Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-23
Ward Wins First Test.
In National Amateur;
Young Robbins Upset
BY The Associated Press

LEI MILL aug. 60.--k1aFVle
Ward Of San Francisco breezed
to an easy first-round victory
but Hillman Robbins OF Mem
phis, the intercollegiate cham
pion. became the first upset
victim In the 54th National |
Amateur golf championship to-
day.
Ward, winner Of the Canadian |
Amateur title last week and one |
Of the favorites to cop the Ma
tional championship over the |
plush Country Club Of Detroit !
course. crushed erratic Hord w.
Hardin Of st. Louis. 4 and 8, in |
one Of the first matches OF the |
tee.
Robbins, 22-year-old Memphis
State College student. went down
before 31-year-old Dick Whiting |
Of Royal Oak, Mich, q former
Notre Dame golf captain. by q
3-and-2 margin.
Joining Ward in the second
round was Arnold Palmer of
Cleveland. recent winner of the
Tam O'Shanter All-American
amateur tournament.
Palmer Beats Strafaci.
Palmer, another recent COL
lege star. turned back veteran
Frank Strafaci Of Garden City,
N. Y, l UP, in the most exsciting
Of the early matches.
Two up at the turn, Palmer
saw his lead wiped out when
Strafaci sank an 11-foot putt for
a birdie 3 on the 18th hole and
then won the 18th with a par 8.
Palmer won the match on the
18th. playing a terrific three
wood shot out of long fairway
trap. That left him short of the
green on the 460-yard short hole
but he pitched within 5 feet for
his par while Strafaci overshot
the green and took a S.
Palmer shot a medal score of
D34-36-70 against par of 35-
$50 for the tree-lined, $685.
yard layout in suburban Crosse
Pointe Farms.
Ward lost only one hole to
Hardin, a greying st. Louis law
yer.
Five down going to the 18th
hole. Hardin deuced the IT'S
yard hole when he put his tee
shot feet from the pin.
Ward played cautiously from
there. winding up with an odd
half in a boyle 5 on the $685.
yard 18th hole.
The good-looking San Fran
cisco auto salesman was in the
sand three times on that hole,
then canned q 30-foot putt.
Most Favorites Late Starters.
Most of the othe rtop favorites,
including Billy Joe Patton, anna
teur sensation of the Masters
and National Open champion
ships, were among the late
starters.
Ward, 4 up at the turn, had
only one birdie on the first nine,
and that just got him a half in
Is on the 510-yard third hole.
He bogied the seventh and ninth,
barely missing a long putt for
his par on the billiard table
ninth green.
The early starters went out
in humid, hazy weather with
heavy dew on the grass. Indi-
cations were that those starting
later would encounter a steam
ing hot aftrnoon. In all, u first
round matches were scheduled
for today with the others in the
field of 200 drawing byes.
Pairings of the eight players
who qualified at Columbia Coun-
try Club in Washington:
10:18-Ben Hartig, Manor, vs..
Joseph Pasiecznik, Hamburg,
N. Y.
12-Lawrence Murphy, unat-
tached, VS.. George Victor, Golf,
Ill.
12:12-Perky Cullinane, Be-
thesda, VS.. Edward Martin, Win
chester. Mass. 4
1:36-Jay Randolph, Bethesda,
VS.. Ray Palmer, Crosse lille, Mich.
1:42-Richard Davies, Pasa-
dena, Calf. (Bainbridge), VS..
Herbert Klontz, jr., Cedar Rapids,
Iowa.
3:42-George Thornton, Manor,
VS.. Jack Little III Corpus Chris
ii. Tex.
Bob Chandler, Congressional,
and Ensign Jack Rountree,
Bethesda, drew first-round byes.