There aren't many golf courses young Jack can't go out and claw to pieces once he puts his mind to it. About the only person in America who gained fame for wrestling and manhandling bears was Davey Crockett of Tennessee and unfortunately, for Nicklaus' rivals, old Davey isn't around any more. Thus, there appears no stopping the "big, strong dude from Ohio" as golf's other golden boy, Arnie Palmer, calls Nick.


Nicklaus gave an exhibition of strength, power, and stamina at this year's 45th annual PGA championship July 18-21 at the Dallas Athletic Club CC that would wow Charles Atlas. The original starting field had 167 players. New attendance records were set despite heat over 100 degrees each day The $8l,200 purse was the highest in PGA history.


First Round

Strong showings by recognized home pros against their more glamorous compadres, the regular tournament players, created a rather pleasant atmosphere. After all, somewhere along the line people have been sold on a theory that the PGA tournament in one where the home pros pull off amazing feats of skill and upset the big names of golf.


However, the club teachers really have about as much chance of winning the PGA as Mortimer Snerd would in successfully wooing Liz Taylor. Actually the outsiders' chances of winning the PGA crown as practically nil.


However, at the end of the first day in Dallas the local boys from hither and yon supplied plenty of ammunition for the folks back home to shout about. Fellows like Dick Hart of Hinsdale, Ill.; Bernie Haas, Pittsburgh; Charles Congdon, Tacoma, Wash.; and Manuel de la Torre, Milwaukee, Wis., were right up there with the titans.


Then there was another little group of pros who did some teeth cutting on the tour, enjoyed inconsistent success and in the long run decided a home pro's life was stable and dependable. Such fellows as Shelley Mayfield, Earl Stewart, Stan Mosel and Wes Ellis fall in this category. This left 11 prominent names among those who matched or bettered par.


Hart's 66 gave him the undisputed lead. The 27-year-old assistant pro at Hinsdale CC, Ill., some 20 miles west of Chicago, native of Salem, Mass., came to Dallas on edge as his wife was expecting a baby back home. He had enjoyed a similar situation in 1959, not baby-wise at Minneapolis when he and several others had tied for the first round PGA lead. Eventually he missed the 54-hole cut at Minnesota.


Dick aced the 216-yard 16th hole with a four-iron, a feat only performed once before in PGA tournament history. Harry McCarthy made one in 1958 at Llanerch CC, Havertown, Penna. Hart had played on the winter tour four of the last six years and was playing in his fourth PGA championship. He tied for 30th last year at Aronimink. He won the Illinois PGA crown and led the Illinois section qualifiers for this championship.


Bumpy greens created by heavy traffic from the huge field made putting tricky. The greens also were fast and rather hard, restricting players from hitting approach shots boldly to the pins. The afternoon group of players had more difficulty on the greens than early starters.


Also, such men as Arnold Palmer, Bob Charles, Phil Rodgers and Jack Nicklaus were being quizzed constantly about having to make the change from the smaller British ball back to the larger American ball after their competition in the British Open.


However, Julius Boros, newly crowned USGA Open champion, also had quite an adjustment to make. He came into Dallas, 600 feet altitude, from Bogota, Colombia, altitude 8,000 feet, where he had been playing a match in Shell's Wonderful World of Golf to be shown in January. Julie had to play in sweaters and long underwear at Bogota, while Bikinis were best in Dallas.


"The greens were real bumpy, especially on the back nine," he said. "Wind is always a factor but it died down some this afternoon. If everything stays normal, I would take 280. But those greens could be a real factor if they don't get some water."


Boros opened with 69 as did Mayfield Nicklaus, Charles and Mason Rudolph. Congdon, Lema, Crampton, Stewart, Bernie Haas and Doug Ford tabbed 70's, making a total of 12 men to better par while seven others shot even par 71.


Second Round


The unheralded pro from Hinsdale, III., kept hearts pounding for him as he shot 72 to go along with his opening day 66. This gave him 138 for 36 holes and a three shot lead over a trio composed of Tony Lema, Julius Boros and Shelley Mayfield, each of whom had 141.


Another notch back came Nicklaus, Doug Ford and Manuel de la Torre at 142, even par for 36 holes.


Spike marks on the greens plus a rather stiff wind and difficult pin placements made the day an irritating one. A score of 151 was needed to make the cut. Oddly enough the 151 was only one shot better than the figure necessary to make the final 36 holes of the USGA Open this year at Brookline, Mass., where Boros finally won in a playoff.


Most important casualty in the cutoff was Phil Rodgers, who only a few days before had lost a 36-hole playoff to southpaw Bob Charles for the British Open crown.


Some other major casualties were Johnny Pott (152), Lionel Hebert (154), Ed Furgol (154), Dave Marr (154), Walt Burkemo (153), Lew Worsham (152) and Mike Fetchick (153). Heat exhaustion forced withdrawals by Jack Fleck, Jim Ferree and Don Fairfield. The temperature was 100 degrees.


Home pros still could hold their heads high as Hart, de la Torre, Mayfield, Edward Kuna, Ed Merrins and Bob Gajda were much in the running.


A new golf disease, Soritis popped up during the second round. The illness was pegged soritis because of soaring scores and angry dispositions.


Hart had troubles, hitting only 12 greens, found the rough seven times and was in four traps.


"I feel wonderful, just hope I can keep the lead," he said. "The pin placements were rough but not unfair, but you had to be careful. I just kept trying to get it on the green."


http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=23306&dv=4156108&select=2708