Evening star., 1960-06-15

DENVER, June 15.-This is
the jet age, they claim. And
the plan was to take a Jet from
Baltimore's Friendship Airport
early in the morning, make a
quick change in Chicago, and
allowing for the three-hour
time difference. to be in Denver
before noon and have time for
a liesurely afternoon at Cherry
Hills where the National Open
starts tomorrow.
That was the plan, but after
circling over what we thought
was Chicago, the pilot informed
us that we were landing in
Milwaukee, because Chicago's
Jet airport was stacked up. So
we kill an hour in Milwaukee,
finally make it back to Chicago,
miss the connection plus two
more flights there as Of stand
by, and lose three more hours.
We finally make it to Denver.
but now it is evening and
besides a dust storm is kicking
up at Denver Airport. And its
too late and too disagreeable to
go to the club.
So we won't see Cherry Hills
until today. which is one day
before the bell rings. But the
golf writers who had been more
fortunate in their connections
felt sorry for the plane-weary
arrivals from Philadelphia, New
York and Washington, and
they permitted us to pick
their brains at the press room
! in the Brown Palace Hotel.
Dan jenkins Of the Fort
Worth Press had been talking
to his buddy. Ben Hogan. and
Hogan was saying the winner
already has been decided, and
the playing will be an anti
climax.
"Open championships are
won in preparation" Hogan
told jenkins. How you're play
ing for weeks prior to the Open
doesn't matter nearly as much
as how we'll you prepare at the
site.
About 80 per cent Of the
game has nothing to do with
hitting the ball. It's the getting
ready that's vital" Hogan
added.
Wally Wallis of the Daily
Oklahoman had the pros in his
town for the Oklahoma City
Open last week. Gene Littler
was the winner when he rolled
in brides on the last three
holes. Wally was saying that
a number of the pros are pick
ing Art Wall. despite his rela-
lively lean year after leading
the money winners last year.
Wall finished only one stroke
back OF Littler at Oklahoma
City, and the same week he
led the qualifiers for the Open
with a $3.50. Art is known as
streaky player, and he ap-
pears to be in a good one at
the present.
incidentally. Wall has been
tagged a hard luck" player
this year because Of a knee all
ment that shelved him for a
few weeks and forced him to
pass up a defense of his Mas
ters title. But Wall is asking
the press to soft pedal the hard
luck angle.
Anybody who was as fortu-
nate as I was last year should
never complain about his luck"
Wall said.
Some of the boys had talked
to Arnold Palmer, who already
has collected $50, 500 this year
won four tournaments plus the
Masters and is quoted as q
4-to-1 favorite here. Palmer,
the new golden boy of golf
. wants this one to go with his
/ Masters title and he also has
the PGA and the British Open
, in mind.
Palmer said Cherry Hills is
, a management course" and he
doesn't plan to use a driver OH
, more than six tees. He said it's
, the fairest and best conditioned
Open course that he's seen.
Palmer said there should be
) a number of players close to
, par coming to the last round
; with at least eight or nine hav-
! ing a chance of winning. Pal
; for 81 holes would be 213.
4 Il y y
Bill Casper, the defending
champion, likes Sam Snead
and Wall said you have to like
Hogan and Snead as long a!
they are around.
One of the reasons the play.
, ers like Snead is because the
rough is not deep, and thai
Sam won't be bothered by con-
finement. Claude Harmon, whit
tied for third over his home
= course last year, maintains tina
: Snead is a bad driver but tha'
he will be able to get ava!
with sprayed drives at Cherr!
Hills.
. Harmon, who usually is il
the middle of some torrid dis
y y cuSsion, could get a pretty goot
Y one going as to whether Snea,
is a bad driver.
= Palmer pointed out tina
Snead has played in fou
r tournaments this year an,
won two Of them CDeSoto Lake
and Greensboro and that's
pretty good record.
o Jim Gaquin, the PGA pub
q licity director, had a word Q
Il praise for the course fror
a Doug Ford, usually the mos