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; ; -i Yanks Continue Victory March In British Amateur Golf Play St r ana ha n Has Close Shave; Chapman, Four Others Reach Fourth Round at Scotland By HENRY THORNBERRY United Press Sports Writer PRESTWICK, Scotland, May 27. Defending champion Dick Chapman and U. S. champion Billy Maxwell led three other Americans into the fourth round of the British Amateur golf tournament, today, but muscleman Frank Stranahan supplied all the drama by rallying to win a 21-hole second round match. Stranahan, on the brink of elimination as he lay dormie two against Joe Gent, a 53-year-old English wool dealer, fired spectacular birdies on the 18th arid 21st holes to gain the third round in a cold, wind-lashed rain. Chapman, the 41-year-old Pinehurst, N. C, Socialite, was slightly less hard-pressed in defeating Cammie Gibson of Scotland, 2 and 1, while Maxwell, the 22-year-old U. S. amateur king from Odessa, Texas, breezed past Eric Fiddian of Scotland, 4 and 2. . Despite the adverse weather that forced the competitors to wear many varieties of rain clothing, the Americans generally fared well on the second day of the ancient tournament. In addition to Chapman and Maxwell, the Yanks who reached the third round were Frank Strafaci of Garden City, N. Y., who, eliminated one of Britains toughest threats by upsetting Alex Kyle of England, 2 and 1; Hobart Manley of Savannah, Ga., who beat J. S. Taylor of Scotland, 5 and 3; and Nerrill Hval, a U. S. Air Force enlisted man from Portland, Ore., who trimmed Ian Roberts of England, 5 and 4. No American were beaten in third round play. Nine Yanks Survive Second Round Stranahan topped a group of nine Yanks who scored second round victories, while six others lost out in the same round. In, addition to Stranahan, four other U. S. entries survived close squeaks in the second round. Harvie Ward of Tarboro, N. C, former U. S. intercollegiate champion, beat Gordon Dewar of Scotland; Paul Coste, a St. Andrews University student from Jamestown, R. I., edged a fellow-American, Maj. Oliver K. Rogers of Waco, Texas; and Bradford Tazewell of Norfolk, Va., defeated Robert Barr of Scotland, all by 1 up margins. Chick Evans, the 62-year-old Chicagoan who won the U. S. Amateur and Open title in 1916, was carried to the 21st hole before beating R. B. Lawrence of Scotland 1 up. Pat Mucci of Paterson, N. J. eliminated 21-year-old David Reid of Scotland, and Felix Salamon of Nyack, N. Y., beat Sam McKinlay of Scotland, both by 2 and 1. Reid caused a stir in the 1951 tournament by eliminating Americans Willie Turnesa. John Penrose of Miami, Fla., and Capt. J. M. Anderson, an Army officer from Ottum-wa, Iowa, moved up with ease." Penrose whipped G. C. Gillies of Scotland, 7 and 6; Anderson trimmed R. L. Haggart of Scotland, 5 and 4. Five other Americans still in the tournament are scheduled for second round matches tomorrow, making 20 U. S. survivors of an original 44-man delegation. By far the most thrilling match of the day was the battle between Stranahan and Gent, who announced his retirement from tournament golf four years ago, but enters the Amateur each year on a "vacation." Although Stranahan out-drove Gent 40 to 50 yards from the. tee, his short game all but collapsed at one stage of the match and nearly brought about his elimination from the tournament. After rounding the turn all even, Stranahan lost the 11th when he missed a five-foot putt and went two down on the 12th when Gent holed out a spectacular 20-yard chip shot for a birdie four. The next four holes were halved and Stranahan was dormie two. Stranahan got a break on the 17th when Gent pulled his tee shot into the rough and lost the hole to the Yanks par four. Then, still needing the 18th hole to pull even, Stranahan boomed a 270-yard drive that stopped 12 yards from the pin. He chipped dead to the cup for a short putt and a birdie, while Gent missed a 20-footer that would have halved the hole. On the 21st hole, Stranahan out-drove Gent by 50 yards and then cut the double-dogleg corner with a spoon shot that rolled just short of the green. After Ge?,t topped his brassie shot into a bunker and chipped past the cup, Stranahan ran his approach up for an easy putt and a birdie which won him the match.
