Jolting Joe Conrad, who packs a knockout punch in every club in his golf bag, retained his Southern Golf Association championship in the 48th annual amateur tournament at Mem phis, Tennessee, Countrv Club, defeating a home town favorite, Jimmy Wittenberg, 3 and 2, in the finals.

Conrad, a second lieutenant at Lackland Air Force Base at his native San Antonio, Texas, won first at Dallas in 1953 and repeated in 1954 to become the first man to do so in consecutive years since NELSON WHITNEY, the great New Orleans , golfer, did it in 1913 and 1914. It was only the fifth time the feat had been accomplished since the tournament started in1902.

Conrad had his work cut out for him in the 36-hole finals. He actually had only two real tough matches during his march to the throne, Sgt. Jimmy Brass, also of Lackland Air Force Base, and Wittenberg. Brass, who defeated Billy Bobbitt, of Memphis, 4-2, for championship consolation honors, bowed to Conrad in his first match, one up. But Wittenberg gave him an even tougher fight and if the finals had been 18 holes instead of the traditional 36, Memphis would have had its first champ since Chasteen Harris in 1931.

On his way. to the championship, Conrad defeated Brass;
Lawrence Larcade, Opelousas, La., 6-5; Charlie Dudley. Greenville, S. C., 5-3; Lew Oehmig, Chattanooga, Tenn., 5-3; and Howie Johnson, Houston, Texas, 7-5.

During the morning 18, Conrad was three down at one point to the hometown Memphis favorite. At the turn he was two down. But he got those two back on the first two holes of the afternoon round and never again was headed.

Conrad was just one over par for all the holes he played in the Southern over a course which is rated one of the toughest in the tournament history.

Sensation of the tournament Howie Johnson, a 28-year-old native of Minnesota, now residing in Texas.

It was Johnson's first Southern and he caused a great deal of comment with his race-horse play and his sensational putting. Johnson was the hottest thing in the tourney until Conrad cooled him off. One of his victims was Tommy Barnes, twice Southern champ, from Atlanta, who was a 3-2 loser in the quarter-finals.

In the finals, Wittenberg was off to a two-hole lead after the first two holes. He held that margin for 18, but then red-haired, freckle-faced Joe went to work. He squared the match at the end of the first two of the afternoon round and was never behind after that, although he wasn't able to breathe safely until he tucked it away on No,. 16.

Conrad was one up at the end of 27, went two up at No. 28. No. 29 was halved and Conrad made it three up on No. 30, canning a six-footer for a birdie three. They parred it out from then on until the holes ran out on Wittenberg.

Wittenberg beat Bobbitt, 8-7; Charlie Rosen, New Orleans, one -up; Atlanta's J. B. (Sonny) Ellis, a teammate of Wittenberg's when he was captain of LSU's links team, 3-2; Tommy Michael, Memphis, one-up; and Beverly Nabers, St. Petersburg, Fla., 5-4.

Co-medalists in the tourney were Hillman Robbins, Jr., of Memphis and Mason Rudolph, Clarksville, Tenn.

Robbins and Rudolph, teammates on the Memphis State College links aggregation, had 144's. Robbins had 73-71 and Rudolph 74-70. Both medalists bowed out the first day, Ru dolph to Michael in the first round and Robbins to Johnson in the second.

Tennessee stripped Texas of its four-ball team championship. The members were Robbins, 144; Rudolph, 144; Curtis Person, Memphis, 148; and Wittenberg, 150, for a 586 total. Another Tennessee team placed second, consisting of Oehmig, 151; Ronnie Wenzler, Memphis, 148; Albert Stone, Jr., Jackson, 148; and Ira Templeton, Chattanooga, Tenn., 155.

The medal scores of 144 were four over par for the Memphis Country Club's 6617-yard, 35-35--70 layout. A fat 164 got you into the tournament with the course playing real tough. A total of 114 players started in the qualifying round.

Conrad didn't retain his coveted crown without a struggle. The first one came early as Brass. battled right down to the
wire before succumbing. In fact, Sgt. Brass was.two up going
into No. 15 and lost the next two holes. No. 17 was halved and then Conrad breathed a sigh of relief as he won the 18th and the match with a par.

It was even closer against Wittenberg.

Tremendous jobs were turned in by Memphian George Treadwell, Sr., general chairman for the tournament; C. D. Smith, chairman for the host Memphis Country Club; Jim Hamner, the greenskeeper who had the course in perfect con dition; William McWane, who was re-elected SGA president; Elbert Jemison, Jr., like McWane, from Birminham, Ala., the new secretary-treasurer; Jennings B. Gordon, Rome, Ga., im mediate past secretary-treasurer; Director Fred Tilson, Marshall, N. C., and many other officials of the Southern Golf Association and members of the Memphis Country Club.

Match Play Results: