Tee Totals

Crack! A golf ball soared off the first tee at the Pittsburgh Field Club, dwindled to a white speck, landed on the fairway, rolled to a stop. Officials noted its exact position: 313 yd. 17 in. from the spot where it had been hit. That drive, hit last Sunday afternoon before a big gallery of other professionals, got its author, 24-year-old Professional Sam Snead of White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., $200, first prize in Sports Illustrated'?, first annual driving contest, held as a curtain-raiser to the Professional Golfers Association annual tournament which started the next day.

Longest recorded drive in golf history is 445 yd., down hill and down wind, made by one R. C. Bliss at Herne Bay, England in 1913. At Pittsburgh last week, rules were that each contestant got three chances, only drives that stopped on the fairway counted. Contestants' only advantage was a tee elevated 150 ft. above the fairway. There was no wind, the ground was soft. Always the favorite in driving contests, bulky Jimmy Thomson of Shawnee, Pa., who can throw himself into his shot like a hockey player, was overanxious last week to substantiate his reputation. On his first try he hit his ball thickly, dubbed it a mere 276 yd. His second, cleanly but cautiously hit, wem only 18 yd. farther. His third was a terrific hook, 320 yd. into the rough.

In a field which included Gene Sarazen, Tony Manero, Harry Cooper, Craig Wood, Henry Picard and most of the other ablest professionals, only six drives out of ; total of 123 went beyond 300 yd. All three of Sam Snead's were in the six. His shorter drives were 304 yd. 31 in., 302 yd 7 in. In addition to his prize for the longest single drive, he got $150 for the best total distance -- 920 yd. 19 in. Snead weighs 170 lb., uses a full swing and beautifully balanced body shift, usually hits a low, long-rolling ball with a slight hook. Second prizes went to Bruce Coltart of Philadelphia, for an aggregate of 890 yd. 34 in., Horton Smith of Oak Park, Ill. for a drive of 302 yd.

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