Show GENE SA RAZEN LEADS BRITISH BRITISH O OPEN NEW YORK PRO CHALKS UP 70 TO TOP FIELD b Mac Smith Second in Line With 71 Americans in Great Form SANDWICH England June 8 1 01 Gene New York professional and American favorite for the title today scored a 70 for the first round of ot the British open golf championship champion championS ship and took the lead with most atthe of at the field in went along alonE easily In the two qualifying rounds round for a 76 73 and ond then got hot today beating par by four our strokes in one of at England's most difficult golf coif tests His score score was one stroke better hetter than those of ot Macdonald Smith another American favorite Charles Whitcombe Whitcombe Whit Whit- combe and W. W H. H Davies British professionals pro pro- who had been tied for the early lead was out in 35 35 one under p par r. r and anti home in the same me number ot of f strokes three under His card Out 35 35 Yn 70 35 35 70 In In Tommy Armour defending champion champion cham cham- pion from the thc States was out in 38 on his first round and md was one under fours at the thirteenth He faced a difficult task in catching Sara zen Other scores Archie Compston Great Britain 74 4 Tomekichi Japan 79 Michael Scott Great Britain 81 61 finish was as as spectacular as Mj if the title itself depended on the first round He had only one 5 on his card ashe ashe as ns he rounded the turn and took the tenth eleventh and twelfth in his stride He rolled in a putt from 14 feet at the fourteenth for a birdie 2 and then played the fifteenth in irs par At the sixteenth he sent his mashie approach to one side of ot the green and then chipped back too strong But he sank a 8 foot 11 putt fo for forMs his his par 4 He SHe cant can't do 70 now said someone in n the gallery DROVE YARDS The seventeenth hole is yards ards and no one had reached it in two shots today oday But the stocky little New Yorker sent his drive yards skippIng skipping skipping skip skip- ping over the fast fairway and then banged a spoon shot past a treacherous ous headline of at sand dunes straight for or the hole It rolled to within 25 feet of at the cup His long putt barely 1 missed ed but Gene had a broad smile on his face as he tapped it in for a birdie 4 He pushed his tee tec shot at the long eighteenth to a I sand trap and his chances of ot taking the lead seemed buried in the big pit of at loose sand Gene went down the steps into the bunker which completely hid him from rom sight and pitched out His third shot hot was on the green 18 feet from tram the he cup SINKS FOOTER 18 Care Carefully ully he surveyed the ground and then rammed it home for a birdie 4 4 a 70 and the lead The gallery gave cave him a big cheer as he walked off oft the green Tommy Armour defending champlon champion cham cham- pion plon from Detroit scored a 75 75 five strokes back of but among the first 20 Percy Allis British professional who vho finished third at Carnoustie last year ear posted a l 71 to make it a fourway four four- way tie for second place Don Curtis young oung Bournemouth professional who tied Eric for or a new record 69 yesterday needed 74 4 strokes which was still well up in the field George Duncan British veteran veteran- scored cored an 80 |