The sectional qualifying system had proved its worth and was continued. Thirty-eight sections were established, and the entry rose to 2,601 with 193 qualifiers and 190 starters in the Championship proper at the Rackham Golf Course, Detroit. Robert C. Clark, 31, of St. Paul, won by defeating Michael Dietz, of Detroit, 8 and 6, in the final.

Clark faced a more stern challenge in the semi-final when he had to play 38 holes to eliminate Ed Furgol of Utica, N.Y., who was to win the Open Championship in 1954. Furgol and Worth Stimits, Jr., of Colorado Springs, Colo., had tied for the medal at 138, breaking by one stroke the record which had endured for 18 years. There was no playoff.

The qualifying deadline fell to 149, the all-time low. San Francisco won the team Championship with 435, a new low under the three-man, 36-hole system. Szwedko lost in the first round of match play.