Evening star., 1954-05-25
Mid-Ahantic Sendinq
Veteran Contingent Of
Six Pros 70 PGA
By MerrelI WhittIesey

The Middle Atlantic section Of
the Professional Golfers Associ-
alton is sending to the National
PGA championship at st. Paul
In July six players who among
them have played in more than
SO PGA championships. won
almost so matches, and aver
age over Al years of age. There
should be no stage fright on the
first tee.
1t is extremely doubtful II any
section qualified q more seasoned
group than the Mid-Atlantic,
which had two automatic quail
f1ers and produced four more in
the 36-hole trials yesterday at
Washington Golf and Country
Club. If it hadn't been for 81
year-old Charley BaSsler sneak
ing in with a tremendous sub-par
burst on the last few holes, the
.Mid-Atlantic delegation would
average almost As years Of age.
DOser Leads Qualifiers.
From this section there will be:
Chandler Harper, 40-year-old
touring pro from Portsmouth,
Va, champion in 1850 in one
Of at least nine times that he
has competed for the match
play championship. He is an
automatic qualifler as a former
champion.
Jack Isaacs. about As, from
Langley, Va, AFB, also an au-
tomato qualifief as a semifin-
alist last year at Detroit. This
will be Jacks eighth Na3ional
PGA championship.
Clarence DoSer, As, the new
Woodmont pro, who had 71-68-
139 to win medal honors and
earn PGA bid for at least the
Goth time, he reckoned. One of
the few pros who prefers match
play to medal, Clarence has been
to the PGA Semifinals and quar-
terfinals. AS a new member,
Clarence helps save face for
the District pros, who have had
only two previous players in the
PGA since 1916.
, Andy Gibson, 43-year-old
Scotsman from Baltimore, who
played steady rounds of It'll
142 and qualified for the 10th
time. He usually qualities on
the scene of the championship,
too. but has yet to win a match.
John O'Donnell Of the SewellS
Point Club in Norfolk, nearing
his mid-40s Che was Maryland
Open champion Is years ago.,
who had a pair of 72s TOR IA.
John has been to three previous
PGAS. After telling reporters
he was 81, he was involved in
a discussion in the lockerroom
later and shouted he had been
a pro for 25 years. (That would
make him IL when he Started0
BaSsler Leads in Morning.
BasSler, pro at the Rolling
Road Club in Catonsville. Md,
who has qualified for the PGA
each of the six times he has
tried, and was a semif1naliSt
at Oakmont in 1851, losing to
Sam Snead. BasSler was the
morning leader with 70, went
z over par on the first IL
holes in the afternoon, and fin
ished 3 under on the last six,
for "a and IA.
NOTES-Joe Cannon's birdie
3 on the first extra hole won
the first alternate's berth for the
Charlottesville (Va.) pro, who
had las along with Jimmy Bel
lizzi, the assistant pro at Wash
ingtOn. Cannon's rounds in
cluded a 3-over-par z on the
eighth hole, where he angrlly
tapped at a 1-inch putt and
missed the ball. Bellizzl, who
was Starter Brick Woods dark
horse, played 2 under par for
the last IA holes after encounter
ing three double bogeys on the
first %.
Over a course that is supposed
to be too much for senior golf
ers, AL Houghton, So, made a
splendid showing with 75-72,
lat. OF course, the u was IL |
strokes higher than his best
score at Washington, a 81 many |
years ago. Doser, who fin
ished out of the money at the
Eastern Open because of poor
putting luck, found it all came
- l.: II "a