Show Great Greaf Golfers Dread Short Putts Pulls By GRANTLAND RICE WE DRIVE for tor Pleasure Yr Johnny Farrell once sold said But we putt for money I wonder wonder wonder won won- der how bow many dollars have been lost by putts short putts that Just lust slipped sUpped by the edge of the tin Un cup possibly a half hall Inch out of line Or Orthe Orthe Orthe the putts t that hat stopped an Inch i short Or the putts that rimmed the cup 1 A venerable golfer golf golf- er at the age of 70 w would 0 u I d consider himself a poor fish if he missed a two two- footer or even a Grantland Rice Bice three But consider what has bas happened to Ben Hogan and to Sammy to Snead-to Snead to d-to to Cary Gary and to many many others high up I recall a masters tournament ment meat just a few lew years back Ben Den Hogan Bogan was playing the final linal hole bole lie He needed a 4 to tie the leading score Ben Den hit bU a great drive some drive some yards up the course Taking out a 5 Iron he be almost hit the pin the ball trickling some 12 13 to 15 feet leet past the cup This left him bim a tricky downhill pact pott but easy enough for lor his 4 lie He tapped the ball bail lightly lIe He seemed to be heading heading head bead ing for lor a 3 But Dut the ball ran I over the rim of the cup and stopped some same 24 Inches below This looked to be simple enough But Dut as the return putt came to the cup it veered off ort a half baU an Inc inch inch and Hogan had a 5 5 He lIe has bas yet to win the masters Two months later in June Hogan again agala needed a 4 to tie in the play play- tt ff in hi the US U.S. open at Canterbury Cleveland leveland Again be he hit a ent drive His Iron to the green lust just slipped by the pin again and topped stopped 15 feet beyond Again Den Ben went for his birdie 3 and again he slipped lipped 24 inches past And again ae ere missed the short one two one two short putts utts under three feet that cost him wo major championships In less han Jian two months You can understand why great golfers dread short putts putts any any putt if 1 f any length Sammy Snead has bas blown more short putts that cost him heavily than any star I know Only Sam doesn't wait for thelast thelast the thelast last green It Ii might happen anywhere anywhere any any- where along the line With one CIne of the greatest around all games rames golf rolf has ever known Snead can look back on many a agreen agreen arreen green with a sad shake of hI his bis bead head The short hort one he missed at St. St Louis In the Open on tho the final green the green the short one ODO he bo missed again for tho the Open li Is Chicago three Chicago three putts putla from 10 or or 1 12 feet at Tam Tarn OShanter In the big Mays May's money tournament In the St. St Pete Fete Open I saw law Snead almost hit the pin phi with his second on a yard hole lie He had a 10 footer for a 3 He Re putted two feet teet over He missed that one We have often olten wondered how a astar astar star golfer felt who had hit two great shots requiring power and skill control and timing only to push or stab a two foot putt and undo all the fine play he had bad used making shots far more difficult But putting isn't so 10 much a matter matter mat mat- matter ter of skill skill skill-at at least not always It is also a matter of nerve control Strength has nothing to do with it A veteran of 70 has skill enough to be a fine putter putter putter-as as good as 81 I many of ot the better pros Ive I've seen seena a few tew of those old codgers from tram 60 and up at work Some of them cant can't understand how any anyone one can miss a foot five putt e e eThe The List The hitter in spite of the lively ball and a slump In pitching has regained his old place A hitter today is on the scarcer side aide How many would you figure there are now at work In the two leagues In th the two big leagues there are at least lead 75 players on each side not counting pitchers who have bave been at bat more than times time From this list we discovered discovered dis dl covered exactly 11 ball player players In each circuit who had reached the mark or better with five rive 11 or cv 1 six others who had a good chance to make the grade I It might also be noted Doted that five or six are so near the mark they may fall out before beloro the season Beason ends Jackie no Robinson bins on Is 11 almost certain certain tain to lead the National He lie has bu been between and the greater part of 01 the year Country Slaughter a and n d Red ned of the Cardinals Cardinal are the next two authentic hitters bitters in the older circuit where they have been nesting between and Marshall Thompson Lockman Hodges Kiner and Gordon are over but they cant can't afford to do any slipping through Septem Septem- ber has been putting on a desperate scramble to reach a much higher mark but Stan bas has found the traveling much rougher than It was last year He lie has been over 40 points awa away from his 1948 1848 mark Why Who ea can say |