Rodman Wanamaker: The Man Behind the Trophy

(Plucked and updated from the ARMCHAIR GOLF archives.)

HERE’S WHAT THEY’RE PLAYING FOR in the 93rd PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club. (Plus $1.35 million, plus exemptions and endorsements galore, plus getting the major monkey off their back, if they’re Steve Stricker, Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, or others.)

Ladies and gentlemen, behold the Wanamaker Trophy. Shiny, isn’t it?

Of course, as with anything that’s 93, there’s a story behind it. It’s named after Rodman Wanamaker, a Philadelphia-born man of means who took up the cause of professional golfers when they were considered to be lowly working class and not allowed in the clubhouse or locker room. Think Walter Hagen era.

Wanamaker thought the treatment of pro golfers was wrong, so he spearheaded the formation of the PGA of America and its pros-only tournament, the PGA Championship. He launched the effort with $2,500 and ordered the silver cup. Every pro who teed off on Thursday playing for the $7.5 million purse should say a word of thanks for Rodman Wanamaker, a Princeton grad who owned the Philadelphia Evening Telegraph newspaper and financed designs for experimental seaplanes that made aviation history.

The original Wanamaker Trophy was huge—more than two feet tall and two feet wide (handle to handle) and weighing 27 pounds. That’s a lot of silver to hoist. Today the PGA of America awards a smaller replica to the winner.

Multiple Winners

Beginning in 1916, the PGA Championship was a match-play tournament until 1958 when TV helped dictate the move to stroke play. With Walter Hagen and Jack Nicklaus topping the list, following are multiple winners of the PGA Championship.

Walter Hagen 5
Jack Nicklaus 5
Tiger Woods 4
Gene Sarazen 3
Sam Snead 3
Jim Barnes 2
Leo Diegel 2
Denny Shute 2
Paul Runyan 2
Byron Nelson 2
Ben Hogan 2
Gary Player 2
Dave Stockton 2
Raymond Floyd 2
Lee Trevino 2
Larry Nelson 2
Nick Price 2
Vijay Singh 2

Notable majors winners who didn’t win the PGA Championship and wish they had: Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Nick Faldo.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Photo credit: kompuder, Flickr, Creative Commons license)

Did PGA Identity Crisis Spawn ‘Glory’s Last Shot’?

WHEN DID THE PGA CHAMPIONSHIP become known as “Glory’s Last Shot”? Did someone in Palm Beach Gardens come up with that, or maybe an ad agency?

It’s a serious question. I’ve been watching all four majors for many years and I can’t recall when I started hearing the PGA slogan. Now I hear it all the time. Too much, really.

I took to Google to investigate, a cursory research effort, I’ll admit. I didn’t come up with much. Within the first two pages of search results there are references to “Glory’s Last Shot” dating back to at least 2006. That’s as far as I looked.

A 2008 Associated Press story titled “Disrespected PGA Remains ‘Glory’s Last Shot’” touches on the issue.

“Ever since scrapping match play as its format 50 years ago, the PGA Championship has suffered an identity crisis,” reads the opening sentence.

Ah, yes. If you were picking majors the way you choose teams on a school playground, the PGA would be standing self-consciously against the chain-link fence while the Masters, U.S. Open and The Open Championship were fought over. Those three don’t have nicknames or mottos. They don’t need them.

The Masters is associated with Augusta National and Bobby Jones. The U.S. Open is often thought of as the game’s toughest challenge. The Open Championship is the world’s oldest major and the only one played on a links course.

“And what does that make the PGA Championship?” asked the AP story.

“The other one,” Geoff Ogilvy answered with a grin.

Ogilvy was quick to add that it’s still some pretty good competition, which is a bit of an understatement. The PGA Championship often has the best field in golf. And the players certainly want their name on the Wanamaker Trophy, engraved alongside Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

Any major is a career-defining or career-enhancing victory, including the PGA Championship, which went from match play to stroke play in 1958. Dow Finsterwald won that year, his only major. Bob Rosburg won the next year, his only major. Jay Hebert and Jerry Barber won the following two PGAs, their only majors.

So, yes, it’s an important major, even if it does have an identity crisis and is propped up with a slogan. I liked the PGA Championship long before it was tagged with “Glory’s Last Shot,” a phrase that I expect to hear too often this week.

−The Armchair Golfer

ARMCHAIR GOLF Roundtable: Sam Snead, Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson

(Editor’s note: In honor of Sam Snead, whose longtime golf home was The Greenbrier, site of this week’s Greenbrier Classic, I bring you the following from the ARMCHAIR GOLF archives.)

These are real quotes and comments. The questions are made up. Welcome to the ARMCHAIR GOLF roundtable.

At the roundtable:
Sam Snead – 82 PGA Tour wins, 7 majors
Ben Hogan – 64 PGA Tour wins, 9 majors
Byron Nelson – 52 PGA Tour wins, 5 majors

Q: Gentlemen, welcome. Ben, let’s start with you. After all the rounds and practice sessions, tell us something you have learned about this game.

BEN HOGAN: Golf is not a game of good shots. It’s a game of bad shots.

Q: Byron, how about you? What about the game comes to mind?

BYRON NELSON: Golf is a lot like life. When you make a decision, stick with it.

Q: Sam?

SAM SNEAD: Playing golf is like eating.

Q: Eating?

SAM SNEAD: It’s something that has to come naturally.

Q: Ben, it didn’t come naturally for you. You constantly worked at your game.

BEN HOGAN: Very few times in my life I laid off two to three days. It seemed like it took me a month to three months to get back those three days when I took a rest. It’s a tough situation. I had to practice all the time.

Q: Byron, were you a natural like Sam or did you have to work hard on your swing?

SAM SNEAD: When I swing at a golf ball right, my mind is blank and my body is loose as a goose.

Q: Uh, thanks, Sam. Byron, any swing secret?

BYRON NELSON: Swing the club as though you were driving 60 miles an hour on the freeway. Not too fast, but not deathly slow. Once in a while, if the risk isn’t great, you can push your swing to 70, but never go faster than that.

Q: Ben, it’s well known that putting was not your favorite part of the game.

BEN HOGAN: There shouldn’t be any cups, just flagsticks. And then the man who hit the most fairways and greens and got the closest to the pins would be the tournament winner.

Q: Sam, are you with Ben on this?

SAM SNEAD: I shot a wild elephant in Africa thirty yards from me, and it didn’t hit the ground until it was right at my feet. I wasn’t a bit scared. But a four-foot putt scares me to death.

Q: How about you, Byron?

BYRON NELSON: Putting affects the nerves more than anything. I would actually get nauseated over three-footers.

Q: You all had humble beginnings. Talk about that.

SAM SNEAD: People think growing up in the hills was a handicap I had to overcome. In a lot of ways it gave me an advantage that has lasted me to this day. Just like with that stick, I’d have to overcompensate for just about everything.

Q: Anybody else?

LEE TREVINO: My family was so poor they couldn’t afford any kids. The lady next door had me.

Q: Lee? I didn’t see you come in. Any final thoughts, gentlemen?

SAM SNEAD: The only reason I ever played golf in the first place was so I could afford to hunt and fish.

BYRON NELSON: I tried to give my best to golf.

BEN HOGAN: Don’t ever get old.

LEE TREVINO: The older I get, the better I used to be!

Q: Thanks to all of you.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Source: The Gigantic Book of Golf Quotations, published by Skyhorse Publishing.)

Celebrating ‘WONDER GIRL’ by Don Van Natta Jr.

WHEN A FRIEND PUBLISHES a golf-related book and you run a golf blog, you don’t attempt to write an unbiased review. You celebrate. So this is a celebration of WONDER GIRL: The Magnificent Sporting Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias by New York Times bestselling author (and friend) Don Van Natta Jr.

The truth is, I’m not much of a review writer anyway. And I’m certainly biased when it comes to Don. If you knew him and his work like I do, you might be too. Even so, Don doesn’t need my praise when heavyweights like Tom Brokaw, Jeremy Schaap and James Dodson have unanimously declared WONDER GIRL to be the definitive account of the world’s greatest female athlete, “elegantly told, funny and tragic.”

“I haven’t enjoyed a sports biography this much in years,” noted Dodson, Ben Hogan’s biographer.

The reviews will roll in and they’ll be mostly good to great, as they should be, so I’ll tell you a bit about how I met Don and was lucky enough to converse with him when he was writing Babe’s story on weekends in the summer of 2009.

Meeting Don

Don is an accidental friend, another personal example of how the virtual world of blogging can lead to a real-world friendship. During the 2008 election season, I got the crazy idea to stage a fictitious match play tournament called the Presidents Golf Championship at ARMCHAIR GOLF BLOG. Who better to have as a guest analyst than the bestselling author of First Off the Tee: Presidential Hackers, Duffers, and Cheaters from Taft to Bush? I had seen Don Van Natta’s byline on golf articles and knew about his presidential golf book.

Looking back on it now, I’m a bit surprised that I looked up the author and cold called him at his home on a Saturday morning to propose the guest analyst arrangement. Why would a bestselling author, New York Times investigative reporter and member of two Pulitzer Prize-winning teams want to have anything to do with me and my golf blog?

But I made that call and Don took it. He jumped on board and we held the tournament. It was fun. (Eisenhower upset Kennedy in the finals.) During that same time, Don’s feature on First Golfer Barack Obama appeared in Golf Digest. Since then, he has been a good friend and a generous mentor and adviser on my own writing projects.

Discovering Babe

In July 2009 I met Don at Fitzgerald’s 1928, an eatery and tavern in his former Glen Ridge, New Jersey, neighborhood. During a long, enjoyable dinner, he told me about the challenges of bringing the incomparable Babe Didrikson Zaharias to life on the page. He was striving for a folksy narrative voice that would match the bigger-than-life sports hero from little Beaumont, Texas. Later he shared early chapters with me and occasionally sent lengthy emails about his progress on the manuscript.

After reading early draft chapters, I knew this would be a special biography of an extraordinary female athlete (and golfer) who was a half century ahead of her time. I’ve since read the entire book. It’s outstanding.

Babe would probably fail as a fictional character. Who would believe that a one-woman track team could win a National AAU Championship? Or that anyone (man or woman) could excel in multiple sports, including basketball, track and field, softball, baseball, tennis and golf? Or that a woman could almost single-handedly launch a ladies professional golf tour (the LPGA) in the 1950s?

Babe did it all, won at all. She was the greatest—and told everyone she was the greatest—long before Cassius Clay (now Muhammad Ali) stepped out of a Louisville, Kentucky, gym and dazzled the world with his lightning fists and brash poetic pronouncements. Babe mowed down every foe in her path until stricken with cancer. And, as you would expect, she didn’t back down when faced with the deadly disease.

Don delivers a complete and heartfelt portrait of Babe. He doesn’t gloss over Babe’s personal flaws. He is, after all, a veteran investigative reporter. But he also has succeeded at crafting a warm, folksy narrative, just as he set out to do. WONDER GIRL lopes along as gracefully as young Babe running and hurdling the hedges in her Beaumont neighborhood.

Check out WONDER GIRL at Amazon, Little, Brown and Company (publisher), Barnes & Noble and Borders.

−The Armchair Golfer

Who Are Those Guys? Keegan Bradley Edition

IN “BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE Sundance Kid,” Butch (Paul Newman) and Sundance (Robert Redford) kept saying, “Who are those guys?” That line reminds me of the PGA Tour some weeks. Like last week, for instance.

Keegan Bradley beat Ryan Palmer in a sudden-death playoff to win the HP Byron Nelson Championship, his first PGA Tour victory. I didn’t see it, so I missed my chance to be filled in on Bradley’s bio by the CBS golf crew. I’m in total darkness. I know less about Bradley than I did about Gary Woodland, who won the Transitions Championship. I had at least heard of Woodland.

First of all, Bradley is to be congratulated. To win on the PGA Tour is a huge accomplishment under any circumstances. The 24-year-old Vermont native held it together down the stretch on a difficult golf course and beat a tour winner in a playoff. That says a lot. It has become a trend, too. Bradley is the sixth first-time winner on tour this year.

But, besides being young and from The Green Mountain State, who the heck is he? Well, he’s the nephew of LPGA Tour great Pat Bradley. I know that Bradley.

Keegan Bradley played golf at St. Johns University, not exactly a collegiate golf powerhouse. Apparently, he won his share of college tournaments. Last year he played on the Nationwide Tour, where he had a second and two thirds en route to a 14-place finish on the money list.

In his first full year on the PGA Tour, Bradley has three top tens in 16 starts. He drives it long. He’s a Boston Red Sox fan. He listed their World Series victory as his biggest thrill outside of golf. Ben Hogan and his father are in his dream foursome. And he accepts his phantom status. “Going under the radar is kind of my thing,” he said.

Bradley had done a great job of staying under the radar until yesterday’s big win on national television. Now it will be much tougher to sneak up on anyone, especially if he can keep mustering the game to close out wins on Sunday.

−The Armchair Golfer

Related:
Who Are Those Guys? Gary Woodland Edition

Book Review: ‘The Caddie Who Won the Masters’

Editor’s note: Author and golf enthusiast Roland Merullo recently reviewed bestselling author John Coyne’s latest golf novel, The Caddie Won Won the Masters. To learn more about Coyne’s book, visit JohnCoyneBooks.com or Amazon.

By Roland Merullo
Special to ARMCHAIR GOLF

IN JOHN COYNE’S SPLENDID new golf novel, The Caddie Who Won the Masters, all of the action, from first page to last, takes place at Augusta National Golf Club, site of what is arguably the most famous golf tournament on earth. Because of this, and because of Coyne’s intricate knowledge of the golf course and Masters’ history, Augusta itself shares the spotlight as the book’s main character. For those of us lucky enough to have walked those hallowed grounds, it seems perfectly appropriate that the manicured fairways and slippery greens should leap out of the background of the story and take center stage.

The plot revolves around the other main character, Tim Alexander, an aging amateur who earns a Masters’ appearance by virtue of a victory in the United States Mid-Amateur Championship. Alexander’s relationship with the game is as complex as the undulations of Augusta’s notorious greens: a young phenom, he turned his back on golf in part because of a difficult relationship with a business-obsessed father. Instead of pursuing a golf career, he’s devoted his working life to teaching English at a Midwestern university.

For most golfers an invitation to the Masters is a great honor; for Tim, it’s a kind of torment. His wife is seriously ill, and leaving her to play in a tournament he believes he has no chance of winning only brings up and intensifies his troubled history with the game.

Coyne does a very good job of smoothly bringing together Augusta and Alexander as the main elements in a stew of golf suspense and personal turmoil. As he showed in his other books in the “Caddie” series, The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan, and The Caddie Who Played with Hickory, he demonstrates a knowledge of the game that would be the envy of most golf writers. His understanding of the intricacies of golf is top-shelf, and his command of Augusta history is particularly impressive.

He does a nice job, too, of weaving a list of golf gods into the story—from Clifford Roberts and Bob Jones, who brought the tournament to life, to Ben Hogan, Bobby Locke, Jimmy Demaret and Gene Sarazen, who were winners of the coveted green jacket. These ghosts of Augusta’s past are surreal, on the one hand, but we get enough of their personal story to make them all too human, as well, and Coyne uses them deftly to demonstrate that, behind every golf legend, there is a very human tale.

In fact, though I’m a golf fanatic, what I especially liked about The Caddie Who Won the Masters, was the way the human stories are interleaved with the shot-by-shot recounting of this imaginary tournament. One of Tim’s fellow amateurs, Charlie Smith, is particularly well drawn, and his personal predicament holds up a mirror to Alexander’s own past. I would have liked to see a bit more of Alexander’s wife, and of his children especially, but in order for the book to work as well as it does, Augusta National—with its history of heartbreak and triumph—had to occupy the spotlight.

Coyne is able to let his knowledge of the game and its history serve the story rather than overwhelm it—a trick many golf novelists struggle to accomplish. The novel moves quickly, with no wasted scenes and with just enough surprises to keep the reader pleasantly off balance. For golf aficionados and lovers of the game, it makes for a very enjoyable stroll down Magnolia Lane.

Roland Merullo has published nine novels and three books of non-fiction. He is a passionate golfer, a devoted father, and a lover of good food and wine. He lives in western Massachusetts with his wife, Amanda, and their two daughters. Pay him a visit at RolandMerullo.com.

Colonial Times: A Brief History of Hogan’s Alley

(Plucked and updated from the ARMCHAIR GOLF archives.)

COLONIAL COUNTRY CLUB, SITE of this week’s Crowne Plaza Invitational, ain’t what it used to be. Not by a long shot, or, you might say, a Bubba Watson drive.

The historic layout where Ben Hogan recorded five victories is 7204 yards and plays to a par of 70. That’s short by current PGA Tour standards. Today’s bombers can drive over the doglegs and spin their short irons on the small greens. Some pros hit wedges into greens to which Hogan hit 4-irons.

Yet when Colonial first opened in the early 1940s and later began hosting the Colonial Invitational, it was considered one of the toughest courses anywhere.

Texas native and Hall of Famer Jacke Burke Jr. once said, “If you’re told to just go out and shoot par on a golf course, Colonial is the last one you’d try it on.”

Colonial was the vision of business tycoon Marvin Leonard. Leonard thought Fort Worth should have a golf course with bentgrass greens, uncommon in the Texas heat and during an era when golf course agronomy was far more primitive. Designed by John Bredemus and Perry Maxwell, Colonial opened with about 100 members in 1936. In 1941, it hosted the first U.S. Open played west of the Mississippi River.

Not coincidentally, Colonial was built for a fade, Hogan’s trademark ball flight. Of Colonial’s 14 par-4 holes, nine favored a controlled fade off the tee. “A straight ball will get you in more trouble at Colonial than any course I know,” Hogan once remarked.

One of the better players during Hogan’s heyday, 1951 winner Cary Middlecoff called Colonial the toughest par-70 in the world. This is how Middlecoff once described playing the 466-yard par-4 5th hole:

“First, I pull out two brand-new Wilson balls and throw them into the Trinity River. Then I throw up. Then I go ahead and hit my tee shot into the river.”

Strong, fit and armed with modern golf weapons, Colonial doesn’t frighten today’s tour pros. David Toms and Chez Reavie share the clubhouse lead after posting 8-under 62s. The first round is still in progress.

−The Armchair Golfer

Doug ‘About Time’ Ford Enters World Golf Hall of Fame

DOUG FORD, 88, FINALLY HAS a spot in the World Golf Hall of Fame. And not a moment too soon. When told last year by PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem he was one of six 2011 inductees, Ford replied, “About time.”

I wholeheartedly agree.

Monday night was the big night. Friend and 1968 Masters champion Bob Goalby presented Ford during the induction ceremony at the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Florida. Also enshrined were Ernie Els, Jock Hutchison, Jumbo Ozaki, the late CBS-TV pioneer Frank Chirkinian and former President George H.W. Bush.

Ford had been on the ballot before—and passed over. He expressed doubt about ever getting in and wondered why his record didn’t sway voters.

“I’ll put my record up against just about anyone’s in the Hall,” Ford told GolfChannel.com’s Randall Mell after being turned away in 2009. “I think I have a hell of a record. I don’t know what they’re looking for. I don’t know what the knock on me is, but I’m just not that enthused about it anymore. If they don’t appreciate what I’ve done, I can’t do anything about it.”

Let’s look at Ford’s record. Nineteen PGA Tour wins. Two majors: the 1957 Masters, beating Sam Snead by three shots, and the 1955 PGA Championship, beating Cary Middlecoff in the final (when the PGA was a match-play event). Also four Ryder Cup teams.

Awfully good, isn’t it?

Ford played in the era of Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Cary Middlecoff, Arnold Palmer, Julius Boros, Tommy Bolt, Gene Littler and others. All winners and tough competitors. It was back in the day when you sometimes needed to win or finish high just to make enough money to get to the next event, as Bolt told me before he died.

There were already several players in the Hall who were elected with fewer wins or majors (or both) than Ford: Tom Kite (18 wins, one major), Tommy Bolt (15 wins, one major), Bob Charles (18 wins, one major), Gene Littler (29 wins, one major) and Chi Chi Rodriguez (eight wins, no majors).

“It’s a travesty Doug’s not in,” Goalby said in recent years. “Evidently, he alienated some people.”

Probably so. Ford was known for his feisty personality. It’s part of what made him a great player. But now ruffled feathers don’t matter. The feisty Ford is in, a deserving and long overdue selection.

−The Armchair Golfer

George S. May, Hero of American Golf

Between 1941 and 1958, some of the greatest golf tournaments in America were staged just west of Chicago at Tam O’Shanter Country Club in Niles, Illinois. The man behind them was the country club owner and tournament organizer, George S. May. Golf Magazine would name May one of the “100 Heroes of American Golf.” And Senior Golfer magazine said of May, he “singlehandedly lifted golf to prominence.”

Here, in short form, is the story of May and his tournament and what he did for American golf in the Forties and Fifties. It begins with a club house fire in April of 1936 at Tam O’Shanter.

By John Coyne
Special to ARMCHAIR GOLF

GEORGE MAY HAD BEEN a member of Tam O’Shanter for over a decade and, after a devastating fire, he rallied with other members and rebuilt and remodeled the club house. Then, two years later, on July 4, 1938, the waters of the north branch of the Chicago River, which wound through the course, rose to flood stage and completely inundated the grounds and the new club house. It was then that May stepped in and took over the ownership and management of the country club.

May was a management consultant who started his business in 1925, operating out of one room of his Chicago north side apartment. Within two years he owned a building on North Shore Drive. By 1940 he employed more than 400 people and had offices in fifteen cities.

(Photo: John Coyne)

Between 1938 and 1941, May invested $500,000 in Tam O’Shanter. He was determined that the place would operate the same as any other business. May set up two corporations to operate the country club. With 80 members he formed Tam O’Shanter, Inc. holding onto 84% of the stock for himself. Next he leased the property for 50 years to the Tam O’Shanter Country Club. Meanwhile, he made himself president of both the corporation and the club.

In an article written by the great golf writer, Charles Bartlett of the Chicago Tribune, published in April, 1940, May said, “There’s no reason why a golf club should not be run successfully if it is treated as a business. You have to spend money to make money, and that is going to be our plan at Tam O’Shanter.”

May did just that. The new clubhouse had five bars, a dining room for 200 guests, and 602 lockers, 346 for men, 192 for women, and another 64 in a separate section for trade and fraternal tournaments. He next built an 80’x 35’ swimming pool; a playground for children; four tennis courts; paved parking for 254 cars, and a new caddie house. Turning to the course, May built back tees on five holes, lengthening the course from 6,395 to 6,680 yards. He built seven steel and concrete bridges across the branch of the Chicago River and raised five greens, including the short third hole, about 135 yards long, making it one of the toughest tests in Chicagoland.

Hosting the Chicago Open

Once his club house and course were ready, May turned to staging tournaments. The first was in 1940, the Chicago Open. It was being held for only the third time, and the first time on a single 18 hole course. Previously, it had been hosted by Medinah and Olympia Fields, both of which have more than one course.

This three-day tournament of four rounds drew the finest players of the age, many of whom played out the Chicago area: John Revolta, Evanston; Chick Evans, Edgewater; Tommy Armour of Medinah; Harry Cooper, Northmoor; Dick Metz, Horton Smith and Lloyd Mangrum, all from Oak Park.

Also in the field, where first prize was $1,500, with total prize money of $5,000, were Ben Hogan, Walter Hagen, Sam Snead, Johnny Bulla, Gene Sarazen, and Jimmy Demaret.

The Tam Chicago Open was won that year by local pro Dick Metz. Johnny Revolta of Evanston finished second. Third was Ben Hogan and amateur and golf writer, Jim Ferrier of Australia, who had a 66 in his first round. (In a personal note: deep in the pack that first round was Charles “Red” Dennison, of Midlothian Country Club who shot 75. “Red” was the pro at Midlothian when I first started to caddie at the club in the mid-forties.)

Following the Chicago Open, May would make his move to dominate tournament golf in America. He announced that Tam would hold its first annual Tam O’Shanter Open in 1941. Prize money would be $15,000, making it the largest purse in professional golf. (Three other events had prize money of $10,000: Miami, Los Angeles, and New Orleans.)

But for George May, this prize money was just a beginning. The best was yet to come.

The conclusion of this story will appear next Friday.

John Coyne is the author of The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan and The Caddie Who Played with Hickory. His next book, coming this spring, is The Caddie Who Won the Masters. Learn more at John Coyne Books.

New Mexico Golfer Wins Limited Edition Print of Ben Hogan

CHIP BECKNER OF ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, is the lucky winner of the drawing for the Steven Anthony Salerno limited edition print of Ben Hogan shown at right. The golf artist graciously offered to give away the print at ARMCHAIR GOLF to celebrate the introduction of his Arnold Palmer and Seve Ballesteros limited edition prints, which you can preview at his online gallery.

Chip will receive the Hogan print, numbered and signed by Steven, along with a Certificate of Authenticity. I asked Chip to share his thoughts on winning, Hogan and his golf habits:

Woohoo! I’m excited to win this beautiful and inspiring print. I’ll be proud to hang it over my dresser or in the living room where I can see it daily and be reminded of it’s message. Steven Anthony Salerno really captures the movement and spirit of the player and the game in an artful way.

Ben Hogan, Sam Snead and Byron Nelson have always been larger than life figures to me. They were near the age of 50 when I was born, so they were already legends. I can remember men debating who was the best of the three. I take each on his own merits: Ben for his incredible drive and determination, Sam for his outstanding athleticism, and Byron, my favorite, for his winning streak and for being such a gentleman.

I played golf all through my teenage years and well into my twenties. But, career and a family put an end to time for golf. I took a hiatus for twenty-two years or so. Three years ago, I took the game back up and am really enjoying it. I belong to two men’s clubs and play in plenty of tournaments.

Thank you, Steven, for this awesome prize. I will cherish it.

And I’d like to thank all the readers who entered the drawing and regularly pass by this way. Keep coming back!

−The Armchair Golfer

Win a Salerno Limited Edition Print of Ben Hogan

GOLF ARTIST STEVEN ANTHONY SALERNO is celebrating the introduction of two new limited edition golf art prints by giving away one of his Ben Hogan prints (shown at right) at ARMCHAIR GOLF.

The print is a stylized, graphic expression of Hogan hitting practice balls. As you can probably see, there’s artistic text that reads: Q: how did hogan win? A: practice & guts. The winner of a random drawing (see entry details below) will receive the print, numbered and signed by Steven, along with a Certificate of Authenticity.

Two New Limited Edition Prints

“The King” is an image of golf legend Arnold Palmer in his distinctive putting stance. The original art was drawn using oil crayons on paper combined with digital wood-grain effects, all to suggest the strength of character and working-class beginnings of the player.

“Seve” is a swing portrait of Hall of Famer Severiano Ballesteros, featuring the singular Spanish star at the top of his powerful backswing. The background theme is in red, to reflect Seve’s unique passion for the game and for life. The original art was painted with gouache on paper.

Steven Anthony Salerno golf art prints are printed on 100% cotton, acid-free archival fine art papers using vivid, permanent pigment inks. Both new prints are available in different sizes. To preview these two new prints, and to see Salerno’s complete online gallery, visit sasgolf.com.

HOW TO ENTER FREE DRAWING
(The drawing is now closed. A winner has been selected. Keep reading ARMCHAIR GOLF for more chances to win cool prizes.)
To enter the drawing for the Ben Hogan print, send an email to armchairgolfer@gmail.com that includes your name and mailing address. I’ll notify you if you’re the winner, and Steven will sign, package and ship your limited edition print. Good luck!

−The Armchair Golfer

‘Tiger vs. Jack’ and Other Golf Titles

A QUICK LIST OF golf books that have landed in my mail and email boxes in recent days.

Tiger vs. Jack: Golf’s Greatest Rivalry
By Phil Capelle
A book devoted to the rivalry between Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, golf’s two all-time greatest players, including in-depth analysis of their games, records and the eras in which they competed. Capelle is the author of Capelle on Golf, a golf blog. More

Golf Sonnets
By James Long Hale
A small book that puts Shakespeare on the golf course, with 18 entertaining 14-line sonnets that convey the wonders and trauma of the ancient game. More

The Intelligent Golfer: How to Play a Civilized Game
By Scott Martin and Bryan Curtis
A book that teaches what someone needs to know to play golf—especially handling the social nuances and getting the most enjoyment from the game both on and off the course. More

Golf Style: Homes and Collections Inspired by the Course and the Clubhouse
By Vicky Moon
Advertised as the most comprehensive book for lovers of golf and its iconic style. Includes more than 500 photos and in-depth stories about characters, courses, clubhouses, traditions, innovations and historical moments. More

Mr. Hogan, The Man I Knew
By Kris Tschetter with Steve Eubanks
Kris Tschetter is an LPGA player who chronicles her amazing friendship with, and lessons learned from, the great Ben Hogan. More

Titanic Thompson: The Man Who Bet on Everything
By Kevin Cook
A biography of the colorful Alvin “Titanic” Thompson, a legendary gambler and con man. Thompson became an adept golfer who pocketed thousands on the golf course playing from both sides of the little white ball. More

−The Armchair Golfer

Q&A: Arnold Palmer

I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY to talk to Arnold Palmer the week before Thanksgiving. In a telephone interview (he was in warm Orlando and I was in chilly Virginia), we covered a handful of topics, including the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills. This year marked the 50th anniversary of Arnold’s famous (and lone) U.S. Open victory, considered to be one of the greatest ever played. Arnold charged by 20-year-old amateur Jack Nicklaus and 47-year-old Ben Hogan, who still had plenty of game but faltered on the final holes.

The 1954 U.S. Amateur champion, Arnold turned professional and joined the tour in 1955. His first of 62 PGA Tour wins came at the 1955 Canadian Open. Following is a portion of our conversation.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: When you came out as a rookie, who were the players that you really admired and looked up to?

ARNOLD PALMER: I think Nelson and Hogan and Middlecoff and Mangrum and Snead.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: There were a bunch of good players, weren’t there?

ARNOLD PALMER: Yes, there were.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: I wonder if you remembered Harvie Ward?

ARNOLD PALMER: I played against Harvie in college. (Arnold attended Wake Forest University.)

ARMCHAIR GOLF: He was at North Carolina, wasn’t he?

ARNOLD PALMER: That’s right. The first time I played Harvie Ward, he shot 67 and I dusted him 5 and 4.

(Me laughing.)

ARMCHAIR GOLF: What kind of player was he, Arnold?

ARNOLD PALMER: He was a great player. He was a good friend and a great player.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: That’s what others have told me, too. And he continued to compete as an amateur but I’ve had people tell me that he was one of the best players in the world as an amateur in the mid 50s.

ARNOLD PALMER: That’s right.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: I wanted to ask you what life on tour was like when you first came out. I talked to Rossie [Bob Rosburg] a couple of years ago before he passed. He said he traveled with you and there was a lot of camaraderie and it was just a whole different scene back then. Can you tell me a little bit of your impressions of life on tour back in the 50s?

ARNOLD PALMER: We drove everywhere, first thing. For the first year I was on tour, I pulled a trailer. That was interesting in itself, with my wife, going from the West coast to the East coast and then up to my home. My wife said to me, “I love you and I’ll do anything you want, but I’m not going to live in a trailer ever again.” (Chuckling.)

ARMCHAIR GOLF: It was not an easy thing to do, was it?

ARNOLD PALMER: No, it sure wasn’t. It was tough.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: I look at purses where the total purse was 15, 20, 25 thousand dollars.

ARNOLD PALMER: Hell, there were only 15 money places on the tour. At every tournament, the max was 15. And 15th was $100. So, you think about that. And if you won and it was a pretty good tournament, you won $2,000.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: That was a different era, for sure. There was a nice celebration at Cherry Hills this past summer to celebrate the 50th anniversary of your [1960 U.S. Open] win there. Can you tell me what that was like for you?

ARNOLD PALMER: It was wonderful. I’m trying to think who all was there. Some of the guys that played in the Open were there. Cherry Hills did a wonderful job of putting on a big affair. The membership was sold out. We talked about the Open and some of things that happened. It was very nice.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: You probably remember quite a bit about that Open.

ARNOLD PALMER: I wouldn’t say I could give you all the details, but I remember some of things that happened. I thought I played pretty well for three rounds and nothing happened. I was just sort of in limbo. Then the last round, it all happened.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: I’ve gone over that front nine you shot on the fourth round, where you birdied something like six out of the first seven holes. I know you shot 30 on the front nine of that final round.

ARNOLD PALMER: Right.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: Do you remember when you reached that point where you thought I’m right in this and I can win it?

ARNOLD PALMER: In those days, I kind of played like I could win whatever, from anywhere. And I played a little bit that way.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: Do you think you were a little bit more focused and a better player when you played from behind?

ARNOLD PALMER: Let’s just say I never ruled out the possibility of winning. Until it was figuratively impossible, I always thought I had a shot.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: I think you were playing right behind Hogan and Nicklaus during that final round.

ARNOLD PALMER: Yeah, you’re right.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: You saw Hogan hit into the water on 17?

ARNOLD PALMER: I did. I was standing in the middle of the fairway when he hit into the water.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: And then you were probably thinking a couple of pars and you’d be in pretty good shape.

ARNOLD PALMER: I knew that I had a shot if I didn’t screw up the last two holes.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: Did you like the golf course?

ARNOLD PALMER: Cherry Hills? Very much, yes.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: And 280 ended up winning the Open, after all, Arnold. You did it.

ARNOLD PALMER: Right. (Chuckling.)

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image courtesy of Golf Channel)

Q&A: Errie Ball Turns 100

TALKING TO ERRIE BALL is like stepping into a time machine. Ball, who recently turned 100, was befriended by Bobby Jones at the 1930 British Open, the year Jones completed the Grand Slam. The Wales native came to America at Jones’s urging and took an assistant job at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. Jones later invited him to play in the first Masters in 1934. Ball is the only surviving player from that inaugural tournament at Augusta National.

(Photo: The first Masters, left to right: G. Sargent, Errie Ball, Charlie Yates, Bobby Jones. / Chicagolandgolf.com)

Errie Ball has seen and/or played with all the greats of the last 80 years, from Harry Vardon to Bobby Jones to Ben Hogan. I talked to Errie three years ago when he was only 97. He is a treasure. Following is an excerpt from our conversation.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: What was it like playing in that first Masters?

ERRIE BALL: The first Masters, they were having a lot of trouble getting it off to a good start. It was like a friendly deal. I didn’t feel too scared or nervous at all in the first one because it was more relaxed. Bob Jones made it that way. There was a lot of liquor floating around. Of course, in those days, I didn’t drink anyway. But it was more relaxing. When I played it again in 1957 it was a different story. It was really big time.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: Bobby Jones was very instrumental in your coming to America and in your golf career.

ERRIE BALL: He was. I played in the British Open the year he won at Hoylake in England. Hoylake is my family’s course where they played, and they played Hoylake and my father played there. I played quite a bit at Hoylake. I think I played two British Opens on Hoylake. But the last time was about 1936.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: Did you ever meet Harry Vardon?

ERRIE BALL: No. I saw him in the distance and watched him. My father was a good friend of Harry Vardon. He had a beautiful swing. I know that.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: Some of the more recent golf stories that have been written like The Greatest Game Ever Played are helping people understand what a great champion he was. Most people barely know of Bobby Jones but Vardon was quite something.

ERRIE BALL: He was. It’s an entirely different game today compared to those days. They played all kinds of shots. There weren’t any 150-yard markers at all and they had to just play by sight.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: Back in those early days, like you said, the pros made their own clubs. I think I read Ted Ray only carried seven or eight sticks on the golf course. So it wasn’t at all like it is now.

ERRIE BALL: You could take a five iron and play all kinds of shots with it. Go down the shaft, play the little chip shots, or shots into the wind. You could play several shots with it. It was called a mashie in those days.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: I read you were the youngest person to compete in the British Open. In 1926, I read you were either 15 or 16 years old when you played in the British Open. Is that true?

ERRIE BALL: I’m not sure about that myself. The press wrote it up that I was the youngest, but I really actually don’t remember that. I know I played in it as a boy. I must have been about 16 or 17, something like that.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: Was that in the ’26 Open or 1930?

ERRIE BALL: 1930. I played one time in the 20s in the Open, because Hoylake was fairly close to where I lived, where my family lived anyway, so we’d go over there and play.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: The first British Open you played in was 1930?

ERRIE BALL: That’s the one I remember the most. That’s the one Jones played in on the way to his Grand Slam.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: Are you still playing golf?

ERRIE BALL: I’ve had a couple of operations, double bypass, which has taken me off the golf course and I haven’t really played 18 holes in two years. But I’ve hit a lot of balls on the practice tee and still give a few lessons. I’m feeling a lot better now but I think I’ll probably start playing soon.

−The Armchair Golfer

Jim Furyk Snags PGA Player of the Year Award

CONGRATULATIONS TO JIM FURYK for winning the PGA Player of the Year, an award given by the PGA of America. Furyk earned 60 points under the PGA’s points system. Matt Kuchar and Steve Stricker each collected 50 points. Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson tallied 46 and 42 points, respectively.

Furyk ended a three-year drought when he won the Transitions Championship in March. That was just the beginning for the 40-year-old. He went on to capture the Verizon Heritage in April and the season-ending Tour Championship, making it his first three-win season in 18 years on the PGA Tour. He also won the FedEx Cup and its $10 million payoff. It was a career year for Furyk, and the player of the year award caps it off.

Kuchar won the Vardon Trophy, which is given to the player who has the lowest adjusted scoring average and has played a minimum of 60 rounds. Kuchar had a 69.61 scoring average. Stricker was a close second at 69.66.

In 2009, Tiger Woods won both the PGA Player of the Year Award and Vardon Trophy.

Ben Hogan won the inaugural PGA Player of the Year Award in 1948. Harry Cooper was the first recipient of the Vardon Trophy (named for British great Harry Vardon) in 1937.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: Keith Allison/Flickr)

‘Miracle at Merion’ and Other Titles

A HEADS UP ABOUT two recently published golf books and a popular instructional DVD that’s been out since April. (Note: These are not reviews.)

Miracle at Merion: The Inspiring Story of Ben Hogan’s Amazing Comeback and Victory at the 1950 U.S. Open
By David Barrett
Description from Amazon: Legendary sportswriter Red Smith characterized Ben Hogan’s comeback from a near-fatal automobile crash in February 1949 as “the most remarkable feat in the history of sports.” Nearly sixty years later, that statement still rings true. The crowning moment of Hogan’s comeback was his dramatic victory in the 1950 U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club near Philadelphia, where his battered legs could barely carry him on the 36-hole final day. Miracle at Merion tells the stirring story of Hogan’s triumph over adversity—the rarely-performed surgery that saved his life, the months of rehabilitation when he couldn’t even hit a golf ball, his stunning return to competition at the Los Angeles Open, and, finally, the U.S. Open triumph that returned him to the pinnacle of the game.

Opur’s Blade (Novel)
By James Ross
Description from Amazon: After the first ball is struck on the driving range, head pro J Dub Schroeder realizes that he has a child prodigy in his midst. Soon thereafter the pro shop regulars assign a nickname to the teenager. To the locals the lad becomes known as Opur because of his propensity to sink putts with an old, worn-out putter that was gathering dust in the lost-and-found barrel.

Tom Watson Lessons of a Lifetime (DVD)
(A two DVD instruction set and 16-page booklet.)
Description from WorldGolf.com: The two-DVD set’s approximately three hours of content provides the ultimate Tom Watson learning experience, covering all facets of the game—from the grip to full shots, to chipping, confident putting and effortless-looking drives, plus specialty shots including those required in strong wind conditions. Watson shares lessons learned from his childhood through competition, and gifts from the great teachers he has encountered.

−The Armchair Golfer

‘My Place at the Table’ by John Derr

I’M CONVINCED THAT JOHN DERR has more golf (and other) stories than any person I’ve encountered. The 92-year-old sports commentator has included many of them in a new volume titled My Place at the Table: Stories of Golf and Life. The introduction is penned by bestselling author James Dodson.

I came to know John through a mutual acquaintance a few years ago. Since then he has shared a handful of his memories with me. Beginning in 1935, John covered 62 Masters as a print and broadcast journalist, including the first 16 that were covered by CBS-TV.

(Photo: John Derr interviews Ben Hogan
for CBS Radio.)

In 2007, John won the prestigious Masters Major Achievement Award. I asked him at the time what it was like to cover the Masters in those earlier days.

“Exacting, frustrating, very rewarding,” John said. “I always felt fortunate to be there, seeing the play, and it was my pleasure to try to let others share my joy through my description. I was heard by many, but I always tried to put myself in the position of being a reporter for a shut-in who could not be there in person. I was telling him or her what was happening—that one person.

“My job was reporting it fairly and honestly, even though some of the golfers were especially good and close friends. As a reporter you must be neutral. You are no longer a cheering fan. Communications were critical in the early days, both for a writer and especially for a broadcaster early on. But we found a way to do it.”

When John said that some of the golfers were his friends, he was referring to men like Ben Hogan and Sam Snead. John walked every step with Hogan at Carnoustie in 1953 when the golf legend won the only British Open he ever entered. “John Derr is one of the few people I would trust to get the story right and report it as it happened,” Hogan said. Snead commented that Derr “could be counted on to get to the heart of the story.”

If you glance at the list of people John knew and covered through the years, it reads like a who’s who of the 20th century. John covered far more than golf. His reporting and life travels allowed him to cross paths with—ready?—Babe Ruth, Bobby Jones, Albert Einstein, Byron Nelson, Grace Kelly, Presidents Herbert Hoover and Dwight Eisenhower, Joe DiMaggio, Billy Graham, Mahatma Gandhi, Babe Zaharias, Bing Crosby, Rocky Marciano, Edward Murrow, Jack Dempsey, Richard Nixon, Henry Ford and every important golfer from Jones to Woods not already mentioned.

I have to admit that it boggles my mind.

“Just color me lucky,” John writes in the prologue of My Place at the Table. His memory and pen are still agile. The 100 or so stories in the book are told with clarity and a kind of offhanded charm that make the reader feel like that “one person” who is privy to an amazing little tale.

Available from Pinehurst Shop

You can’t get this book anywhere, or at Amazon—at least not yet. My Place at the Table is available at the Old Sport Gallery & Bookshop in Pinehurst, North Carolina, where John resides and still enjoys a game of golf with friends. You can contact the shop at (910) 295-9775 or oldsport@nc.rr.com.

More info:
Derr’s New Book Is By Far His Best (The Pilot)

−The Armchair Golfer

The Caddie Who Writes Golf Novels

ONE OF THE JOYS of having a golf blog is the opportunity to meet (whether online or in person) people who share a love for the game. I’ve been fortunate to connect with all types of folks in the golf world, including authors such as John Coyne. Occasionally, these new acquaintances become friends. That is certainly the case with John.

John wrote me an email a few years ago about Ben Hogan, and since then we’ve corresponded, talked on the phone and met up a few times at places such as the Masters, United States Golf Association and, last night, New York City. On a weeklong business trip, I came in from New Jersey and John traveled from his home in Westchester County. We met at the clock at Grand Central Station and headed to the Algonquin Hotel for a glass of wine, then on to a nearby Indian restaurant for a leisurely dinner.

(Photo: John Coyne)

I better explain the title of this piece. John is a longtime writer and novelist who started out in the horror genre, in which he enjoyed commercial success and cranked out more books than some people read. Yet in recent years he delved into one of his first loves: golf. There are few golf novelists, but that didn’t prevent him from starting a series of caddie novels: The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan and The Caddie Who Played with Hickory. Both were published by St. Martin’s Press (Thomas Dunne Books). Another caddie novel is on the way.

As a former caddie at Midlothian Country Club in Chicago, John knows his subject well. Both of his published novels are set at Midlothian, where John worked as a caddie for many years. I learned at dinner that John became the caddie master at Midlothian when he was 15 and oversaw 400 caddies. They ranged in age from young kids to old men. Imagine that!

John’s job at Midlothian gave him an indispensable education. First, he learned a lot about golf. Second, he observed the many differences between the privileged set and working class that are detectable in country club life. (John came from a working class family.) Third, his job at Midlothian allowed him to complete college.

Another thing I realize each time I encounter John is that we both share a deep appreciation of golf history. And, as he reminded me last night, so does his brother. The name Ed Furgol came up—his brother once caddied for Furgol—and we laughed. Who but the two of us (and maybe a handful of others) would remember or know of Ed Furgol?

It’s always good to have golf friends. But a golf friend who knows of Ed Furgol is a rare friend, indeed.

−The Armchair Golfer

Sam Snead: ‘No Man Scared Me on the Golf Course’

IT SEEMS ONLY RIGHT to mention Samuel Jackson Snead during the inaugural Greenbrier Classic because The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, was Snead’s golfing playground. I half expected Sam to return to Earth to fill out the 156-man field after Steve Marino’s last-minute withdrawal on Thursday with back spasms.

There will never be another year in golf like 1912. That was the year Snead was born. And Byron Nelson. And Ben Hogan. Three of the greatest ever came along in the span of six months and between them won 197 times on the PGA Tour. Snead was the most productive winner but won two fewer majors than Hogan. Sam’s greatest disappointment in golf was never winning the U.S. Open. He came in second on four occasions.

The following Snead comments are from his 2002 My Shot feature in Golf Digest:

People always said I had a natural swing. They thought I wasn’t a hard worker. But when I was young, I’d play and practice all day, then practice more at night by my car’s headlights.

Could I have whipped Tiger Woods? Hell, yes. In my prime I could do anything with a golf ball I wanted. No man scared me on the golf course.

I detest the fact that I endorsed cigarettes years ago; I didn’t even smoke. Lucky Strikes, Viceroys, Chesterfields, Granger Pipe tobacco—I endorsed them all. At The Greenbrier they had those ads on the walls as decoration. I made them take them all down.

I have a reputation for being tight with money, and I guess it’s accurate. But I can’t help it. The biggest Christmas I had as a kid was when I found 15 cents and a pair of socks under my breakfast plate. Poverty will make you respect money.

When Ben Hogan died, I said it felt like I’d lost a brother. Some people didn’t understand that, because Ben and I never socialized and rarely talked. But we were like brothers, because we both made the other guy better.

Snead’s longevity was legendary. Sam won his first of 82 PGA Tour events in 1937 and his last in 1965. He was also pretty efficient on his home turf, winning the West Virginia Open 17 times, his first in 1936 and 17th in 1973, a span of 37 years. Wow.

Sam Snead at The Greenbrier: A historical photo gallery

−The Armchair Golfer

U.S. Open Special Exemptions Started with Ben Hogan

HOW DOES THE USGA determine who gets a special exemption into the U.S. Open? However the USGA championship committee wants to.

Each situation has a different set of circumstances. Tom Watson was granted a special exemption this year based on the strength of his 2009 British Open performance at Turnberry. Plus, old Tom has some compelling history at Pebble Beach, where he snatched the national crown from four-time U.S. Open champion Jack Nicklaus in 1982. (I wish I had a buck for every time I’ve seen Tom’s chip-in for birdie on 17. Jack must still have nightmares 28 years later.)

Watson is a former U.S. Open champion and eight-time major winner, a sentimental favorite who can also contend at the age of 60. That’s an ideal set of circumstances for granting a special exemption.

Awarded a special exemption today, three-time major winner Vijay Singh is a fuzzier choice for me. I’m not saying I’m opposed to it, but the injury-plagued Veej, still an everyday PGA Tour player, certainly caught a break from the USGA after falling out of the top 50 in the world golf rankings. The special exemption will allow Singh to bypass a 36-hole sectional qualifier. Those aren’t fun. And his consecutive majors streak is still alive at 63 and soon to be 64.

Ben Hogan was the first player to be granted a U.S. Open special exemption in 1966. Hogan was 53 and still a good player who had the twitches on the greens. A 36-hole qualifier was out of the question 17 years after a head-on collision with a Greyhound bus banged up Hogan so severely that walking was a minor miracle. In fact, Ben had not played a U.S. Open since 1961 when he teed it up at the Olympic Club in June of ’66. How’d the old warhorse do? He finished 12th.

There were no more U.S. Open special exemptions until 1977. Now they’re doled out on an annual basis.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: Steve and Sara Emry/Flickr)