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Triumph in the Rocky Mountains followed capture of the North and South at Pinehurst, two victories in the Walker Cup competition on the seaside Muirfield course in Scotland and successful defense of the Trans-Mississippi championship at Wayzata, Minn. The final round at scenic Broadmoor, where the altitude of 6,500 feet adds much distance to shots, was nip and tuck. Coe, 35 years old, 6 feet and 150 pounds, defending his title, seemed on the way to his third National amateur championship, the first since the heyday of Bobby Jones to accomplish the feat. He birdied the first three holes of the course of 7,010 yards and after a score of 33-36-69, two under par, was two up at lunch. Then youth asserted itself. Nicklaus, 19 years and 8 months old, 5 feet 11 and 190 pounds, caught up at the third hole of the afternoon. Coe was one up after the ninth hole, one down after 14. On the 613-yard 17th, Coe squared the match. Then came the 430-yard 18th, dogleg right with a second shot over a pond. Coe overshot the green, the ball stopping behind a hump. Nicklaus put his second six feet from the cup. Coe almost holed a wedge shot of 20 feet. Nicklaus sank his putt in front of a large gallery and the Oklahoma City oil broker had lost for the first time in the final round of three amateur championships and Nicklaus had become the second youngest titleholder ever. Bob Gardner won in 1909 at the age of 19 years and five months. Nicklaus scored 34-35-69 in the afternoon, Coe 36-37-73. Such was the thrilling ending to the 59th USGA classic which had the largest entry ever, 1,706 for sectional qualifying to determine 189 places in the Broadmoor field in addition to 11 players exempt from qualifying. Next year's championship will be at St. Louis CC Sept. 12-17. Nicklaus advanced to the final round by defeating Robert Tyre Jones, III, of Pittsford, Mass., Bobby's son, 7 and 6; W.H. Williamson, IIL, of Charlotte, N.C., 2 and 1, Don Massengale of Jacksboro, Tex., 6 and 5; Orville R. Goens of Des Moines, 5 and 4; David W. Smith, Jr., of Gastonia, N.C., 1 up; Richard L. Yost of Portland, Ore., 2 and 1; Gene Andrews of Whittier, Calif., 1 up. Coe eliminated Robert A. Meiering of Roswell, N.M., 7 and 6; James W. Mallory of Spokane, 6 and 5; Robert Batdorff of Hershey, Penna., 3 and 1; James W. Vickers of Wichita, Kan., 4 and 3; Ted V. Gleichmann of Saticoy, Calif., 4 and 3; William Hyndman, III, of Abington, Penna., 2 up; Henry D. Wysong, Jr., of Dallas, 6 and 4. First Round In the first round 56 of the field of 200 had byes and there were 72 matches. Darkness prevented two late-starting matches from being finished the same day though the USGA had issued a bulletin against slow play which said: "This is a real opportunity for you to show the whole country how the game should be played without dawdle or dally. You, the best amateurs of the country, can help further in reversing the slow pace of play which has blighted championship golf for many years." Among first-round results attracting attention were the defeats of H. Ward Wettlaufer, member of this year's Walker Cup team, by Robert W. Allen of Pawtucket, R.I., 2 and 1; of Paul E. Kelly, New York Metropolitan's champion, by Tom Draper of Royal Oak, Mich., 7 and 5; of Robert Tyre Jones, III, of Pittsford, Mass., by Jack Nicklaus of the Walker Cup team, 7 and 6; of James B. McHale of Philadelphia by Paul Dye, Jr., of Indianapolis, 2 and 1. Defending champion Charles R. Coe of Oklahoma City, past champions E. Harvie Ward of San Francisco and Richard Chapman of Pinehurst progressed to the second round with victories. Chick Evans and Billy Joe Patton had byes as did William Hyndman, III, and Bud Taylor, Walker Cuppers. Wisconsin's star, Bobby Brue, defeated Dr. Edgar R. Updegraff of Tucson, 4 and 3. Jack Key, Jr., of Columbus, Ga., playing one of the delayed matches, was a victim of a sudden squall the next morning when play continued. He had hit his fourth shot to within six inches of the pin on the 19th hole, Pvt. John Schubeck, Jr., of Fort Knox, Ky., being 12 feet away in three strokes. Schubeck was getting ready to putt when a gust of wind blew Key's ball back 15 feet from the cup. Key was then away and failed to sink, Schubeck two-putting for the victory. Second Round Deane Beman, British amateur champion and Walker Cupper, was one of the losers in the second round of 64 matches. He was defeated 4 and 3 by Dee Replogle, 40-year-old oil producer from Oklahoma City, who won the first two holes by low shots into a high wind. William C. Campbell of Huntington, W. Va., lost to Henry D. Wysong, youth from Dallas, Tex., 2 and 1. Chick Evans was eliminated, 7 and 6, by Don Hoenig, Connecticut's New England champion. It was Chick's 47th Birdie On 36th. Charley Coe, Harvie Ward, Jack Westland, Billy Joe Patton and Dick Chapman were victorious. Both Coe and Replogle wore University of Oklahoma baseball caps in their matches. First Double Round The third day of the tourney saw the field cut to 16 by two rounds. Out went Billy Joe, Jack Westland, Dick Chapman and John Konsek, Purdue's Big Ten champion. Tom Draper--Michigan's 225 pounder, 6 feet 5 and 45 years old, disposed of Jack Westland, 1 up in the morning then eliminated Billy Joe 4 and 3. Konsek beat Dick Chapman, 2 up, then lost to Gene Andrews of Whittier, Calif., 6 and 5. Charley Coe-defeated Bob Batdorff of Hershey, Penna., 3 and 1, and Jim Vickers of Wichita, Kan., 4 and 3. Harvie Ward beat Payne Palmer of Phoenix, 7 and 6, and Curtis Person of Memphis, 2 and 1. Jack Nicklaus took Don Massengale of Jacksboro, Texas, 6 and 5, and Orville Goens of Des Moines, 5 and 4. Tommy Aaron of Gainesville, Ga., last year's runner-up, and big Dave Smith of Gastonia, N.C., had two victories. Aaron was four down at the turn to Dick Spangler of Lincoln, Neb., in his fourth-round match but shot two under par on the back nine for a one up victory. Former Walker Cupper Dick Yost of Portland, Ore., ousted Paul Dye, Jr., of Indianapolis, 1 up, in the third round which was played in 62 degree weather with winds whipping over the mountainous course. Second Double Round Day Two crusted veterans—Coe and Andrews— and two youngsters, 20-year-old Dudley Wysong and Jack Nicklaus gained the semi-finals after two rounds in blinding fog and icy rain with a little afternoon sun. In quarter-final action Nicklaus, baby of the last Walker Cup team, defeated ex-Cupper Dick Yost, 2 and 1; Wysong beat veteran David (Spec) Goldman, 3 and 1; Andrews edged Charles W. Harrison of Atlanta, Ga., 1 up; and Coe ousted Walker Cupper William Hyndman, III, 2 up. In the previous round Coe had defeated Ted V. Gleichmann of Saticoy Calif., 4 and 3; Hyndman had defeated Terry D. Wilcox of Ada, Okla., 1 up; Goldman had ousted two-time champion Harvie Ward, 3 and 1; Wysong had downed Tom Draper, 1 up, Andrews won over Dee Replogle, 1 up; Harrison had beaten Walker Cupper Tommy Aaron of Gainesville, Ga., 4 and 2; Yost had ousted Cupper Frank Taylor, 3 and 1; and Nicklaus had defeated big Dave Smith, 1 up. Coe won four holes in a row against Hyndman to go five up after 11 holes, but Hyndman snapped back with birdies on 12 and 13 to reduce the margin. Hyndman won the 15th, where Coe three putted, and cut the lead to one up on the 16th with a birdie. But Hyndman's comeback try came to a halt on the 18th where, one down, he drove into the rough and knocked his second shot into a water hazard. Nicklaus was three under par in his match with Yost, winning with a three-foot birdie putt on the 17th. Andrews, the 1954 public links king, was 13 over par for his two matches and beat Harrison on the 17th where the former Southern amateur champion three-putted for bogey six. Wysong, runner-up in the Texas amateur this year, was even with Goldman, 1934 National amateur runner-up, at the turn. On the back nine Wysong parred every hole to win. Semi-Final Round In 36-hole semi-final matches matching youth and age there was a 50-50 split. Defender Charlie Coe, 35, defeated 20-year-old Dudley Wysong, 6 and 4. In a rematch of their North and South final at Pinehurst last spring 19-yearold Jack Nicklaus edged jovial 40-year-old Gene Andrews, 1 up. Coe, seeking to become the first golfer since Bobby Jones to win the National amateur title more than twice took advantage of early morning jitters by Wysong to take a 4-up lead after the first 18 holes, then shot one under par golf the remaining 14 holes for victory. He closed out the match with a 15-foot birdie putt on the 32nd hole. Nicklaus and Andrews had a real battle. Nicklaus won a 3-up lead on the morning 18, only to have it wiped out in the afternoon. He lost the 29th to go one down and after they halved the 30th, Nicklaus won the next with a 21-foot birdie putt. He followed with another birdie on the 32nd by putting his second shot out of rough to within two feet of the cup. They halved the next three and Andrews still had a chance to tie or win both the 35th and 36th holes but Jack managed to halve both. On the 35th Nicklaus wasted two shots in the trees, then sank a 30-foot putt over a hump in the green for a halving four. On the final hole Andrews was trapped with his second shot and Nicklaus put his over the green into a shallow ditch. Nicklaus chipped to within nine feet of the cup. Andrews came out weakly, 25 feet away and missed the par putt. Nicklaus two putted for a half and the match. "What I've done to him shouldn't happen to a dog," he commented. Andrews, who carried a hand-warmer in his 18-hole match at Pinehurst with Nicklaus, resorted to oxygen in milehigh Colorado Springs. He inhaled oxygen during the rest period between 18s. |
