Bulla and His Ball

Four years ago, two young golf pros went shares on a jalopy and started out on the winter golf circuit. One was Sam Snead of Hot Springs, Va. The other was Johnny Bulla of Burlington, N. C. "Let's split our winnings," said Snead. "Heck, no!" said Bulla. That year Sam Snead burned up the Southern fairways, won $10,000 in prize money. Bulla barely made his expenses: $1 ,000.

Last fortnight Snead and Bulla, still traveling together, arrived in Los Angeles for the first stand in the 1941 tour: the $10,000 Los Angeles Open. Snead, known as the best shotmaker in the U. S., was a popular favorite. No one paid much mind to Bulla--he had never yet won a tournament. Some of his colleagues thought they knew why: he played with a 45-c- golf ball (Golden Crown), which can be bought at any Walgreen drugstore.

But last week was Bulk's week. With his drugstore ball (which he publicizes for a neat pay check), he started out with seven 3s in a row, over the tough Riviera golf course. At the halfway mark, he led the field with 137 (71-66). The third day he was penalized two strokes for playing somebody else's ball by mistake, wound up with a 75 that just lost him the lead.

But in the stretch drive the next day, with a gallery of 5,000 cheering the "poor man's golfer," Johnny Bulla came through with a 69 to win first prize of $3,500, biggest plum of the year. His four-round total of 281 was two strokes better than the score posted by Oldtimer Craig Wood, three better than that of Ben Hogan, biggest money winner of 1940. Sam Snead finished out of the money. And this time Sam had not even offered to split the winnings.

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