Joe's Fight

Time was when Joe Louis let his eloquent fists do his talking for him. But last week the ex-heavyweight champion found himself shadow-boxing with an elusive opponent: racial discrimination, disguised in doubletalk. Joe fumbled for the right words, then angrily called it "the biggest fight of my life." Specifically, Joe was squaring off against the Professional Golfers' Association, which allows only "Caucasians" to enter a P.G.A.-sponsored tournament.

It all started when Joe was approached by local officials about playing in the San Diego Open. Amateur Golfer Louis (middle 70s) decided to play. A Los Angeles Negro professional named Bill Spiller then applied to play in the tournament. Spiller qualified for the tournament with his golf (152 for two rounds), but not with his color. The P.G.A. disqualified him on a fancy technicality: he had not signed a "player agreement," a document that the P.G.A. proffers only to Caucasians.

Joe had not signed any agreement either, but the P.G.A. "qualified" him as an invited amateur guest. He was also a good item for the pressagent, despite his color. He played an amicable first round with P.G.A. President Horton Smith, who shot a 73. A two-handicap player, Joe shot a 76, but failed to qualify for the final two rounds when he soared to an 82 next day.

But Fighter Louis had won the first round of his "biggest fight" by being the first Negro ever to play in a P.G.A. co-sponsored tournament. Joe's ultimate strategy: to knock out the P.G.A. ban entirely, open the tournament doors to other qualified Negro golfers. This week Joe seemed to be winning his fight. The P.G.A. tournament committee voted to approve Negro participation in P.G.A. tournaments. There was still one minor hitch: Negro golfers will have to wait, as all non-touring P.G.A. pros do, for entry acceptance from the local sponsor. This week's local sponsor, the Phoenix (Ariz.) Chamber of Commerce, announced that an entry by Louis, "as all other entries, will be accepted in good faith." Six Negroes will play in the qualifying round.

Meanwhile, most of the other pros were going about their business of playing golf. The winner: Newcomer Ted Kroll, 32, of New Hartford, N.Y,, with a 12-under-par 276.

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