Youth stamped its brand on the Southern Golf Association's 56th annual tournament at Ormand Beach, Fla., June 18-23, 1962.

Only one of the eight quarter-finalists was beyond the age of 29. And the youngest of them-18-year-old George Walter (Bunky) Henry Jr., of Valdosta, Ga.-emerged as champion.

There have been teen-age Southern champions before. The most notable was Bobby Jones, who won the 1917 tourney at the age of 15. He won again three years later while still in his teens.

Whether Bunky Henry can scale the golfing heights in anything resembling the Jones manner is a question for the future to answer.

All agreed, however, he was a deserving champion of the 1962 tournament and has the characteristics of success. He hits powerful drives, accurate short irons and putts that are firm and true.

This muscular, quiet and capable golfer also is a football player and headed for Georgia Tech on a football scholarship in spite of a metal pin in his left leg as the result of an injury during the 1960 season at Valdosta High.

Henry comes from a golfing family The most famouds is his uncle, William (Dynamite) Goodloe, Jr, winner of many amateur titles and known as the Mr. 5 by 5 of golf-almost as broad as he is tall.

When the tournament began Henry was one of the unknowns in the field of 162. The favorites were Dale Morey of Morganton, N. C., the 1950 champ; Charles Harrison of Atlanta, the 1955 champ; Dudley Wysong of McKinney, Texas, runner-up in the 1961 national amatuer; J. B. (Sonny) Ellis of Atlanta, 1961 Southern runner-up, and Cobby Ware of Augusta, Ga., 1960 Southern runnerup.

Wysong didn't survive the qualifying round. After a pair of practice 68's, he lost control of his game and shot 81-77-158. It took 156 to make the 64-man championship flight.

Harrison, Morey, Ellis and Ware qualified well but none got as far as the quarter-final round in match play.

When Morey set out on the first day of qualifying, he had just arrived from a business trip to Chicago and had never seen the 6,433-yard Ellinor Village Country Club course with its tricky rolling fairways squeezed between housing developments.

Yet Morey shot a five-under-par 67, one stroke off the competitive course record. On the second day, Morey faltered for 73 and had to share medalist honors with Ellis, who shot 70- 70-140, and University of Florida student Marlen Vogt of Daytona Beach, who had 69-71.

Vogt lost his first match. Ellis, Ware and Harrison went down in their second.

When the third round started, Morey was a heavy favorite. But he, too, wound up an upset victim. Truman Connell, 45-year-old International golfer from Jupiter, Fla., sidelined Morey 2 and 1 and went on to the semifinals, where he ran into Henry.

The match between the veteran Connell and young Henry was the key to the championship. Henry took an early 3 up lead but Connell squared it at the turn.

Then the pivotal shot came at the 185-yard 12th hole, well guarded by a parallel water hazard and sand traps. Henry's tee shot snuggled up to the base of a palm tree to the left of the green and hole high. Connell's was in the fringe in front of the green and he babied it up to carefully, stopping well short of the cup.

Henry boldly clubbed his ball from beside the tree to within 18 inches of the cup. He won the hole when Connell took a bogey 4. On the succeeding hole, Connell hit out of bounds and, in effect, out of contention. Henry won 1 up.

While Henry was working his way to the final over Dillard Traynham of Greenville, S. C.; Tommy Barnes, Jr. of Atlanta; Jerry Aertgeerts of Ormond Beach; Walt Fondren of Houston, Tex., and Connell, another young man with a mission was struggling through the opposite bracket.

Davie Franklin of Statesboro, Ga., celebrated his 22nd birthday on Thursday of the tournament week, but his incentive to win went beyond the hope of giving himself a present. A member of the Duke University golf team throughout the season, he was passed over in selecting the Duke representatives in the National Collegiate tourney.

Franklin more than vindicated his ability with his determined march to the Southern final. He defeated Tommy Nicol Jr. of Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Elbert Jemison Jr., of Birmingham; William Ramsey of Shreveport, La.; Robert Hinson of Lakeland, Fla., and DeWitt T. Weaver of Mobile, Ala.

In the 36-hole final Franklin was no match for Henry, who won the second hole and led all the way. He was 3 up after nine, still 3 up after 18, 5 up after 27 and closed it out 6 and 5.

Henry was 40 yards longer off the tees and more accurate on the greens.

"If any club decided the match, it was the putter," Franklin said.

Henry finally broke his straight "poker" face into a broad smile as he held the championship trophy in the clubhouse.

Florida won the Bob Jones team trophy as the state with the four lowest qualifiers. Florida and Georgia tied with 573 and Florida won a playoff.

Match Play Results: