Ferrier and Bulla Pace PGA Meet: Harper, Five Other Veterans Defeated, Daily Racing Form, 1951-06-30

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Ferrier and Bulla Pace PGA Meet Harper, Five Other Veterans Defeated Cooper, Harmon, Haefner, Palmer and Hamilton Among Early Tourney Casualties By OSCAR FRALEY United Press Sports Writer OAKMONT, Pa., June 29.— Long Jim Ferrier of San Francisco and big Johnny Bulla of Verona, Pa., led the way into the round of 16 in the 33rd annual Professional Golfers Association championship at Oakmont Country Club today as favored stars fell by the fistful in two sudden death match play rounds. Defending champion Chandler Harper, co-medalist Claude Harmon and Pete Cooper and such tournament toughened stars as Johnny Palmer and Clayton Heaf-ner toppled from the lists in the first 18-hole match play round. One of the early second round casualties was Bob Hamilton, the 1944 champion. Ferrier, the 1947 king seeking a repeat, was off his game but still managed to score a 3 and 2 first round triumph over Sam Bernardi of Fort Sheridan, HI., and follow it with a similar decision over Milton Marusic of Albany, N. Y. The young New Yorker had kayoed Ray Hill of Houston, the 1949 medalist, 2 and 1 in the opening round. Bulla, playing fast and well as he drove the ball out of sight, hung up a 5 and 4 win over Walt Ambo of Overland, Mo., and then polished off Hamilton 5 and 3. In the morning rounds there were six extra hole matches as the favorites fell by the wayside. Harmon, who tied with Cooper and Lloyd Mangrum for medalist honors at 142, was one under par in his match with Dick Shoemaker of Cleveland and lost 3 and 1 as Shoemaker played the 17 holes four under the card. Harper Meets Tartar in Turnesa Harper, the defending champion from Portsmouth, Va., who last week threatened to give up the game because he was playing so poorly and then shot a hot 71-73 in the qualifying rounds, caught a tartar in little Jim Turnesa of Briarcliff. N. Y. Three down and three to go, Turnesa squared it on the 18th and then carried the match to the 23d where he won it with a 25-foot putt for a birdie. Veteran Denny Shute, the 1936-37 champion from Akron, scored the major first round unset when he knocked off Cooper, 3 and 2. Shute was even par for the 16 holes while Cooper lost out by spraying his drives. Mike Pavella of Washington, Pa., turned in another upset by flattening Palmer, the 1949 finalist from Badin, N. C. He did it with two long birdie putts on the back nine which gave him his 2 and 1 edge. Heafner tumbled before long-driving Chick Harbert of Northville, Mich., 1 up on the 22nd. The burly slugger from Charlotte, N C, had a two up edge with three to play but lost his driving touch as a case of grippe, for which he had taken a shot of penicillin just before playing, robbed him of his stamina. The other first round matches went according to form. Favored Sam Snead of White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., knocked off Freddie Haas, New Orleans, 1 up, with a birdie on 18. Mangrum flattened Henry Ranson, St. Andrews, HI., 4 and 3, by playing one under par golf for 15 holes. Veteran Gene Sarazen of Germantown, N. Y., eased past Charley Harter of Logansport, Ind., 2 and 1. Home pro Lew Worsham fired a 34 out to beat Harold Williams of Tuscaloosa, Ala., 4 and 3, while Porky Oliver of Seattle had a 33 on the out nine to best Herman Keiser, Lima. Ohio, 5 and 4. In the other half of the draw, former National Open champion Lawson Little of Pebble Beach, Calif., defeated John Weitzel of Harrisburg, Pa., 3 and 2; former champion Vic Ghezzi of Inwood, N. Y., coasted past Eddie Burke of New Haven, Conn., last years conqueror of Snead, 3 and 2: and Hamilton had reached the second round by beating Max Evans of Detroit, 1 up.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1950s/drf1951063001/drf1951063001_2_1
Local Identifier: drf1951063001_2_1
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800