Evening star., 1955-06-29

Maryland Open championship
July lila In Baltimore is in
prospect If q number Of the Mid
die Atlantic pros carry out their
threat to boycott the tournament
unless the Maryland State Golf
Association ups the prize money.
Several Of the pros were car
rying on a whispering campaign
at the tournament at South
Sherwood Forest last Monday.
attempting to convert to their
side the top golfers that the
tournament needs to be q Sue
cess.
The dissatisfied pros claim the
tournament is little more than q
sweepstakes In which they play
only for their own naeney. They
say it's q waste Of tirne to take
two days from their clubs to
compete.
&4+
For years the pros, and the
amateurs too. have been dissatis-
fed with the prize distribution
in the Maryland Open. which is
the top tournament in Maryland,
Virginia or the District srea. The
Maryland Open title carries more
prestige than any of the other
sectional tournaments.
The murmuring became a little
louder a few seasons ago when
the Maryland State Golf Asso-
citation doubled the entry fee
making it $40. There was not q
commensurate increase in prize
money. S
The MSGA has been aware Of
the complaints but claims it has
no funds to sponsor $4,000 or
SO championship-which is true.
There is no admission charge.
The pros who are in disagree
ment claim the money could be
raised from a sale Of tickets or by
an advertising proposition, such
as calling it the Blank Beer
Open, etc. ~
The Maryland State has come
back at the pros by saying 1t
would have more prize money
for all tournaments, including
the Open, if the pros would sell
more handicap cards. The latter
sell for 81, and in defense of
the MSGA, many of the pro-
fessionals make something less
than an all-out effort to sell the
cards. In fact, some don't even
sell one.
Last year at Manor Club the
State Open attracted Ill players,
which was $1,l10 in entry fees.
Sixty-six Of the Ill were pros.
Prize money paid to the pro-
fessionals was SLOTS, which was
$415 more than the pros paid
in entry fees. In addition there
was reproduction of the trophy
going to the winner, three silver
dishes for the three low anna
teurs and several merchandise
prizes for the amateurs. 1t cost
the MSGA about $500 to hold
the Open.
The Maryland State GA had
a balance of $3,784.76 at the
end of 1854, which is not suffi-
cient to increase the State Open
prize money for more than a
year or two. The tournament
would have to be made self
supporting.
1t would seem the pros timing
is bad. 1t hardly is fair to boy
colt the tournament 10 days or
two weeks before 1t is scheduled,
when they knew all the time it
would be played for approxi-
mately the same prize money 1t
has paid for years.
At the same time, the Mary
land State GA should spend
some time at it's future Execu-
tive Committee meetings with
an eye toward making q sizable
increase in the State Open purse
Some of the pros leading the
revolt have come here recently
from other sections. They have
contributed little to golf here,
but now are telling the COM
mittee how the tournament
should be run. The matter might
not have come up at this time ii
the host Five Farms course OF
Baltimore Country Club had
been q little more thoughtful in
making provisions for practice
rounds. That started the mur-
n1uring.
Frank McArdle, an ardent
golfer at Congressional Country