At Blue Mound

Unlike the United States Golf Association, the Professional Golfers' Association controls no clubs. Its annual tournament is held wherever and whenever the prospects for prize money are most favorable. When, early in July, a group of Milwaukee businessmen offered to guarantee $9,000 in prizes if the professionals would play at the Blue Mound Country Club, the P. G. A. accepted. The only problem was the date of the tournament. To make sure of a first-class field, officials agreed to let members of the Ryder Cup team enter without qualifying in their sections. Nonetheless, Walter Hagen, Densmore Shute, Craig Wood, Paul Runyan and Gene Sarazen said the time was inconvenient. They had exhibition dates. There was talk of withdrawing the $9,000 guarantee, counter-suggestions of withdrawal by many of the pros who were entered. Finally, grinning little Sarazen and smiling little Runyan appeared at Blue Mound, but not Hagen, Shute or Wood.

Rebuilt since the time when, playing a dogleg par four, Jock Hutchinson and big Bob MacDonald each got 2s, the other members of their foursome, 3s. Blue Mound is still only 6,270 yd. long, shorter than most championship links. In the qualifying rounds, an obscure Timber Point (L. I.) professional named Jimmy Hines, and Mortie Dutra, hulking brother of the hulking defending champion, tied for the medal with 138. Par 70 was broken or tied 16 times and the 31 out of 97 starters who qualified needed 146 or better. In the first round, Leo Diegel lost to a long-driving young Western pro named Willie Goggin, who tied for seventh in the U. S. Open last spring. In the second round, sleek, crinkly-eyed Johnny Farrell put out Olin ("King Kong") Dutra, the defending champion, 1 up. There is always one comparatively unknown golfer who does well in the P. G. A. but last week there were two in the round of eight: Goggin and Hines. The real surprise of the tournament came when both won ther matches--Hines 4 & 3 against Tom Creavy, who was P. G. A. champion in 1931; Goggin 6 & 5 against Runyan. Next day the gallery followed Farrell and Sarazen, who was 1 up on the third hole and never less than that afterwards till he won the match on the 32nd. Goggins and Hines played a better match. They were all even after the first 18. In the afternoon, Hines was 1 up at the 20th, Goggin 2 up at the 23rd. Hines tied the score at the 30th lost a hole, drew even again at 32nd. On the 35th green, putting for birdies, Hines rimmed the cup from nine feet and Goggin holed out from five, then halved the last hole for the match.

Before the tournament started, dour, one-eyed Tommy Armour had made a brusque comment on Sarazen's reluctance to play: "Hagen, Sarazen and I ... are just about all washed up, only we don't know it." Grinning Sarazen's comment after the tournament was over was: "Pretty good for a washed-up golfer." He had finished his morning round with Goggin--200 lb., 6 ft. instructor at a San Francisco municipal course--1 up, won three of the next five holes, clinched his third P. G. A. championship with a birdie at the 32nd.

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