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, ; . 4 Hogan, Nelson, Snead Leading Candidates for Hall of Fame Trio Has Captured Every Big Golf Tournament Open To Pros; Eleven Nominated By STEVE SNIDER United Press Sports Writer NEW "YORK, N. Y., Aug. 19. Three of the greatest golfers of the modern era Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Sam Snead are the leading candidates today in the annual election to golfs Hall of Fame. Eleven players have been nominated by the PGAs Hall of Fame committee, but only three can be elected and if the records alone are considered it could be a romp for i Hogan, Nelson and Snead. Among them, theyve won everything " open to a professional, including money by the basketful. Each has won the PGA crown twice or more. Each has won the Masters championship. I Hogan and Nelson have won the U. S. Open; Hogan and Snead have carted c off the British Open. Others on the ballot are Jimmy Demaret, Ralph Guldahl, Jock Hutehinson, Lawson i Little, Lloyd Mangrum, MacDonald Smith, Willie Turnesa and George Von Elm. , , Demaret, three-time winner of the Masters, has left his mark on the average f golfer to a greater degree than any modern player. Jimmy caused the nations swingers J to dress up. His colorful costumes gradually i led even the duffers to blossom out in peacock hues. And apart from that, he is i a highly capable player. . Guldahl Set New Pattern Guldahl, whose exploits are growing dim, although he hit his peak only 15 years ago, 1 is credited by Bobby Jones with setting a new pattern for Open championships by , "putting together four great rounds" in one tournament. The big, curly-headed J star ; won the U. S. Open with a then record 281 in 1937 and repeated in 1938. Hutchinson is one of the old guard. He never won the U. S. Open, but did walk off with the 1917 Red Cross tournament that replaced the war-cancelled Open of that , year. He won the PGA in 1920. Little, two-time British Amateur and U. S. Amateur champ, also added the Open , after turning pro. Mangrum, ex-Open champion, is the leading money-winner since World War II. Mac Smith was runner-up in the 1930 Open and Von Elm, another star of the ; past, was runner-up in the 1931 Open after a historic 72-hole playoff -against Billie Burke. Turnesa, still an amateur, has won both the U. S. and British crowns and has served as captain of the U. S. Walker Cup team in the series against Britain. So far, 12 greats of the past have been : elected to the Hall of Fame, with Bobby Jones, Francis Ouimet and Walter Hagen the first to gain the honor. Elected on later ballots were Walter Travis, Gene Sarazen, Chick Evans, Alex Smith, Jim Barnes, . Johnny McDermott, Willie Anderson, Jerry ; Travers and Tommy Armour. Hogan obviously, is the best bet to make ! it on the current ballot now being cir-, culated. The poker-faced little star has been accorded the greatest personal re- ception of any golfer since Jones and for the first time theyre beginning to talk of him as a star of the same magnitude as the immortal Bobby. In fact, Hogan, Nelson and Snead are three guys who always were hard to beat.