Calm on the Course

Tulsa's Southern Hills Country Club had exactly 6,907 yds. of trouble for the 162 golfers who teed off last week in the 58th U.S. Open championship. Bristling rough crowded close to long, narrow fairways. Every approach shot arced toward a sinister ambush of sand traps. Pins were spotted with mean precision; on each green they were in the toughest place possible. The temperature boiled into the 90s, and scores ballooned in the heat. But while the field wilted, one man seemed to soak up strength from the sun. Tommy ("Thunder") Bolt, 39, the terrible-tempered Oklahoma carpenter, never showed a sign of strain.

Ignoring an ample supply of excuses for blowing his familiar low-amperage fuse, Bolt got away in a tie for the lead, played it cool through every round. Ex-Champ Julius Boros stayed with him a day. So did Veteran Dick Metz. South Africa's young (22) Gary Player was an afternoon sensation. Former Amateur Champ Gene Littler fired a 67 for the best round of the tournament. But no one could catch Bolt. He strolled through the final 36 holes with a steady 141, came home with an overall scorecard that showed 283 strokes, no busted clubs and no gallery-curdling curses. The new Open champ finished a calm and even-tempered four strokes ahead of Runner-Up Player.

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