Page 111 - Western Amateur 120th Championship Program 2022, Exmoor Country Club

1952 pairing sheets and map stand Tom Veech
Wisconsin, emerged as the first-round Exmoor Star Tom Veech
leader. John Gibbs Smith fired a Tom Veech, a member of Exmoor (1973–
two-under 69, with six others close 1981) and father of member Patrick
by with 70s. Veech, lost in the third round to Bill
Campbell Jr., who won the Western
After two days of medal play, the field
Amateur the following year. Noted for
was cut to 64 players for five days of 1952 contestant’s badge
his superb short game, Veech was team
grueling match play. Sixty-two-year-old
captain and an All-American golfer in achievements merited induction into
Chick Evans, seeking his ninth Western
1951 at the University of Notre Dame, the Wisconsin Golf Hall of Fame.
title, thrilled the crowd by sinking a 20-
where he played in the No. 1 team
foot putt on the 18th hole to advance to Top Amateurs Clash
position, ahead of future Hall of Famer
the third round of match play, where he in the Semi-Finals
Billy Casper. Veech won the Western
lost to Jim Stephenson. An unheralded Frank Stranahan defeated Bobby
Junior in 1947 at age 18 and was
photo engraver from Kansas City, Knowles, the French amateur
Wisconsin State Amateur champion in
Stephenson must have considered champion, in the semifinals. Harvie
1952. He also won the Wisconsin State
conquering a former U.S. Open Ward came from behind to defeat
Open in 1948, 1956, 1957, and 1962, and
champion a career achievement. Evans Dale Morey, the former Louisiana
he finished sixth in the Western Open
won his first Western Amateur in 1909 State basketball star, 3 & 2.
of 1964 and fifth in 1967. His
and his last in 1923.
Old rivalries intensified at Exmoor.
Just weeks before, Harvie Ward had
defeated his Walker Cup teammate
Frank Stranahan, the No. 1 amateur in
the world, 6 & 5, in the British Amateur
at Prestwick.
Their fierce but friendly competition
would peak in the 36-hole final match.
Stranahan struck first on the opening
hole, firing his second shot on the green
and sinking a 40-foot putt for an eagle
three, thrilling a huge crowd that had
assembled early in the day. Ward fought
back to one down after 19 holes, but the
match turned on Exmoor’s par three
12th hole when Ward dumped two tee
1952 Western Amateur scoreboard

2022 Western Amateur Championship A Pioneering Club in American Golf 109