Bishop at Baltusrol

There was one big difference between 1926's and 1946's U.S. Amateur Golf Championship at New Jersey's famed Baltusrol links. The difference was a fellow named Bobby Jones. Twenty years ago, Bobby the Boy Wonder had trouble elbowing his way around the spectator-mobbed course. At Baltusrol last week, the nation's 150 best amateurs had no such traffic trouble; only 4,000 spectators showed up during the first four days.

Those who stayed away missed seeing the three "big names" flop. Down & out in the first round went favored Frank ("Muscles") Stranahan, who had beaten the pros several times. Next day finished off the other two: Bud Ward, winner of the last U.S. Amateur in 1941, and out-of-practice Gary Middlecoff, an Army dentist who is regarded by golf's wise man, Walter Hagen, as "potentially the best hitter of the ball I've ever seen, pros not excepted." The finalists were tall Ted Bishop, a reformed pro* from Dedham, Mass., and a sawed-off Californian with a comic-strip name, Smiley Quick.

For the finals the crowd turned out 5,000 strong. Barrel-chested Smiley Quick, public links champ, caught the crowd's fancy. He wiggled his wide hips before lacing into every shot, but his woods and irons fell far short of easy-swinging Ted Bishop's. On the greens, 5 ft. 5 in. Quick did his brightest stuff. When he sinks a short putt, he usually dives for the ball just as it drops in. On hole No. 4, he chipped the ball from 60 feet, ran after it all the way to the cup; it sank for a birdie.

But after getting three up on his lanky rival, energetic Smiley Quick ran our of gas. They were even-Stephen after 36 holes. On the 37th Quick's trusty putter betrayed him, and he blew an easy two-footer and the match.

*A golf professional may gain reinstatement as an amateur after three purifying, nonprofit-taking years.

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