Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-04-11
Tired Badly Near End
In Two 81 Journeys;
Sam Snead Far Back
BY MerreII WhittIesey
Stor Staff Correspondent

AUGUSTA, Ca, April 11.-For
two straight days. Ben Hogan
has threatened to take the Au-
guSta National Club course apart
only to falter on the last four
holes. And because of these late
round slips that might be blamed
on fatigue. at least a dozen golf
pros still have hopes for the
Masters championship.
Hogan. carrying l65 pounds
and no longer nicknamed Ban
tam Ben, took a 1-stroke lead
into the third round today with
a 70-69-139. 5 under par.
Ben is only l stroke ahead Of
Bob Hamilton, 81 year old
HooSier, making his second COM
petitive appearance of 1853, but
what is far more important is
that Hogan apparently has lost
Sam Snead.
Snead ] Strokes Back.
Somewhat piqued because he
was paired with Crooner Don
Cherry, and obviously off his
game. Snead skied to rs and is
Z shots back Of Hogan at 146.
That is not an insurmountable
margin, but it's improbable that
Sam can make the grade.
The f1rst-day leader, Chick
Harbert. and Ted Knoll. the con-
sistent. colorless little fellow.
who was the fifth leading money
winner of 1852, are two shots
back at l41.
A year ago at this time, Hogan
would have been considered a
virtual lock with the halfway
mark lead. But he was tied for
the lead here last year after 81
holes and shot 70 on the last
round. He was the National Open
leader at Dallas with $3.50 at the
halfway mark. yet finished 74-74
III CLlAIO place.
Missed Chance for &C..
Hogan was four under par the
first day after IA holes and had
the par five 18th and three more
not-too-d difficult finishing holes
remaining. At that point, OBJ
servers figured he should shoot
66. But Ben failed to birdie the
18th and bogied the 18th and
18th for a 70.
Yesterday Hogan - banging
iron shots within five feet of the
pin on four of the last six holes
of the front nine-was out in 80,
four under par. He pared the
tough 10th, but on the 77th his
approach putt skidded five feet
past the hole. Then he seemed
to freeze over the second putt
the same way he did in the final
round here last year-and missed
it.
Ben pared the treacherouS
18th and birdied the 18th after
driving in the trees. So he was
four under again. But after par
ring No. IA he missed his birdie
chance on the 18th and went
over par on No. Is, the water
guarded par-3 hole, This time
he pared the last two for his SO.
Admits He Gets Tired.
In one breath Hogan insists he
is in the best physical condition
since his bus crackup of 1949,
but in the next he admits he's 20
pounds heavier and gets tired.
He was wheeling in the club
house after his finish yesterday.
Ed (Porky) Oliver, runnerup to
Julius BoroS in the National
Open last year; Milon Marusic,
playing the best golf of his SO
years, and Lloyd Mangrum are
tied at 142, three strokes behind
Hogan. Mangrum had a So for
the days lowest round, and said
it was a lot less trouble than
shooting IA the first day.
Today is picnic day at this
17-year-old meeting of the Mas
tiers, and the biggest crowd in
the history of the tournament is
Golf fans come from
North and South Carolina, Ken
lucky and Tennessee, bring pic
mic lunches and spend the day.
at SIS each. The crowds of the
first two days have been record
(See MASTERS GOLF, A-12),