GOLF / DAN HAFNER : At 70, Cravens Cup Proves a Well-Aged Scotch

Long before professional sports moved into the area, the unique Cravens Cup golf tournament was a major event each May in Southern California.

Club golf tournaments were big around here. The Cravens, involving most of the top amateurs, was something special. It commanded widespread interest and the attention of the media.

With the arrival of horse racing, the Rams, Dodgers, Lakers and Angels, amateur golf was shunted to the back--or ignored completely.

But the Cravens Cup, generally known now as the Cravens Invitational, has survived nicely. The Scotch foursome tournament, now 70 years old, is still going strong. Without the fanfare of pre-World War II days, more than 400 amateur golfers, in two-man teams, still participate. This year it will be played May 11-14 at San Gabriel Country Club.

Three Walker Cup players have been among the winners--Johnny Dawson, Bruce McCormick and Dr. Bud Taylor. Former Ram Merlin Olsen, Stanford and professional basketball star George Yardley and football’s Bob Chandler, John Elway and Glenn Davis have played in it.

There will be a team of special interest this year to USC football fans and alumni. Pat Haden and J.K. McKay, who gained fame as one of the great passing combinations in Trojan history, will compete.

It is a grueling event. To win the championship, a team might have to play as many as 108 holes, counting the qualifying round.

There is considerable pressure too. The first arrives after the qualifying ends May 12. There are openings in the championship flight for 32 teams. Often several spots have to be determined by four-hole shootouts. There have been years when as many as 20 teams battled for the last two positions. By the time the playoffs start, there is always a big gallery. For many, the gallery presents a big problem.

John Cravens, a Southland sportsman, got the idea for the event when he saw two-ball foursome matches in Scotland. He staged the first tournament at the old Midwick Country Club, now a housing project, in 1924. It was moved to San Gabriel Country Club in 1943 and has been there since.

The rules are simple. Each player must have a handicap under 12 (11.2 index) and be an amateur. The winners of each match are based on net scores. There is no riding on carts except to reach tees to begin a playoff.

It differs from Scotch foursomes only in that one member of the team hits the drive on the odd holes, the other on the even. In pure Scotch play, each player hits every other shot. The change makes it important for both players to be at the top of their game.

Ken Kirkpatrick, who played for USC in the 1960s, and David Mendez of Friendly Hills Country Club have won the championship flight the last two years. Their success helped bring a change in the rules. Each player, instead of using his current handicap, will use his lowest rating in the last year.

At one time only twosomes from Southern California clubs were sent invitations. But it has become worldwide.

There have been only 11 Cravens chairmen since the tournament shifted to San Gabriel. The first was Tex Schramm, father of the former president of the Dallas Cowboys.

New chairman Frank Haltom, a San Marino real estate executive, said that 550 invitations had been sent out for this year’s tournament. A field of more than 200 teams will begin qualifying rounds on May 11.

The final two days, in which winners must play two 18-hole matches, usually draw big crowds to the Las Tunas Drive course. Haltom said there will be about 35 San Gabriel teams, now working with club professional Michael John Kelley and teaching pro Jim Petralia, in the hopes of returning the championship to the home club.

Golf Notes

Jerry Barber, who turned 78 April 25, celebrated two days early by shooting a one-under-par 69 in the second round of the Senior PGA Reunion in Dallas. . . . The annual Ducks Unlimited charity tournament at Crystalaire Country Club on May 16 will be dedicated to Mark Wilkinson. Wilkinson, who founded the event that helps protect wildlife, died shortly after last year’s event. . . . Deane Beman, resigning commissioner of the PGA Tour, has received a special exemption for the U.S. Senior Open June 30-July 3 on the No. 2 course at Pinehurst, N.C. Wonder how those 51 seniors he recently fined will feel about playing with their former boss?. . . . Jim Ferree, who came back from prostate cancer to win almost $500,000 on the Senior PGA Tour last year at 62, is off on another comeback. He shot 209 for 54 holes and earned $6,630 in his first event after rotator cuff surgery on his left shoulder. . . . Susan Rennie is set to defend her City Women’s golf title in the 71st championship at Rancho Park May 10-12.