Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-28
Harberf 0vercomes
Mistakes 10 Capture
First National Title
BY the Associated Press


ST. PAUL, Mimi. July 28.-At
the age of SO. with the years be-
ginning to show in CRAVING hair
and a slight paunch. and three
down to a younger opponent.
Chick Harbert learned not to
make the same old mistakes
and won his first national golf
title.
Itswas in a jocular spirit that
Harbert, the one-tine boy won
der. now merely a part-time
tournament player and vice
president of club manufactur-
ing concern. said before the PEA
tournament began:
IF I reach the final I'll prob
ably make the same DANCED mis-
takes did when ] went to the
finals before"
It looked as II that prediction
might come true yesterday. when
Chick knocked his second shot
of the 1854 PGA final against
Walter Burkemo, his suburban
Detroit neighbor. out of bounds
into a cornfield.
Sprays Shots at Start.
For three holes he was the
same old Chick, the fellow who
could hit them a mile but often
hit a half-mile into the rough.
He was under q tree on the sec
ond hole. =. but recovered. He
fought the rough and buried his
ball in a sandtrap for a double
DOGGY seven on the third. And
when Burkemo birdied the
fourth, Walter was up and well
on the way to successful de-
Tense of the title he won last
year.
That's when Harbert stopped
making mistakes and started
playing the kind of golf of which
he is capable at his best. For the
next 80 holes. he never was over
par and he lost only two of them.
At the finish it was Chick who
came out on top by 4-and-3
margin.
1t was the ninth time Harbert
had tried for the PGA title--He
said afterwards it felt like the
goth. And it was his third trip
to the finals. He tried to match
his booming, uncontrolled drives
against Jim Terriers putter in
1947 and lost. Five years later
he hit a wild drive under tree
at Louisville and lost to Jim
TurneSa.
Calls Wife and Parents.
"It's the only national title
I've ever won. Naturally think
it's the most important, Har-
bert said. walter is. a great
player and a great fellow to play
with"
The first thing Chick did after
returning to the clubhouse was
to put in one phone call to his
wife in Pennington, Mich, a
Detroit suburb, and another to
his parents in Sarasota, Fla.
Its my mothers birthday"
he explained, land when called
this morning all she said was
tell him to be sure to read my
wire I got it at noon.
Then he showed the telegram
which said:
Congratulations. Hope you
win this one for your mothers
birthday present. We are pray
ing for YOU" (Signed) Mother
and Dad"
ST was completely exhausted
yesterday. I couldn't have gone
an extra hole against Tommy
Bolt. But I feel wonderful
To-Day, CHICK STluHeQ.
Turning Point at 10th.
Harbert said he thought the
10th hole was the turning point
of the match. That was when
he wedged one UP for q par. the
second straight hole he had won.
He also took the 18th to square
the match and from there on
there was no stopping him.
Burkemo also played fine golf
except for q furry of wild shoot
ing from the 10th through the
18th in the morning. where he
had three bogeys and lost three
holes. From there on he shot
10 holes In three under par, but
couldn't gain an inch.
Harbert plans to make his next
tournament appearance in the
Michigan Open. tournament he
first won as an amateur in 1887
with a then-record total of 268.
He also win shoot for the rich
Tam O'Shanter prizes, but other
wise his program is uncertain.
81 have q slight heart condi-
ton and I do just what the doc
tor tells me-" he explained.