Evening star., 1955-06-08
EE TO GREEN
BY MERRELL WHTTTLEsEY

One of the more interesting
personalities competing in the
international golf championships
starting tomorrow at Columbia
Country Club is a little fellow
from Italy-Alfonso Angelini-
who you might put down in your
dark horse book. He could take
lit all.
Angelini is the f1ve-time italian
Open champion but does not
hold the title at present. Ugo
IGrappasonni. his teammate here.
won last year and Alfonso said
lit was a very popular victory.
ct was winning too much" he
said with a chuckle. "they were
glad to see me get beat"
"You were sort of the Ben
Hogan of Italy," somebody OBJ
served. Eyes. that's right"
Alfonso replied, "I was the Ben
Hogan of Italy," and he laughed
and laughed,
If an interpreter is needed at
Columbia this week, they could
do worse than call on the 81
year-old Italian pro. Besides his
native tongue. he speaks English
French, Russian and Arabic. and
without college education.
Angelini is pro at the club in
Tourin. where he says he teaches
IL hours day in the summer
and at an indoor school in the
winter. "Then you're a club pro,
not a touring pro?" he was asked.
He thought that over for a
minute he speaks the other
languages better than English
and decided yes. he was a club
pro.
When he does tour, he does
pretty good. He won the Italian
match play title last year, fin
ished second in the Swiss Open,
played par golf in the Tam
O'Shanter in Chicago, finished
10th in the French Open and
11th in the British.
Il led the British Open for
~ holes" he said with a grin.
Angelini tied for qualifying hon.
ors with 71-68 and then started
the tournament proper with a
i y. The next day he was out in
80 and was leading the pack.
do you know what I shot on
the next nine?" he asked. You
knew it wasn't good because he
hid his face behind a napkin.
'I shot 49,"
Angelini keeps his own money
in his pocket when he plays
tournament golf. The Fiat Auto
Company sponsors him and
gives him a new car each year.
1t suddenly occurred to him that
he should look up the Fiat deal
er in Washington.
We remember Angelini from
the golf tournaments played in
Italy in 1945. He won the Rome
Open when the field included
Bobby Locke. Tommy Bolt, AL
Zimmerman, Fred Bolton and
many others. He remembers it,
too. ~ >>'
II beat Bolt for the Rome
Open by seven strokes" he re-
called. HE beat me for the
Florence Open, and when we
came back to Rome for another
tournament I told him I would
bet him and spot him seven
strokes. .-... ..,.
HE took the bet and I beat
him." and Alfonso laughed
again. He also recalled that
when Tommy won the Florence
open he was an amateur, but
tried to figure some way to take
the money. But he didn't get
it," Alfonso recalled.
n X X
Angelini renewed acquaint-
ances with Bolt last year at
the Tam O'Shanter, and Incl
> dentally thinks Bolt was a better
: golfer when he was a soldier
playing amateur golf in Italy
/. than as one of Americas top
pros.
| Alfonso says Tommy has
changed his swing for the worse.
HE used to have a good swing.
Now he slaps the ball." Angelini
lsaid. When reminded that
!. Tommy has been a top money
winner, Angelini shrugged.
That was some round Angelini
had at Columbia last Sunday on
his first look at the course. There