Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-04-08
Fast Course Favors
Anti-Hogan Forces
As Masters Opens
CONTINUED From Page CID

menCS, IL Will De easier Tor the
rest Of the field to keep pace,
and for a man with a hot putter
to sneak in.
But all of the above are the
results of people thinking out
loud. trying to find a way to
break through the Hogan mo-
nopoly.
That the course is playing
easily was borne out in the final
trial rounds. Lloyd Mangrum
shot a SO on the final practice
day last year. but that was a
tremendous individual effort by
great player. Ed Oliver had
81 yesterday and Marty Furgol
Sc, both with 6-under-par 30s
on the back nine. Jimmy
Demaret shot 81 on the front
nine. Jack Burke was % under
par on five practice rounds.
Snead Missing Puts.
Let's divide the field into sew
eral different categories and in
clude most Of the players who
could win with four of their best
days. First, there's Hogan, all
alone. Second. take four play
ers who haven't won on the tour
since last Summer-Sam Snead,
Cary Middlecoff, Burke and
Lloyd Mangrum. Snead played
a great tee-to-green round yes
terday but missed three puts
shorter than a club length. But
in contrast to the previous day
he was Joking and swinging all
out without the trace of a back
or hand ailment. His driving
; was superb. Middleton and
Mangrum are always threats, but
Burke appears to have been too
hot in practice to last.
Third, there's the "old pros"
fellows like Lew Worsham,
Chandler Harper, Ed Oliver,
Dutch Harrison, Tommy Bolt,
Julius Boros and Jim Terrier.
They've all played well here in
past years-here and every
where else.
Fourth, there's the tour hot
shots, Bob Toski, Dave Douglas,
the leading money winner:
Johnny Palmer, Ted Knoll and
Doug Ford. None of them has
an outstanding record. though,
in the Masters, National Open
or PGA.
More Amateurs on Hand.
Fifth, the amateurs. There's
more of them than ever on hand
with Harvey Ward, Frank Stran-
ahan and Ken Ventura the most
solid, but hardly threats.
Sixth, the foreign entry, of
which there's only one, Peter
Thomson of Australia. However,
George Mays tournament in
Chicago, where top pros from
all over the world play, proves
there's not too much real good
competition outside the United
States. Thomson, runnerup to
Hogan in the British Open, is
one of the best.
Seventh-dark horses. Jimmy
Demaret, the only three time
winner here, could be one of
those. He plays like a club cham
pion in most of the other tour
naments, but often finds his
game here. George Fazio could
be in this category.
The ideal weather promises to
continue, except for a few show
ers. The thermometer was push
ing 80 yesterday. The course is
at its brightest green, the flow
ers in full bloom, and to add to
the coloring the water hazards
are an artificial blue. At the
National Open, PGA and other
major tournaments you hear of
the knee-high rough that guards
the fairWayS, but here there's
almost no rough. There are wide
fairways with woods on either
side. The greens are huge and
undulating. For the former
major tournament champions
who make this their annual golf
ing vacation, fellows like Jess
Sweetser, Sam Parks, Johnny
Revolta and Mcleod, this is
golfing paradise.
DIVOT DATA-Billy 10 Pat
ton. Walker Cup team member
from Morganton, N. c., won the
driving contest with a 338-yard
clout over Chick Harbert, who
drove 1856 yards. Cary Middlecotf
followed with 329. The contest
concluded the clinic which
started at $3.50 and all players
were warned to be off the course
at that time. They were, too.
Marty Furgol has been fined
$3.50 by the PGA and placed on
probation for six months for his
part in the melee at Greensboro
Doug Ford and Bill Nary were
fined $50 each. A record field
of 70 faced the starter today.
The Masters does things in
such an eXacting manner that
both mines measure the same,
3,475 yards for a total of $3.50.
NAMES Cottage" just a long
putt from the 10th tee, has one
of the attractions for the cam
era fans. Pinkerton detectives
guard President EiSenhower's va
cation retreat. but permit pic
lures from the outside. To-
days outstanding pairings, start
ing at IL o'clock and at half
hour intervals, were Middlecoff-
Burke; Bolt-Ford; Demaret-
Snead; Hogan-Nelson; Toski-
Oliver; Burk m o-WorSham;
Ward Venturi and Mangrum-
Littler.
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