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Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27096, 20 July 1953, Page 11

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GOLF

WIN FOR BOBBY LOCKE PICKWORTH TIES FOR THIRD (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 8 p.m.) LONDON, July 18. Reuter’s correspondent at Versailles says that Bobby Locke, of South Africa, won the French Open Golf Championship at La Boule course at Versailles today with an aggregate of 278 strokes for the 72 holes. He had rounds of 69, 73, 65 and 69. Max Faulkner (Britain) was second with 278. with Ossie Pickworth (Australia) and Aldo Angelini (Italy) tied in third place with 279. In his third round this morning Locke, with a brilliant 65, clipped two strokes off the course record made yesterday by Pickworth, the overnight leader. Two violent rainstorms drenched players and spectators during the last 18 holes, and Locke met the full force of the storm as he finished his victorious fourth round. Huge galleries followed Locke, Pickworth and Faulkner when they began their third rounds this morning in sunshine, but in a stiff breeze which later brought the rain. Locke’s 65, for a 54-hole total of 207, gave him a one stroke advantage over Pickworth, who had a third round of 72. Faulkner and Angelini had third rounds of 72 and 69 respectively to be level at 210. J. B. Ado (France) was fifth with 283, and Lloyd Mangrum (United States) sixth with 290. Pickworth, who had set the pace yesterday with & 69 and a 67, fell away today, returning a 72 and a 71 for the last two rounds.

Lloyd Mangrum had a disastrous third round of 76, out a final 72 took him into sixth place.

Pickworth’s Comment Ossie Pickworth said that he was not satisfied with his golf today. “I don’t know, what happened this morning,” he said. “I was not always happy with my driving, while yesterday everything went fine and I finished the day with a two-stroke lead on the aggregate. “Today, and particularly this morning, I realised that I would have great difficulty in keeping my lead, although I had a 69 and a 67 on Friday without much trouble.” Pickworth said he lost all hope in the second round today, which was interrupted by two violent thunder and rainstorms, and lost his concentration. However, he said he enjoyed playing on the La Boule links, with its “remarkably well kept greens.”