Title: "Nipponese Star Leads Field in Public Tourney," Seattle Times, 8/5/1931, (ddr-densho-56-428)
Densho ID: ddr-densho-56-428

NIPPONESE STAR LEADS FIELD IN PUBLIC TOURNEY

Arthur Sato Two Strokes in Van With His Par 72; Two Seattleites, Greenway and Gourlay, Are Close Behind

By PAUL MICKELSON

Associated Press Sports Writer

T. PAUL, Minn., Wednesday, Aug. 5. -- A Japanese fish salesman from San Francisco, Arthur Sato, led the sharpshooters of America's public courses today as the tussle for medallist and team honors in the annual National public links golf championship moved into its final 18-hole round over the wind swept Kepler club course.

Sato, 115-pound native of the land of the rising sun who has been playing golf for only six years, moved in front of the procession of 179 with his par 72.

His performance gave him a two-shot lead in the race for medallist honors and it kept his San Francisco teammates four strokes ahead in the battle for the Warren G. Harding Trophy, emblematic of the National public links team supremacy.

Two shots behind the little son of Nippon, at 74, came a trio of public course idols from three scattered cities in the East and South -- Charles Albertus, a printer from Philadelphia; David Mitchell of Indianapolis, who tossed away his chances to take the lead in the first round by slumping to a 40 on his backward trip after bagging a par-smashing 34 on his first nine holes, and Art Nutting of Louisville, a dark horse whose golfing prowess was not considered quite good enough to win him a place on the Louisville Harding Cup team.

Greenway, Gourlay High

Trailing that trio by a shot came Ed Greenway, Seattle, and Barney Lucas, Los Angeles. Five others had 76s to keep within shooting distance of the prized medal -- Charles Delsanter, Cleveland; Bob Gourlay, Seattle; Mike Surmiak, Philadelphia; Charles Ferrera, San Francisco, and Fred Gordon of Santa Monica.

Bob Wingate of Jacksonville, Fla., the defending titleholder, found himself in a rather tight spot. Wingate needed even the exceptional break of a startling deuce on the par five eighteenth hole to wind up with a 78 on his initial round.

Fortunately for him and Carl Kauffman, three times winner of the crown, who required a 79, the heavy wind sent scores soaring to such heights that a pair of 78s appeared to be easily enough to land among the thirty-two qualifiers for the match play fight for the title starting tomorrow and ending Saturday with a thirty-six-hole final.

Fitzgerald Trails at 80

Ed Fitzgerald, Seattle, had an 80 and needed a 76 today to qualify.

A stirring fight was in prospect for the Harding Trophy. Trailing Sato and his San Francisco teammates at the start of the final eighteen-hole round were St. Paul, four shots away with a four-man total of 317, and Louisville and Santa Monica.