The 1951 Florida Open Championship

Lloyd Wadkins

Lopez And Wadkins Tie In Florida Open

^{Miami Herald
August 27, 1951}

A four-foot putt by Joe Lopez, Sr. hung on the lip of the 18th cup at Miami Shores Sunday to force the Key West pro into a 295 tie with Lloyd Wadkins. Miami CC pro, in the Florida Open golf championship.

One more turn and the ball would have plopped in for a birdie-four, and a winning 294. Instead, the rivals must tee off this morning at 9 in an 18-hole scuffle to see who gets the $400 top prize, or $225 worth of consolation.

Two strokes down and six holes to play, Wadkins got back into business with a par four on the 13th, and a par five on the 16th, but there wasn’t anything that Lloyd could do to help himself at the finish.

Wadkins had misses his try for a birdie via a 10-foot putt, and it was strictly up to Lopez. It was a straight-in putt with only four inches of smooth, green grass between Joe and the championship. The ball rimmed the right side of the cup, curled back to the left and rested partially over the hole.

There were several minutes of suspense as the golfers and the 1,500 spectators waited to see if the ball would fall in. This was the most dramatic episode of a drab finish. Lopez and Wadkins had blown repeated chances after starting out tied with 218s.

Each slumped to a 37-40-77, and the leaders barely escaped being beaten by Earl Clark, Shores star, who stormed home with a par 72 for a 296 total. That gave him a leg on the Perry Willitts trophy for the low amateur.

Steve Warga, local pro, started the final round only three strokes behind, but faltered to a 78 and finished in a tie with Bill Leigh, Lakeland amateur, at 299. Two strokes back were pros Buddy Godwin, Miami Country club, and Denny Champagne, Orlando, and Bob Kurz, Biltmore amateur, with 301s.

The real champion in this tournament was the 6,607 tough Shores course. It resisted the best efforts of the par-wreckers, and the lowest scores were 70s by Henry Russell, Riviera amateur, and Champagne. The co-leaders for the 72 holes were seven over par for that distance.

Wadkins gained a stroke with a par four on the second hole, but he lost it to Lopez’ par four on the ninth.

The Florida Open championship golf trophy is now on display at the Miami Country Club because of Lloyd Wadkins scoring a pair of 37s for a 74 Monday to defeat Joe Lopez, Key West pro, by two strokes in the playoff at Miami Shores.

Pos.	Name	Rd. 1	2	3	4	Total
T1	Lloyd Wadkins, Miami	74	72	72	77	295
T1	Joe Lopez, Sr., Key West	71	73	74	77	295
3	Earl Clark, Miami Shores	72	78	73	73	296
T4	Steve Warga, Miami	76	73	72	78	299
T4	W. B. Leigh, Lakeland	71	76	77	75	299
T6	Buddy Godwin, Miami	79	71	73	78	301
T6	Denny Champagne, Orlando	75	70	79	77	301
T6	Robert L. Kurs, Miami	75	74	79	73	301
T9	Bonny Graham, Sarasota	73	74	78	76	302
T9	Dick Montney, Tampa	73	78	71	79	302
T9	Broyles Plemmons, Gainesville	72	78	75	77	302
T12	Guy Chancey, Miami	76	77	75	75	303
T12	Henry Russell, Miami	70	79	78	76	303
T12	Andrew Mocsary, St. Pete	78	73	75	77	303
15	Fred Hyatt, Miami Beach	79	78	73	74	304
T16	Burl Bolesta, Tampa	79	76	77	73	305
T16	Clyde Usina, West Palm	77	76	77	75	305
T16	Jack Payton, Tampa	76	74	76	79	305
T19	Tommy Sullivan, Miami	76	74	79	77	306
T19	Bill Stembler, Miami	72	77	78	79	306
T21	James McCoy, Hollywood	75	74	78	80	307
T21	Don Bisplinghoff, Orlando	77	78	77	75	307
T23	Bill Dettmer, Miami	76	72	77	83	308
T23	Russell DeCarteret, Miami	74	80	76	78	308
T23	B. C. Nabers, St. Pete	71	81	75	81	308
T23	Ben Owen, St. Pete	76	79	78	75	308
T27	Bill Tinder, Miami	77	79	71	82	309
T27	Jimmy Lentz, Bradenton	75	77	78	79	309
29	Lou Bateman, Ocala	75	77	78	71	311
T30	James Lee, Tallahassee	78	75	81	78	312
T30	Harvey Breaux, Miami	78	81	72	81	312
T30	David Davis, Miami	74	76	84	78	312
T33	B. B. Lotspetch, Miami	80	80	78	75	313
T33	Vic Bass, Sr., Key West	80	84	77	72	313
T35	Paul Tarnow, Tampa	79	76	80	79	314
T35	Kit Carson, Miami	78	75	81	80	314
T37	Robert Harwood, Tampa	75	82	70	88	315
T37	Lou Sabo, Miami Beach	74	81	79	81	315
T39	Gene Witzell, Key West	76	78	82	80	316
T39	Charles Derditsch, Miami	75	77	80	84	316
T41	John Cusano, Jr., Miami	79	74	83	81	317
T41	Lloyd Sparrow, Tampa	80	80	79	78	317
T41	Clint Ambrose, Miami	78	81	77	81	317
T41	Duke Warren, Ft. Pierce	80	77	82	78	317
T41	W. R. Merry, West Palm	77	83	79	78	317
T46	Bill Watts, Ft. Lauderdale	78	80	78	82	318
T46	Joel Cohen, Miami Beach	78	80	80	80	318
T46	W. F. Davey, West Palm	81	77	78	82	318
T49	Vic Bass, Jr., Lake Worth	77	81	80	81	319
T49	Frank Brown, Bartow	82	79	80	78	319
T49	H. A. Sorenson, Ft. Lauderdale	82	83	77	77	319
52	Jerry Thompson, Ft. Lauderdale	82	80	78	80	320
53	Joe Eubank, Daytona	81	77	85	78	321
54	Mac MacLaughlin, Homestead	88	77	78	79	322
T55	Bill Cuomo, West Palm	78	84	80	81	323
T55	Tim Moore, Miami	81	76	86	80	323
T55	William Graves, Miami	84	75	81	83	323
T55	Art Gleason, Miami	78	79	86	80	323
T59	Ted Tanner, Miami	84	79	80	81	324
T59	John Burt, Miami	80	78	82	84	324
61	Bob Elian, Miami	79	81	83	82	325
T62	Nick Dinardo, Miami	84	76	83	83	326
T62	Ed Sharp, Miami Shores	71	78	90	87	326
T62	Denny Felton, Miami	82	78	95	81	326
T65	Art Tracy, Homestead	82	85	83	77	327
T65	Bob Goodman, Hollywood	84	81	78	84	327
T65	Viekko Johalla, Tampa	84	80	78	85	327
68	Bill Kofoed, Miami Shores	82	82	82	82	328
T69	Joe Langner, Miami Beach	78	84	86	82	330
T69	Bill Carpenter, Miami	84	82	81	83	330
T71	Al Ponsot, Miami	82	81	84	84	331
T71	Dion Taylor, Miami Shores	81	84	84	82	331
73	Tom Cochrane, West Palm	84	85	81	82	332
T74	Larry Kilbride, Coral Gables	82	81	86	84	333
T74	Don Knight, Lakeland	81	81	90	81	333
T74	Artie Clark, Miami	81	85	85	82	333
T77	Art Woods, Miami	81	81	87	85	334
T77	William R. Center, Ft. Pierce	85	82	82	85	334
T77	John Wall, Miami Shores	83	79	86	86	334
80	Delmar Woods, Homestead	81	88	84	82	335
81	Bo Johnson, Ft. Pierce	86	81	81	88	336
82	Robert Lafferty, Miami	77	84	91	87	339
83	Robert Alderman, Delray	85	82	85	90	342
T84	Sherrill Teague, Miami	78	85	91	89	343
T84	Skip Lafferty, Jacksonville	82	84	89	88	343
T86	L. M. Hamilton, Miami	84	94	82	84	344
T86	Daniel Danton, Miami	84	82	94	84	344
88	Bob Cochrane, West Palm	87	90	80	88	345
89	Jim Voorhies, Miami	87	84	91	84	346
90	Emmett Caraker, Bartow	83	85	90	89	347
T91	John M. Henderson, Delray	89	85	85	90	349
T91	Ed Register, Ft. Pierce	86	91	89	83	349
T93	Robert Patrick, Miami	86	90	84	90	350
T93	Ben Terry, Miami Beach	83	93	84	90	350
95	Jack Schneider, Miami	87	86	94	88	355
96	Bill Luce, Miami Shores	86	94	96	88	364
97	Jack Cornelius, Homestead	87	93	98	91	369
98	Robert S. Severson, Stuart	92	91	91	101	375
99	W. H. DeCamara, Delray	102	87	100	90	379
100	Robert Florio, Tampa	100	93	95	97	385
101	David Irons, Stuart	91	93	104	102	390
102	Ted Shoemaker, Pensacola	113	104	90	93	400

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1951 Florida Open - Miami Shores CC

Lloyd Wadkins

Lopez And Wadkins Tie In Florida Open

Pos.

Name

Rd. 1

2

3

4

Total

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