The Southern Golf Association Championship returned to North Carolina for the first time since 1949, when Asheville's Biltmore Forest course was the scene of action. This time the tournament was held in mountainous Western North Carolina
at the Linville Golf Club course.

The tournament was one of the most successful ever staged by the Association from many angles. The scoreboard listed 222 entries from 12 states, a field topped only by that at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, in 1938.

The picturesque course, a championship layout with bent greens, 3,800 feet high in the Blue Ridge Mountains is located in the shadow of mile high Grandfather Mountain.

Charles Harrison, possibly inspired by the altitude to reach new heights, staged an amazing comeback to take the title in a 1 up- 37 hole finals duel with Walker Cup star Billy Joe Patton, of nearby Morganton. It was the closest finals since 1916, although with Patton 5 up after 19 holes and 4 up with only nine to play, looked well on the way to an easy victory over the 23- year-old Atlanta insurance man.

But Harrison came back from the dead to win the first four holes of the back nine, two with birdies and two with pars, to draw even. The next five holes were halved in one under par, forcing an extra hole.

Each was on in two and after Patton's putt from 15 feet slid by the hole Harrison rammed home his from eight feet for a birdie and the championship. He won't have to go far to defend the title in 1956. Atlanta's Druid Hills Club will be the host.

The finals match followed four days of play in which favorites fell like bowling pins, including two days of unsuccessful grappling with par and the Linville course in the 36-hole qualifying round.
Medalist honors went to Teddy Garrison, also of Morganton, a slender 18-year-old North Carolina State College rising sophomore. Garrison, with a 6 and an 8 dotting his first day's card had a whopping 78, seven over par as they began the second day's grind. He fairly flew around the mountainous layout in an amazing 31-35-66. That, by the way, was the only sub-par round in some 400 in qualifying play.

It gave Garrison a 144 total and medal by two shots over Phil Wiechman, of Harlan, Kentucky, former Wake Forest College player, whose 71 for the first round lead was the only par round in the two days.

The combination of an exacting course, fast greens and shifting, cold first day winds caused scores to fly sky high. Some of the boys called it "Windville" after that first day when play ran 13 hours.

The cutoff point was 154 for the 32-man Championship match play field. At that, five men had to playoff for the last three places and one of the victims was Eddie Merrins, of Meridian, Mississippi, 1951 runner-up to Arnold Blum, at Columbus, Georgia.

The list of those who failed to qualify included Tommy Barnes, of Atlanta, two-time winner; Dick Collord, of Columbia, Tennessee, co-medalist in 1953; and big Dave Smith, the slugging North Carolina giant from Gastonia.

The sniping of favorites began in the first round. Defending champion Joe Conrad, the San Antonio, Texas, redhead who hurried to Linville after winning the British Amateur and reaching the French Amateur semi-finals, was bounced out in his first start, as was medalist Garrison. Conrad was after a record third straight.

To complete the pattern, both giant killers were felled in their next start that very day. The travel weary Conrad, who said his opponent just "played better," lost to Jack Lumpkin, University of Georgia student, 2 and 1, and Garrison bowed before Frank Edens, of Lumberton, North Carolina, another former Wake Forest player, I up, although he came back to square the match after being four down through five holes.

In the afternoon Lumpkin was stopped by champion-to-be Harrison, 1 up and Edens fell, 2 and 1, to Atlanta's Sonny Ellis, who that morning had traveled 22 holes to put out Hillman Robbins, Jr., of Memphis. The latter match saw Ellis birdie three of the last four holes to get even on 18.

Harrison had won his morning match from James Kerr, of Knoxville, 2 and 1. Patton, meanwhile, had closed out Aubrey Rothrock, University of North Carolina player, from Spartanburg, South Carolina, 3 and 2, finishing with four birdies, and gone on to whip capable Keeley Grice, Jr., of Charlotte, 6 and 5.

Quarterfinal play saw Patton put out Memphis veteran Curtis Person, 2 and 1, ending the match with a 30-foot birdie putt, and Harrison shatter par and the hopes of Doug Sanders, former Jaycee National Junior Champion, from Cedartown, Georgia, 4 and 3.

Semi-Finals that afternoon produced a 1 up Patton victory over Mason Rudolph, of Clarksville, Tennessee, and a 3 and 2 Harrison conquest of Ed Gravely, Rocky Mount, North Carolina, who for the third time in seven weeks was a tournament semi- finalist loser. Earlier he had advanced that far in the North and South Amateur and the Carolinas Amateur.

It was then up to Harrison and Patton and they came through with a fine match to reward the hundreds who puffed up the hills after them.

Rudolph was one of many fine young collegians whose impressive play speaks well for the future of Southern Golf.

North Carolina led with 75 entries out of the 222, with Tennessee producing 38, Georgia 36, Alabama 29, South Carolina 16, and Florida 10, to lead the list.

Joe Richardson, Sr., Signal Mountain, Tennessee, won the 36- hole Senior Competition, with 162 total, to 163 for runner-up John Grant, of Chattanooga.

Tennessee won the Four-Ball Team Championship, with a 595 total, led by Mason Rudolph's 147. Harrison's 149 led Georgia to second place with 600 in a field of 22 teams.

Players and gallery were in full accord that terrific planning and work had preliminarily taken place to insure a smooth functioning Championship. In spite of the remote location, the stage was completely set to take care of the large number of contestants. Great credit should be given to H. T. Cosby, Host Club Chairman, who worked for many months in advance of the tournament with S.G.A. Officials. As always, S.G.A. Director Emeritus, Col. Lee S. Read, was a familiar sight assisting with the scoreboard procedure. The hospitality shown contestants and members of the press was outstanding and it is believed that everyone present thoroughly enjoyed a great Championship.

Match Play Results: