Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-06-15
TEE TO GREEN
BY MERRELL WHlTTLEsEY

one interfering out of the way,
Thirty-three minutes had elapsed
and Boros and Hyndman sat un-
der shade tree and waited al
the matches behind them troupeo
through.
When the truck finally was
moved Boros laced a beautiful
4-iron shot 10 feet from the pin
and two-putted for his par-4 and
| a II.
But the big hasSles still were
to come. On the par-four 10th,
a 420-yard hole with a ditch a
few yards in front of the green,
Doug Ford hit a sloppy 9-iron
second shot after a big drive and
the ball splashed in the water
He was one under par at the
time.
Ford, a rather impetuous fell
low, walked hurriedly to the ditch
and dropped a provisional ball
over his shoulder. AS he did,
several people in the gallery
yelled that his ball had skipped
across the water to the far bank.
Ford then played his original
ball from the bank onto the
green and two-putted for a DOGGY
five. Somebody-he believes it
was the fore caddie-threw the
ball to him that he had dropped
but not hit.
Apparently several people in
the gallery had more than a
smattering of knowledge of the
rules. Before Ford and his part
Iner, Jack Fleck and Gene Littler,
reached the 18th hole, the USGA
officials had learned Of the Incl
dent.
When Ford approached the
scorers table. Dick Tufts, USGA
president, said. Doug, 1 don't
believe you'd better sign that
card" Doug said later he forever
will be grateful to Tufts, because
had he signed the card with the
five on the 10th he would have
been disqualified.
X 4 4 4
There was panic for the next
hour. The press tent buzzed with
rumors that Ford had been dis
qualified. A crowd gathered OUT
side the USGA conference room,
and Ford, in between interviews,
sat in front of his locker, telling
and retelling the story. 1t was
mighty complicated.
Finally Ford was called into
the room. and in a few minutes
emerged with a big smile. Tufts
followed with a sign which was
posted in the press tent. 1t said:
Doug Ford was penalized two
strokes under Rule %, Section 2,
for dropping a ball behind the
water hazard on Hole 10 and
then removing it from play. He
resumed play with his original
ball as it lay in the hazard. !"
That gave Doug a II instead
OF SO.
Ford said later that it kept
gnawing at him that he had
done something wrong, but
wasn't sure just what. There
were a million lengthy versions,
but that's what happened. He
was happy over the penalty. as
was Inman. because both were a
whisker from being disqualified.
4
There was normally in the
press tent for maybe half an
hour. Then Cary Middlecoff's
and Jimmy Demaret's scores
were posted. But Henry Cotton,
their playing partner, had blank
spaces for his last two holes.
The story was that Cotton
blasted from a trap on the 18th
within feet of the cup, and put
ted 3 inches short. He stabbed
at the ball lefthanded and. ac-
cording to eyewitnesses. appeared
to stub the ground with his put
ter and knock the tiny putt in
with a continuation of the mo-
ton, actually hitting the ball
twice.
Cotton's score card was not
signed, and Joe Dey, executive
secretary Of the USGA, said he
would mot tell by whom" the al
legged violation was reported.
After interviewing cotton and
holding another lengthy con-
ference. it was decided there
would be no penalty and the
Britisher's "A would stand.
*
In the meantime. Jack Burke,
Masters champion, walked into
the press tent looking for his
scorecard. He had taken five on
the last hole but the scorer had
given him a four. Burke said
later he was too hot--inside and
out = to check his card and
merely scratched his name on il
and handed it to the official. He
shot a rs, but the card gave him
a rs.
Burke was next before the
Jury. but IL WAS taken for sranted