Processing your payment, please wait.

1951 Florida Open - Miami Shores CC

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