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PGA Championship Medal Play Begins Defending King Harper Set To Concede Defeat; Snead Favored Over Field of 140 By OSCAR FRALEY United Press Sports Writer OAKMONT, Pa., June 26.— It was Slam-min Sammy Snead against the field again tonight as 140 of the nations masters awaited tomorrows opening of the seven-day Professional Golfers Association Championship — and only one man conceding himself out of it. With the start of golfs toughest grind but a few hours away, defending champion Chandler Harper of Portsmouth, Va., was the only one in the field who didnt concede himself a chance to wind up the winner over Oakmonts rolling acres next Tuesday evening. "Im going out and take a lesson," the gloomy PGA king asserted as virtually the entire field spent most of the day "reading" the tremendous Oakmont greens, "and if I dont start playing any better, this will be my last tournament." Harper, a slender Virginian, who came out of nowhere to win this prized tournament last year, explained that his game had been so bad that he had won only 00 this year and "theres no point in going on unless you figure youre getting somewhere." Seen as One to Beat Again But everybody else in the field had high hopes on a course whose conqueror needed to be a long hitter and a putter with unerring touch. Still, it was the long-driving Snead, two-time winner of this medal and match play marathon, who was the almost unanimous choice of his fellow pros to be the man to beat once again. Eight other former champions were set to tee off tomorrow in the first 18-hole qualifying round, which will be followed by another 18 holes of medal play Thursday They were Jim Ferrier, Vic Ghezzi, Bob Hamilton, Johnny Revolta, Paul Runyan, Gene Sarazen, Denny Shute and Harper! But the big ones, after Snead, were Ferrier, dapper Lloyd Mangrum and lithe Roberto DeVicenzo, the belter from Buenos Aires. They were almost certain bets to lead 63 qualifiers and Harper, the defending champion, into Fridays two sudden death match play rounds which will cut the field to 16. After that the field will be halved daily in 36-hole matches until the two last survivors battle it out Tuesday for the title. Oakmonts 6,882-yard course was in perfect condition. The wide fairways welcomed the long ball hitters and the only real trouble waited on the mammoth greens where tremendous undulations and rolls h?nmf -fg-Ve *" boys a11 toey could handle if their approach shots were too far SSFVl"*- Sarazen appearing in his 26th PGA tournament, estimated that 158 —a pair of 79s— would be good enough to qualify for match play. From there on, with a beaming sun drying out the greens and making them as shck as a skating rink, the break! appeared destined to decide many an issue and every contestant believed thfey might be in h2 favor Every one but Harper the kin? who figured he was about due to abdicate
