile acci-
dent. He admits he likes to con.
flne himself to 72-hole tourna- =
ment. That's why he now passes
up the rigorous PGA champion
ship.
Has "A in Practice,
Hogan shot a "a, two over par
In a practice round yesterday in
which all three of his partners
bested him. DR.. Cary Middle
coff, who won the Open in 1949,
fired a bristling 68. Sam Snead,
still favoring his injured hand,
shot a 70 and young AL Besselink
came in with u.
II was taking it pretty easy"
Ben said afterward and nobody
doubted he was. He was taking
experimental shots that will be
missing when he starts going for
his fourth championship.
Players who have been testing
the two courses during the last
few days believe a score of 16O-
an average of 80 for the two
rounds may be good enough
to make the title bracket.
One of these is Gene Sarazen,
the squire from Germantown,
N. Y, who reported after a week
end date with President Eisen-
hover and said:
Neither course is easy. I'd
guess 100 to qualify and 295 to
win the tournament"
Boros Arrives Today.
Boros. the defending cham
pion, is due in today from the
Canadian PGA matches. He
doesn't have to qualify. but will
play for the fun Of it tomorrow
in a threesome including Harvie
Ward. jr., the former British
Amateur champion who is fly
ing in from Europe, and Claude
Harmon of Mamaroneck, N. Y.
They start at 10:40 am. at
the Field Club. Harmon, q for
mer Masters champion, has been
one of the hottest contestants
in practice with successive
rounds of 68 and 50 at Oak
mont.
Middlecoff plays Oakmont on
the first round, teeing OF at 10
am. with Jimmy Demaret and
Johnny Bulla. Snead is bracket
ed with Earl Stewart, jr., and
Lawson Little, former champion.
at 10 am. at the Field Club.
A heavy week end rain and an
official decision to furrow the
traps only mildly brought opti-
mism Of better scores-but no.
body is betting that Oakmont's s
par is headed for q licking.