Evening star., 1954-04-09
Players in Masters
Complaining Loudly
On Hidden Cups
Continued From Page C-1J


Sam Snead Ito Cliff Roberts,
tournament chairman: "The
worst I've ever seen in all the
years I've played golf"
Byron Nelson: "They were
severe, extremely severe"
Tommy Bolt: "The worst I've
ever seen. Impossible"
Burke: "I knew they were 60
ing to do it, there was too much
publicity over the low practice
scores. The cup placements were
the worst I've ever SEEN"
Patton: "By placing the pins
in tough spots the first day it
means they can come back with
the same placements by Sum
day"
viii Stay Tough.
Ed Dudley, host pro: "They
were tough today and will be all
four days. Well see to that. If
they expect them to be easier,
they'll be mistaken"
It's virtually official that there
will be no tournament record.
Hogan said if the cups remain
in positions as difficult as they
were yesterday, a 72-hole score
Of 290 could win.
would you take 1902" some
body asked.
mo-" Hogan replied, "I came
to play"
A late afternoon rain and
windstorm added to the days
hazards. Almost a third of the
field played the back nine with
the wind and rain in their faces
and with Harrison and Man
grum the mudders. Forty-four-
year old Dutch played the last
seven in two under par under
horrible conditions, and Man
grum came back in IS.
Patton Falters on Back Nine.
For the first time since 1886
nobody broke 70 on opening day.
Patton, 31-year- old lumber sales
man from Morganton, N. c., had
the best chance after an out
going four r-under- 80. But he
bogied Nos. 10 and II going
back and had no brides.
Billy 10, one of 81 amateurs
in the field, has no illusions
about winning. "If I had to
predict my second-round score
I'd say between II and 80," he
said. But I'll be down around
par again before it's over. He
was one of the first off the tee
and didn't realize how tough the
course was, because it's the first
time he's played here. He hasn't
played in a tournament since the
National Open last June.
Harrison is a threat. The
drawing Arkansas Traveller made
light of his accomplishment ex-
cept that he was pretty proud
of having played the last seven
in two under par in the rain.
Dutch has trick back and never
knows what's going to happen
next, and doesn't seem to care.
The scores ranged all the way
to a big, fat 80 by Frank Sou
chak, the former football player
for the University Of Pittsburgh
and Pittsburgh SteelerS.
Others DiSappOint.
But far more surprising and
disappointing were such scores as
the 79 by Gene Littler, the Ma
tional Amateur champion, now a
pro and supposedly Hogan's Sue
cessor: 80 by Bob Toski, the
sensation of the winter tour and
leader in Ryder Cup points; 80
by Demaret, three time champ,
and 83s by Chandler Harper, Jim
Turnesa and Dale Morey.
Both Souchak and Harper
Withdrew from today's second
round because of back trouble.
Souchak, low amateur in the
1853 National Open, said in a
phone call from a doctors office
that a back strain made it i'm
possible to swing a club properly.
Harper, former Portsmouth,
Va, pro, now playing out of
Chattanooga, Tenn, injured his
back in the recent Azalea Open
at Wilmington, N. c., and almost
failed to finish there.
The way the course played
there was little chance of recov-
cry from bad start. 1t was
senseless to gamble unless you
were plain lucky, such as Leland
Gibson was VIXEN he holed a
four-iron on the sixth for the
fifth hole-in-one III Masters his
tory. Even with the ace Glib
son shot IS.
Hogan had Is pars in his reg
ulation 72. He birdied the fourth,
went over on the fifth, and that
was it. He salvaged par on the
14th by dropping a 10-footer. He
was playing for position as much
as possible on every hole. His
puts were the safe kind.
Snead tossed away beautiful
chance to share the lead. After
a double bogey on the fifth he
worked his way back to a
-under-par standing through 13
holes, thanks to chipping into
the cup from trap on the 18th
for a birdie deuce.
But Sam went over on No. IA,
plunked a long iron into the
water on Is and took six instead
of a potential birdie 4. and he
three-putted Is to finish with a
"a. Snead, Littler, Hogan, Pat
ton and Burke all finished before
the rain.
Burke, out in 38 with three
three-putt green's, played worse
but scored better on the back
nine with 33 for his II. Man
grum said he played one of the
best back mines he ever played
but couldn't make a putt except