Evening star., 1962-09-30

progress at Congressional, were
subject Of the National Amatel
That's the worst tournaml
declared.
Nobody else within earshC
their condemnation Of the
Amateur, but they all agreed
on one point. 1t could be bet
ter.
Ted Bishop is a Boston sill
versnith who won the ANA
teur in 1916, a year that some
believe win live in infamy.
after that tournament, 7"
Bishop was saying the other
day, "the USGA passed out a
QUESTIONABLE and asked all the
contestants If they would like
to have the Amateur all match
play"
Until that time there was an
on-the-scene 36-hole qualifier
that cut the original field of
about 100 down to 81 for the
head-to-head matches. The
British Amateur, on the other
hand, was an all-match play
affair with 200 in the original
field.
Fhe USGA wanted to know
II the American players were in
favor Of that type Of tourna-
ment.
"A few months later" Bishop
went on, "the USGA an
nounced that the all-match
play tournament was approved
by an overwhelming majority
Of the players.
Bishop happened to win that
last tournament which fea-
tured on-the-scene qualifying
and would like the USGA to
go back to II,
Tim Holland, perennial en-
try in the Amateur and a
former Long Island and Met
ropolitan Amateur champion |
was standing by and lent Bis
hop support.
That's the hardest tourna-
ment Of all for q good player
to win" he said.
"If you're considered one Of
the favorites and you come up
against some unknown player
in the early rounds, he's going
to be out there free-wheeling
with nothing to lose"
=
This essentially is what hap
pened to Charley Coe at Pine
hurst two weeks ago. Ronnie
Gerringer, the 19-year-old
Newport News. Va, youngster |
who was supposed to play in
the Middle Atlantic but with
drew at the last minute, fully
expected to lose to Coe in the
first round. He was loose and
shot one Of the best rounds Of
his career to win, 8 and 2.
Which points up another OBJ
lection Bishop has to the pres
ent system.
with qualifying on the
scene, everybody who makes it
locally is assured Of playing
two rounds in the tourna-
ment." Coe came all the way
from Oklahoma City. Okla, to
play 16 holes at Pinehurst.
Then he was through.
You've got to win three
matches, the way 1t is now, be-
fore you're in the tourna-
ment," Holland added. You're
really not in it until you get
to the round of 80. Sometimes
! think that's where it ought
to start.
Have a qualifier at the
scene and take the low 80 for
match play"
That didn't get much support
from anybody. But they all
agreed that "a was enough in
match play.
Actually, there's a lot tol
what they say. Anybody who
has been to the first two days
of the Amateur can testify
that it is mass confusion. With
- matches the first day and
81 the second, hardly anybody
has a good grasp Of what's go
ing on.
Only when somebody like
Coe or Bill Hyndman of Phil
adelphia is upset by unknowns
like Gerringer and Ray Terry
of Tampa, Fla, does it have
any meaning.
"The USGA has a history of
following the British" Bishop
said sagely. 1--WE should play
the Amateur our own way. Go
back to qualifying on the
scene"
NOTES-Deane Beman is
due in San Francisco Tuesday
where he will Join Billy Joe
Patton Of Morganton, N. c.,
Labron Harris, the newly
crowned National Amateur
champion from Saltwater,
Okla, and Dick Skies, two
time public links champion
from Springdale, Ark, before
going on to Japan for the
World Amateur matches Octo-
Der 1913. Toney Tiso of
Eastchester, N. Y, who stood
on the 14th tee of the Vernon
Hills Country Club for five
hours and Is minutes trying to
make a hole in one, is a cousin
to Cos Tiso, the pro at Bonnie
View in Baltimore. Toney fin
ally made an ace on his 442d
attempt, hitting a six-iron
shot into the cup on the 1856
yard hole. This was in con-
nection with the Old Snug
gler hole-in-one competition
that annually awards two peo-
pie with trips to Scotland.