For the world's best golfer, the Los Angeles Open tourney was always a pesky stumbling block. Byron Nelson had never won it, actually finished out of the money (worse than 16th) five years ago. In his jinx tourney last week, played on the country's third toughest course, Perfectionist Nelson slipped on an early 18-inch putt, blamed wet turf, then rolled flawlessly home with a winning 284. Nelson's most likely challenger was not present: a hit-'em-a-mile amateur, Army Lieutenant Gary Middlecoff, who burned up the fairways while on furlough last fall.
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