Show r S 6 I I SPORT PARADE Ii i By Oscar Fraley Ai BIRMINGHAM I Mich l June 18 8 UP They UP-They They moved moed over over Harry Vardon and Bobby Jones Tones today to make equal room for little littleBen littleBen littleBen Ben Hogan Always through the years fairway fantasy has been that none of the present day golfers is good enough to carry the sacred sacred sa sa- sa cred spiked shoes of the thc ancients Hogan proved over one of the roughest courses in golf history Saturday that he could play with anybody anywhere any time Bantam Ben did it in epic manner man man- manner ner to clinch forever fore the Hogan I legend as for the third time lime in three straight tries he won the national open championship And he did it the hard way He was tied for place after shooting a 76 in what was for all concerned probably the worst collective lc round of golf in the 51 years they've theve been shooting in this tournament Nobody broke par or 01 even matched it iton iton iton on a course trapped rapped with more sand than there is on Coney Island Ben Got Better Little Ben got better in the second sec sec- sec sec-ond I ond lond round but not enough to to start any cheering IllS His 73 moved I him only to a suicidal spot five I shots back of Bobby Locke the austere South African whom nobody nobody nobody no no- body had ever seen ruffled That's where he stood when they went out for the two frightening rounds Saturday Ben had won the open and the theP P G A in 1948 Early in 1949 he was critically injured in an an n automobile automobile auto auto- mobile accident Everybody believed be be- het lie ed ed that that- the little mechanical man was through for good Yet last year a rt weak still Hogan HOJan la Ia- labored a. a bored over lengthy Merion l to regain the championship There was a feeling in some quarters that he hc had been terrifically terrifically ter- ter lucky This Thus feeling existed existed ex- ex exi i isted isled as IS he started his title defense dc- dc j ense at Oakland Hills despite his spring victory his first in the Masters l I Coldly analytical Hogan Kogan told me Friday night that he figured two closing par rounds would put n e in ill there He appeared to have e missed the boat in Saturdays Saturday's opening round after a gallant start For he went out three under par for foran foran foran an unheard unheard-of 32 But coming I home he blew to a 39 for a 71 71 which meant to keep his prophecy I ecy he would need a closing 69 69 and nobody had had- had broken broken par 70 in three full rounds Goes at It At the start of that last round Locke the imperturbable stood two shots in iii front in a tie with I Jimmy Timmy Demaret Jaunty Jimmy I blew his wad quickly with a 79 Ben Hogan went at it On the front side battling l I wind sand and tenseness he I matched the card exactly Then he started to roll He birdied the and the bogeyed the and got it right back with witha a birdie on the That made I him two rivo under as he lie reached the green of the par-four par with ith I his second shot Two putts meant a 68 mean 68 mean meaning ing Locke needed but a par 70 for a tie tic The crowd gave ga Ben a sky splitting ovation and he walked to his putt with hat in in hand a smile easing casing the strain j plainly evidenced on h his s face i There was another roar as he stepped up and knocked home a foot 14 putt for ali ad almost unbelievable unbelievable unbelievable un un- un- un believable 6 67 That finished Locke Locke and and made bantam Ben Hogan a man for the golfing ages |