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Ferriers 69 Tops PGA Qualifying Coast Pro Nearly ► Ties Course Mark j DefendingChampion Harper, Host Pro Worsham,Mangrum And Burkemo Next With 71 By OSCAR FRALEY United Press Sports Writer OAKMONT, Pa., June 27.— Big Jim Ferrier said he liked Oakmonts massive rolling greens and the San Francisco scrambler proved it today as he shot a three under par 34 — 35 — 69 to lead early finishers in the opening qualifying round of the PGA golf championship. The six foot, four inch Australian ignored sporadic showers as he fired pin-splitting approach shots and displayed a magicians touch on the greens to move into the lead. That put him two strokes ahead of his four closest rivals with two - thirds of the 140 -man field having finished the first of two 18-hole medal-qualifying rounds, which precede five days of match play. Two shots back of him with 71s came three name stars, home pro Lew Worsham, defending champion Chandler Harper of Portsmouth, Va., and former open king Lloyd Mangrum of Chicago, along with dark horse Wally Burkemo of Franklin, Mich. Two New York threats shot even par 72 ■ — Claude Harmon, the former Masters champion from Mamaroneck and Al Brosch of Garden City — while Sam Snead, of White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., the pre-tournament favorite, was among five hopefuls banked at 73. The others were veteran Gene Sarazen, Elsworth Vines of Los Angeles, Andy Gaspar of Pittsburgh and George Bolesta of Danville, 111. Among the other early finishers, Paul "Little Poison" Runyan, two-time champion from Pasadena, Calif., had a 74 and former PGA winner Henry Picard of Cleveland shot a 79. Runyan Has a 74 Ferrier started out as if he would smash the course record of 68, held jointly by Bobby Jones and Dutch Loeffler, former Oakmont professional, by slamming home four straight birdies. He lost one stroke ; to par on the seventh and finished up the front nine three under the cards par -of 37. He was really scrambling on the back j nine with two bogeys, a double bogey and four birdies for his par 35. He had only • two par holes coming home. Ferriers putter was smoking as he . banged home a 15 footer for a bird on the 483 -yard par five. First he chipped to within 15 feet on the 343-yard par four . second and then canned it. On the 428-yard . par four third hole his approach was . six feet away and he sank the birdie putt ; again. And on the 544-yard par five fourth [ his chip shot was five feet away and again t he ran it in. He lost a shot on the 375-yard . par four seventh when he bunkered I his drive. Turning for home, Ferrier put his second shot on the 470-yard par four 10th J into a trap near the green for a five. But j on the 372-yard par four 11th he knocked 1 in a 20-footer for a three. On the 161-yard J par three 13th he drove 40 feet from the pin and again slapped it into the bucket. • But on the 14th he caught two traps for r a bogey five. On the 458-yard par four 15th he came 5 up with a double bogey six, slicing a drive ; and hitting a three iron shot 30 feet. But t he came back to birdie the 234-yard par r three 16th, knocking a three-wood 20 feet t away, hole high, and dropping the putt, and 1 on the 292-yard par four 17th he put his s approach 18 inches from the wicket for r his three. A par on the final hole gave B him his 35 for a 69 which just missed i tying the course record.
