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Horton Smith Wins Title in Master's Tournament over Rain-Drenched Links
Chicago Pro Finishes With 285, One Stroke Ahead of Harry Cooper
SARAZEN IN THIRD PLACE
Professionals' Manager Protests Final Round; Jones Far Down List
By Alan Gould
Associated Press Sports Editor
Augusta, Ga., Tuesday, April 7, 1936 -- Coming from behind on a golf course so drenched by a cloudburst that his professional brethren officially protested playing conditions, in quest of another postponement, sharpshooting Horton Smith of Chicago yesterday captured the colorful but storm-tossed Augusta National invitation tournament for the second time in three years.
The tall Missouri-born professional, victor here in 1934, staged a sub-par finish on the flooded links to overhaul ``Light Horse Harry'' Cooper of Chicago and win by a single stroke.
Between the driving downpours, Smith shot successive rounds of 74, 71, 68 and 72 for a 72-hole total of 285, three under par and one stroke short of his winning tally two years ago. The victory was worth $1,500 in cash. Smith owed his conquest to one of the hottest putting performances ever seen in major competition. Cooper, who had triumph snatched from him on the last two holes after pace-setting all the way, had rounds of 70, 69, 71 and 76 for his aggregate of 286. His share of the prize money mounted to $800.
Third place went to another great finisher, Gene Sarazen, the Connecticut farmer and winner of last year's tournament, with the aid of his famous ``double eagle'' on the last round. Gene, during the height of the downpour, shot a final 70, two under par, after previous scores of 78, 67 and 72, thereby totaling 287.
JONES FAR BEHIND
The rest of the all-stars, reduced to 45 players for yesterday's 36-hole finals as a result of the tournament's second postponement, was scattered all over the place, from five strokes to upward of 30 behind the winner. Like so many refugees from the storm, they staggered through with the forlorn, rain-drenched figure of the one-time world champion, Robert T. Jones Jr. of Atlanta, among them.
Jones' third annual ``comeback'' was marked by the worst weather for any of the three tournaments here and Bob's most dismal showing in competition. After a pair of 78s last Friday and Saturday, the Georgian posted 73 and 77 for his final two rounds. This gave him a total of 306, 18 over par and 21 shots behind the winner. It was his worst tally in open competition since he scored 311 in the 1927 national open at Oakmont.
Jones isn't ``through,'' so far as playing at Augusta is concerned but he has had his ``third strike'' here and there's no longer any hope that he can come back, once a year, to match shots with the professionals. He intends to play again next spring but it will be just a formality and there will be no such enthusiasm as the betting fraternity manifested in making him a 6 to 1 favorite this time, following four straight practice rounds in 16 under par. The difference of 34 shots between Jones' practice rounds and tournament play for 72 holes is the final tipoff.
PROS AGITATED
The professionals were not in unison on the matter but enough were sufficiently agitated this afternoon, at the height of the deluge that inundated a half dozen greens, to prompt their tournament manager, Robert Harlow, to file a formal protest with the Augusta National's executive committee. The protest was not pressed, after its prompt rejection by the committee, but it added a final discordant note to a tournament that has been ``jinxed'' from the start.
``The committee acted with fairness, all things considered,'' said Harlow, ``but there was no doubt the course was unplayable at one time this afternoon. We proposed the final round be called off and played over tomorrow but enough of the leaders either had finished or were sufficiently along on the last round to make it seem unwise to the committee to interfere.''
``The players had decided themselves to play through, rain or shine,'' said Clifford Roberts, on behalf of the club committee. ``Manifestly it would have been unfair, much as we regretted conditions, to postpone play further, especially with the leaders fighting it out the way they were.''
The waterlogged windup, sending the total rainfall up to nearly nine inches for the span of the tournament, was highly dramatic. Until he faltered on his last round, with an outgoing 29 and a final 76, Cooper looked to be a certain winner, despite the hot pursuit put on by the two previous winners, Smith and Sarazen.
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