The Florida Open
Qualifying Sites
Innisbrook Resort
Eligibility & Rules
Exemptions
Past Results
Sponsors
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.
 
 Related Articles

 
 Player Info
  •  

 
 Scores
Pos. Name Rd. 1 2 3 4 Tot. Winnings
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