BRITISH OPEN GOLF TITLE

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26465, 5 July 1951, Page 7

BRITISH OPEN GOLF TITLE

LOW SCORING IN PRELIMINARIES A LONDON, July 3. rhe Argentine professional, Antonio Cerda, with 69 over the Royal Portrush course to-day for a total of 138, led the qualifiers in the British open golf championship. Bobby Locke, Norman von Nida, and Tom Hallburton were equal second. The record for Portrush was broken twice to-day. Locke came in with 67, but his achievement was short lived as a few minutes later the British Jack Hargreaves, returned 66. Hargreaves achieved each nine in 33. He had three twos and only one five on his card.

As the qualifying scores do not count in the championship proper, several of the leading players were obviously holding themselves in. Notable among these were Dai Rees. Max Faulkner and Jock Panton, all of whom finished well down the list. The New South Wales amateur, Keppel Enderby, returned 70 to-day to equal the Portrush amateur record. Ninety-eight players with scores of 155 or better qualified for the four rounds of the championship beginning to-morrow. The leaders were: Cerda, 138; von Nida, Locke. Haliburton, 139; A. Lees, 140; H. Weetman. 141; J. Hargreaves, J. Fallon, A. Poulton, 142: H Bradshaw. 143: C. Ward. 144; P. Thompson, K. Enderby, S. King. P. Alliss, A. Waters. J. Adams F. Daly, G. Kane, G. Mclntosh, G. O'Connor, K Bousfleld. 145. Also among the qualifiers were K. Nagle, E. Cremin. W. Smithers. F. Stranahan, A. Burton, M. Faulkner. D. Rees. W. Shankland, J. Panton, F. van Donck, A. Lacey, and T. Fairbairn.