From the Links E-Book

Joshua Shifrin

• Herausgeber: The Robson Press
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

A golf hall of fame, shame, and arcane. From the Links showcases golf's greatest moments, taking us from the ancient links of Scotland in the 1800s to the sins of Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus's youngestever Grand Slam. Whimsical tales of the game's giants sit alongside ditties about less stellar toilers. Stories of triumph, holes-in-one, hilarious gaffes, heart-racing final rounds, trailblazing careers, monumental breakdowns and other incredible events no reader will ever forget: the moment when Jack 'The Golden Bear' Nicklaus and Gary 'The Black Knight' Player were attacked by killer bees; the heart-warming victory of Babe Zaharias in the 1954 US Women's Open Championship, just one month after cancer surgery; the incredible sight of four holes-in-one on the same hole in under two hours in the 1989 US Open. Golf has a singular capacity to bring out the very best and the very worst in its many enthusiasts, with all sorts of mishaps and high jinks colouring the space between tee and green. In From the Links, Joshua Shifrin affectionately guides us through the rich tapestry of golfing history with tale after notorious, infamous and beloved golfing tale.

Leseprobe

To my father, David Shifrin.

Thank you for all your love and support.

CONTENTS

Title Page

Dedication

Introduction

I’d Rather Be Fishing •Ray Ainsley, US Open

Am I Seeing Double? •John Hudson, Martini Invitational

Always Use Your Head •Andy Bean, Canadian Open

What Could Have Been •John J. McDermott Jr., US Open

No Gimmes •Andrew Kirkaldy, British Open

Killer Bees •Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, Zwartkop, South Africa

Four in One •Doug Weaver, Mark Weibe, Jerry Pate, Nick Price, US Open

Tree Hugger •Phil Rodgers, US Open

The Babe •Babe Zaharias, Legendary Female Athlete

Above Par •Jack Nicklaus, Palm Beach, Florida, Charity Event

All in a Day’s Work •Mary Bea Porter, Samaritan Turquoise Classic

A Cool Million! •Greg Norman, The Skins Game

Bosom Buddies •Hale Irwin, Sea Pines Heritage Classic

Fall from Grace •Tiger Woods, Disgraced Champion

A Family Affair •The Turnesa Family, Band of Golfing Brothers

Stop and Smell the Roses •Cyril Walker, Los Angeles Open

Sure Footed •Ernest Jones, Clayton Golf Course

Nice Guys Finish Last •Albert Andrew Watrous, PGA Championship

US Open Despair •Sam Snead, US Open

Upset •Jack Fleck and Ben Hogan, US Open

Buffalo Bill •William Earl Casper Jr., US Open

Comeback •George Duncan, British Open

Breaking the Color Barrier •Charlie Sifford, PGA Tour

Amateur Greatness •Tiger Woods, Amateur Career

Breaking Wind •Tommy “Thunder” Bolt, Memphis Open

Hack It Where It Lies •Mrs. J. F. Meehan, Shawnee Invitational for Ladies

Hot Stuff •Ken Venturi, US Open

No Guts No Glory •Phil Mickelson, The Masters and US Open

Not Bad for an Old Man •Sam Snead, Greater Greensboro Open

Snake Bite •Jimmy Stewart, Singapore Open

The Road Hole •David Ayton, British Open

Sacre Bleu! •Jean Van de Velde, British Open

Shark Bite •Greg Norman, The Masters

“What a Stupid I Am” •Roberto De Vicanezo, The Masters

Ants in My Pants •Jack Newton, Cock O’ the North Tournament

The Greatest Tournament Ever Played •Francis DeSales Ouimet, US Open

Southpaw •Wilber Artist Stackhouse, Outlandish Antics

What Goes Up Must Come Down •Robert Allan Cruickshank, US Open

Plus Fours •Payne Stewart, US Open

US Open Greatness •John Laurence Miller, US Open

The Duel in the Sun •Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson, British Open

Sand-tastic •Robert Raymond Tway IV, PGA Championship

Splish, Splash •T.J. Moore, Dryden Invitational

Pocket Panic •Cary Middlecoff, Palm Beach Round Robin Tournament

Caddie Doghouse •Eddie Martin and Byron Nelson, US Open

What a Pest •Lloyd Eugene Mangrum, US Open

Chip Shot •Larry Mize, The Masters

Master Meltdown •James B. Ferrier, The Masters

Drive for Show, Putt for Dough •Arthur D’Arcy “Bobby” Locke, Putting Streak

Grand Slam •Bobby Jones, US Open, British Open, US Amateur, and British Amateur Championships

The Streak •Byron Nelson, Consecutive Tournament Championships

The Record •Jack Nicklaus, Major Championships

From Tragedy to Triumph •Ben Hogan, Heroics on and off the Course

The Merry Mex •Lee Trevino, US Open, Canadian Open, and British Open

Take Two Aspirin •Harry Vardon, British Open

British Brilliance •Tom Watson, British Open

Tom Terrific •Tom Watson, US Open

The Haig •Walter Charles Hagen, PGA Championship

The Hustler •Walter Charles Hagen, Bravado of a Champion

Arnie’s Army •Arnold Palmer, US Open

Eighty-Two! •Sam Snead, Greater Greensboro Open

The Master of The Masters •Jack Nicklaus, The Masters

Rubber Snake •Lee Trevino, Jack Nicklaus, US Open

Forty-Footer •Jack Nicklaus, The Masters

Pump Up the Volume •Tiger Woods, TPC Scottsdale Tournament

Wonder Woman •Nancy Marie Lopez, Rookie Dominance

Seve •Severiano Ballesteros, British Open

Ryder Cup Comeback •Ben Crenshaw, Ryder Cup

The Magic Number •Annika Sorenstam, Standard Register Ping

US Open Dominance •Tiger Woods, US Open

Long John •John Patrick Daly, PGA Championship

A Day at the Beach •Gary Player, British Open

Big off the Tee •Carl Cooper, H.E.B. Texas Open

The Sweet Taste of Victory •David Duval, PGA Tour

True Greatness •Jack Nicklaus, Decades of Excellence

Temper, Temper •Brian Barnes, French Open

“The Shot Heard ’Round the World” •Gene Sarazen, The Masters

The Concession •Jack Nicklaus, Tony Jacklin, Ryder Cup

A Love Affair •Bobby Jones, St. Andrews

Always Happy •Tsuneyuki “Tommy” Nakajima, The Masters, Open Championship

Making History •Thomas Weiskopf, The Masters

Never Give Up •Mark Francis O’Meara, The Masters

World’s Longest Hole-in-One •Bill Morse, Farmington

Always Follow the Rules •Paul Farmer, Texas Open

To Be Rich •Arnold Palmer, First Million-Dollar Career

Keep On Hackin’ •John Ball Jr., British Amateur, British Open

Whiff •Al Chandler, Senior Players Championship

Repeating History •Wayne Desmond Grady, Phoenix Open, Los Angeles Open

Old-Timer •Julius Boros, US Open, PGA Championship

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner •Dorothy Iona Campbell, Golf’s Most Prolific Champion

The Low Round •Homero Blancas, Premier Invitational

Million-Dollar Shot •Sheldon George “Don” Pooley Jr., Bay Hill Classic

It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over •John Flannery, Ben Hogan Reno Open

Play On •Mike Reasor, Tallahassee Open

First Love •Maureen Riley, Western Pennsylvania District Golf Championship

For the Love of the Game •Chick Evans Jr.

Albatross •Sherri Turner, Atlanta Women’s Championship

Piggyback •Andrew Philip Parkin, British Open

War on the Shore •Hale Irwin, Bernhard Langer, Ryder Cup

Phenom •Tiger Woods, The Masters

Living Legend •Jack Nicklaus, The Masters

About the Author

Copyright

INTRODUCTION

If you are like me, dear reader, you love golf. From birdies to bogeys, chip shots to doglegs. From a 300-yard tee shot (yeah, right!) to a 3-foot knee-knocker. Is there anything better than pulling out a fairway wood on a par five, gripping and ripping, and then taking that long, glorious walk with just a putter in your hand? And then, after spending a precious few hours making your way through the trials and tribulations of the most worthwhile of endeavors, quaffing a cold one with your weekend-warrior cohorts in the nineteenth hole and discussing the intricacies of the round … I just love it all!

Yet, while every die-hard golfer will surely agree that our sport serves up a high like no other, it seems that there is little other common ground. To lay up or go for it? Five iron or three wood? Does the putt break left or right? Yet despite these differences there is one other statement that appears to be universal: that this great love of ours is the most humbling of paramours. Just at the very moment when you think you have it all figured out—I just need to keep my left arm straighter; keeping my head still is the answer; hit down on the ball. That will do it—this temperamental lover will pull the rug right from under you and leave you once again completely befuddled, yet somehow begging for more.

It has often been said that misery loves company, and this statement has never been more true than in golf. Every hacker can take solace that even the world’s best can fall apart while standing over that little, white, dimpled sphere. And it is this ever-present looming doom that makes their greatness even more spectacular. These incredibly talented men and women, with their livelihood on the line and all the pressure that goes along with it, playing their hearts out in front of, at times, millions of people, have produced some of the most riveting and unforgettable moments in all of sports. Some good moments, some great moments, and some … well … not-so-great moments. And although Forrest Gump might say, “Golf is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get,” one thing is for certain: When the question is asked, “What do you get when you put some of the world’s greatest golfers under enormous pressure with all of the competitive juices flowing in a battle on the course?” the answer is:

I’d Rather Be Fishing

Ray Ainsley, US Open

The 1938 US Open was held at the prestigious Cherry Hill Golf Club in New Jersey.

Coming into the tournament, the odds-on favorite was the venerable Ralph Guldahl. Guldahl was by most accounts the best golfer of the mid- to late 1930s, and from 1934 through 1939 he put together a total of twelve tour victories. True to form, at the 1938 event, Guldahl stormed back from four shots down on the final round to shoot a sizzling 69 and claim his first of two straight US Opens by six strokes.

Now I know what you’re thinking: “Pretty impressive, but is Guldahl’s ’38 US Open really worthy of inclusion in a compilation of golf’s most memorable moments?” You ask a good question. In actuality, the following incredible moment occurred during the seemingly benign second round, and it had nothing to do with Ralph Guldahl, but rather a journeyman golfer and club pro from Ojai, California, by the name of Ray Ainsley. Trying desperately to make the cut, Ainsley hit his approach on the par four sixteenth hole and watched hopefully as the ball sailed toward the pin. Unfortunately, he found the stream just in front of the green, and here’s where things got wild. Apparently Ainsley wasn’t aware that he could take a penalty by dropping his ball outside of the hazard, so he concluded that he would be forced to hit the ball out of the water.

Ray’s problem got worse, however. Bad enough that the ball was in the water, but in addition to that, the stream was moving fairly briskly, and it was taking the ball along with it. So while the ball drifted downstream, Ainsley took one futile hack after another, failing repeatedly to launch it onto dry land, and having to readjust his stance after every miss and then try to anticipate when to swipe at a moving target. As his score continued to balloon, the stubborn golfer stayed the course until his ball eventually, mercifully, found its way onto the green and into the hole. But before all was said and done, the California “professional” posted a 19 on the sixteenth, scoring an almost unbelievable one-hole fifteen over par! Incredibly, this infamous tally has stood the test of time and is still, as of this writing, the highest score ever recorded on an individual hole at The US Open.

After the round Ainsley was able to see the levity in the moment and even commented that he had killed a lot of fish. But when he limped into the clubhouse, the woeful golfer’s scorecard tallied up to a jaw-dropping 96!

(PS: In case there was any doubt, our aquatic hero didn’t make the cut.)

Am I Seeing Double?

John Hudson, Martini Invitational

They say that lightning never strikes twice in the same place. The following story belies that statement. We’re talking about the accomplishment of a relatively obscure fellow by the name of John Hudson who played in the European Tour in the mid-twentieth century. John was born in Wokingham, Berkshire, on August 26, 1945, and he is one of the select few who have been blessed with the talent and determination to reach golf’s highest level, having turned pro in 1964. He would play on the European Tour for three years (1971, 1974, and 1976), and while he may not have made the grandiose splash of some of his contemporaries, he was able to eke out a nice living while doing what he loved, playing golf.

The year was 1971. The setting was the Martini Invitational Golf Tournament that was held in Norwich, England. Like this story’s leading man, the Martini Invitational seems a rather minor footnote in golf history. But in its heyday the Martini Invitational was considered a respectable event with a list of winners that includes such notables as Greg Norman, Nick Faldo, and Seve Ballesteros, to name a few. The tournament held its inaugural event in 1961 and was hosted by a number of golf clubs in England, Scotland, and Wales, eventually gaining inclusion into the European tour from 1972 until finally closing its doors for good in 1983.

At the Royal Norwich Golf Club, our hero, John Hudson, stepped up to the par three, 195-yard eleventh hole. Hudson addressed his ball, adjusted for the conditions, grabbed his club, and let her fly. The crowd watched as the ball tracked directly toward the pin, and to everyone’s amazement, the result was a majestic hole-in-one! As the elated golfer picked his white jewel of perfection out of the eleventh cup, he didn’t have much time to celebrate, for there was still work to be done. Hudson made his way to the next hole, the 311-yard par four twelfth, where he once again addressed his ball, once again adjusted for the conditions, once again grabbed his club, and once again let her fly.

What happened next is the stuff of legend … a huge drive, a laser-like ball flight, and another hole-in-one, this on a par four! Incredibly, Hudson’s moment of déjà vu resulted in what is believed to be the only time in the history of the sport that a golfer has aced two consecutive holes in a professional tournament!

John Hudson went on to play on the European Seniors Tour from 1995 to 2000 and is now a teaching professional at the Rivenhall Oaks Golf Club in Witham, Essex. The Martini International is now a defunct tournament and only a distant memory. Yet it was these two incredible shots at the Martini that resulted in one of the most unforgettable moments in golf history.

Always Use Your Head

Andy Bean, Canadian Open

Thomas Andrew Bean, widely known as “Andy,” was born on March 13, 1953, in LaFayette, Georgia. It could be said that Andy was destined for a future on the links because his father was always associated with the game and even bought a golf course when Andy was fifteen. Andy fulfilled his destiny by taking up the game with a vengeance, eventually winning a spot on the University of Florida golf team, where he was part of a national collegiate championship in 1973, and later inducted into the school’s sports hall of fame. And while many athletes struggle to make the transition from college to the professional ranks, Andy Bean had no such difficulty.

As a professional, Bean flourished. He was in the top thirty-five money earners every year from 1977 to 1986 with five top-seven finishes during that span, plus two Ryder Cup memberships to boot. And although he never quite managed to earn that elusive major tournament victory, he can proudly claim three second-place finishes and a healthy stretch inside the top ten world rankings.

One wonders if Bean might still have a fleeting moment of angst about the ones that got away, but it’s a good bet that if he does, he’ll be mentally replaying the par three fifteenth hole at the 1983 Canadian Open. It was the third round at Glen Abbey’s, and after a nice tee shot, Bean missed a very makeable birdie putt, and with the frustration of the day mounting, he clearly wasn’t thinking about the official rules of golf. Had he been more focused, he may have recalled Rule 14, which clearly states that the ball must be struck with the head of the club. However, as everyone who has ever played our beloved game knows, when you’re seeing red on the course it isn’t always easy to make the prudent decision.

Obviously exasperated, Andy walked up to the ball, flipped his putter upside down, and tapped in the putt with the grip end of the club. Bean was subsequently informed that the result of this lapse in judgment was a two-stroke penalty, but the real damage wouldn’t be realized until the following day’s final round, when he came firing out of the gates and carried his momentum all the way through the round to post a record-tying 62. Incredibly, Bean’s four-day total of 279 (70, 70, 77, 62) left him just two shots off the lead. That’s right, that silly little putter flip cost him a chance at a playoff and a potential Canadian Open championship.

Since turning fifty in 2003, Bean has had renewed success on the Seniors Tour, garnering three titles to date and reportedly enjoying the good life at his home in Florida, where he enjoys hunting and fishing. But in the wee hours, when lying awake with his thoughts, one must wonder if he drifts back to that fateful day in 1983 and contemplates what might have been if he had only used his head.

What Could Have Been

John J. McDermott Jr., US Open

Among golf’s exalted names in the early twentieth century was that of a mailman’s son born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 12, 1891. John J. McDermott Jr. was a good student but dropped out of school to pursue his passion for golf, landing his first job as a club professional at the Merchantville Field Club in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Reportedly, the young McDermott took every free moment to perfect his craft. He made his way to The US Open in 1909, finishing in forty-ninth place with a rather unimpressive seventy-two-hole score of 322. But John Jr. was not one to be deterred. He kept plugging away, made vast improvements to his game, and just one year later he stunned the golf world by barely missing out on the title, losing in a three-man, eighteen-hole playoff to Alex Smith. Bolstered by his brush with greatness, he focused on the following year’s tournament, which would be held at the Chicago Golf Club, and once again found himself in a three-way playoff. But this time McDermott was able to fall back on the experience of the previous year.

The records show that John McDermott defeated George Simpson and Mike Brady in the playoff to capture his first US Open. He was just nineteen years, ten months, and twelve days old at the time, making him the youngest US Open winner to date. Furthermore, the previous sixteen US Open victors had all come from Great Britain, which made McDermott the first American to win his country’s most prestigious tournament. The golfing world duly noted McDermott’s achievement, but he was not one to sit back on his laurels.

The very next year McDermott not only defended his US Open crown, this time at the Country Club of Buffalo, New York, but in doing so became the first individual to break par over the combined four rounds in a major tournament (currently consisting of The Masters, The PGA Championship, The US Open, and The British Open, aka “The Open Championship”). Although commonplace now because of vastly improved technology in clubs and balls, shooting below par in all four rounds a hundred years ago with primitive equipment was barely short of miraculous. In an amazing display, McDermott shot a combined 294 on the par–seventy-four course for a total of two under par!

Although he was unable to defend his US Open championship in 1913, McDermott managed to secure impressive victories at The Philadelphia Open, The Shawnee Open, and The Western Open, which at the time was the second most prestigious tournament in the United States. With his stunning portfolio in hand, the young McDermott seemed to be destined to become a golf legend. Then, cruel fate arrived unannounced.

After losing to Walter Hagan at The US Open in 1914, McDermott made arrangements to compete in The British Open but showed up to the tournament too late due to complications with his travel arrangements. Then, on the return trip to America, his ship collided with another vessel in the English Channel. Although McDermott was not physically hurt, the psychological effects were devastating. Shortly after returning to the States, he passed out at the Atlantic City Country Club and never recovered mentally. At the tender age of twenty-three, he was forced to retire from the game he loved. McDermott spent most of his life in mental hospitals, rest homes, or under the care of his family.

Although his career was brief, his inspired play is often believed to be one of the reasons that golf became a premier sport in the United States. And though the world had the chance to experience John McDermott’s brilliance for only a brief moment in time, golf historian Robert Sommers has sugggested that if not for his mental health difficulties, the Philadelphia-born son of a mailman could have been one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.

No Gimmes

Andrew Kirkaldy, British Open

Like every other serious golfer in the United Kingdom, Andrew Kirkaldy, born in Scotland in 1860, had visions of winning his mother country’s championship, The British Open. He took his first crack at engraving his name on the Claret Jug in 1879 and came oh so close, tying for second at the legendary St. Andrews Club. Then, after a seventh-place finish the following year, he didn’t play the Open again until 1888, when he tied for sixth.

After several near misses, Kirkaldy must have been champing at the bit in 1889 when he made his way to the Musselburgh Links. Sure enough, he was in contention for the title on the final day of the tournament. As he played the back nine, he knew that every stroke could mean the difference between victory and defeat. So when he played the fourteenth hole and left his ball a mere 1 inch from the cup, he realized that that tiny putt would cost just as much—one stroke—as a booming drive. Perhaps he was miffed that the ball hadn’t turned over just one more time, but whatever was on his mind at the time, he took one hand off the putter as he approached the mini shot and casually prepared to tap it in.

And then …

He whiffed! Andrew Kirkaldy’s putter never touched the ball, thus resulting in a missed 1-inch putt and costing him a crucial stroke on the fourteenth hole of the final round. And as so often happens in sports, this silly, absentminded blunder came back to haunt the Scottish hopeful as he ended the round tied for the lead instead of being the outright champion. And you have probably already guessed the rest. When Willie Park Jr. defeated him in the playoff, Kirkaldy’s 1-inch mishap turned into one of the biggest gaffes in the history of golf.

Andrew Kirkaldy would continue to play the Open for years to come. All in all he had fourteen top-ten finishes, six in the top three, and claimed second place on three separate occasions. But his dream of claiming the title would never come true. In the end, after years of top-notch golf, he went out in a fizzle, actually missing the cut in 1910, his last British Open.

Killer Bees

Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, Zwartkop, South Africa

Mother Nature can turn a round of golf into a disaster. But there had never been anything quite like this episode, which occurred in 1966 in Zwartkop, South Africa, and involved a pair of living legends, Jack “The Golden Bear” Nicklaus and Gary “The Black Knight” Player. Nicklaus, an American from Columbus, Ohio, was born on January 21, 1940, and Player, a South African, was born in Johannesburg on November 1, 1935. Despite their differences in homeland and culture, the two men bonded through a shared regal status in the world of golf, Nicklaus ultimately achieving a record eighteen major victories, and Player amassing an impressive nine majors of his own.

The two future greats were involved in a six-match South African exhibition series. During a practice round in Zwartkop, Nicklaus and Player were with some friends when Nicklaus broke his driver on the sixth hole. This club was the only driver The Golden Bear had ever known as a professional, but he managed to find an acceptable substitute and showed up the next day, ready for competition. The new driver must have proved satisfactory, because the first five holes proved uneventful. But the mystical golfing gods must have been offended by the demise of the Nicklaus driver. Suddenly, on the same hole number six where Nicklaus broke his prized driver the day before, he and Player were attacked by a swarm of killer bees! The two golfers literally ran for their lives and were thankfully left unscathed as they somehow managed to evade their attackers. Then, shaken by their harrowing experience, it took them no time to decide to keep out of harm’s way, agreeing to halve the previous hole rather than risk their luck by attempting to replay it.

While Nicklaus and Player are now able to look back and see the humor in their experience, it goes without saying that this situation could have evolved into a serious calamity. While history will scarcely remember that Player got the better of Nicklaus during the six-match display, that infamous hole number six in Zwartkop will be long remembered as the spot where killer bees got the better of them both.

Four in One

Doug Weaver, Mark Weibe, Jerry Pate, Nick Price, US Open

Even during a terrible round of golf, if a player can manage to strike just one perfect shot, it can keep him or her coming back to the links time and again. And while landing a beautiful chip shot near the hole or sinking a long putt is something to relish, what most golfers fantasize about is the elusive ace, a hole-in-one. Amateurs and pros alike can play their whole lives without experiencing such a magical moment, but as they say, “one can always dream.” In terms of hard numbers, however, according to Golf Digest, the odds of a professional using say, a seven iron (that’s what we writers call foreshadowing) to hit the most coveted of shots is 3,708 to 1! And when the devilishly challenging courses at any US Open are involved, one can only assume that the odds increase tremendously.

Shift to the 1989 US Open at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. Thanks to the deluge of rain that preceded the tournament, the second-round greens were mercifully receptive, especially to the tee shots on the par three sixth hole.

The miraculous day started at 8:15 a.m., when a twenty-nine-year-old touring pro by the name of Doug Weaver used a seven iron off the elevated tee to land his ball on a slope approximately 15 feet above the hole.

And then it happened … the ball rolled back toward the pin and, you guessed it, a hole-in-one!

Barely more than one hour later, at 9:25 a.m., the thirty-one-year-old Mark Weibe made his way to the 167-yard sixth. Also using his seven iron, Weibe hit an accurate tee shot and the crowd held its breath as his ball landed about 3 feet beyond the hole.

And then it happened again … Unbelievably, Weibe’s ball spun directly back and tah-dah!—the second hole-in-one of the day!

Merely two threesomes later, Jerry Pate, the 1976 US Open champion, surveyed the scene with his club of choice, another seven iron, and at 9:50 a.m. landed his ball in a similar spot to Weibe’s ace just moments earlier.

And then it happened yet again … but unlike Weibe’s ball, which shot back toward the hole, Pate’s ball slowly drew back and crept into the cup for the third ace of the day.

Finally, Nick Price from Zimbabwe stepped up to the tee with the club du jour, a seven iron, and at 10:05 a.m. hit his tee shot on a crest of the green about 20 feet from the pin. As if drawn by a magnet of destiny, the Tour Edition 2 golf ball eased toward its resting place.

And then it happened for a fourth and final time … Price’s ball found the bottom of the cup, and for those lucky individuals who had staked out the par three sixth on Oak Hills East course, they witnessed an event that will almost certainly never happen again: four aces, on the same hole, in a major tournament, in under two hours! And if you think I’m indulging in hyperbole, according to Golf Magazine, the odds of any four golfers acing the same hole on the same day are an unimaginable 332,000 to 1!

Tree Hugger

Phil Rodgers, US Open

Phil Rodgers—a San Diego, California, native—was born on April 3, 1938, and grew up to be a golf prodigy with the talent most competitors only dream about. Playing for the University of Houston, he won the collegiate championship in 1958 and turned professional in 1962. At the time, fellow professional Paul Runyan was quoted as saying, “I’ve never seen a player with more innate ability.” Masters Champion Bob Goalby added, “He’s got confidence you can’t believe.”

As Rodgers kicked off the 1962 season at The Los Angeles Open, he was tied for the lead after 54 holes. Then in round four, serving notice to the golfing world, the self-certain rookie shot a nine under par, bogey-free round of 62 to take the tournament by an eye-popping nine strokes. His future appeared limitless; the tour seemed his for the taking.

As valuable as his gifts were, they may have been the very factors that led to Rodgers’s undoing at that year’s US Open. The site was the venerable Oakmont Country Club, located just a short drive north of the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

In the first round, things were going smoothly until Rodgers reached the par four seventeenth hole. It was there that a rare wayward shot found a somewhat unusual lie … not on the fairway, not in the rough, not in a sand trap, not even on the ground! The ball was resting high and dry in the branches of a fairway spruce!

Unfazed by a situation that would intimidate most mortals, Phil apparently had one of his famous surges of confidence. Rather than taking a drop and accepting the penalty, he opted instead to go for a minor miracle. Rodgers hacked like a lumberjack at the offensive spruce, not once, not twice, not three, but four times before liberating the ball, eventually ending the cursed hole with a quadruple bogey eight! A debacle such as this would send most golfers into a tailspin, but such was Rodgers’s moxie that he recovered his composure, lifted his game, and over the next three days found himself in the lead at two under par with just six holes to play in the final round.

Victory was in sight. Rodgers needed only a string of ho-hum pars to secure his first major victory, but at this critical point, both his great talent and supreme confidence failed him. Phil bogeyed three of the final six holes, leaving two players you may have heard of, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, tied for the lead after seventy-two holes at one under par. Nicklaus would eventually win the tournament in a playoff for his first career tour victory, the prestigious US Open. In retrospect, Rodgers’s bravado on a single hole during the first round had cost him a major title. And not only would this fiasco help Nicklaus edge out Rodgers for rookie of the year, but as everyone now knows, The Golden Bear would go on to win a record eighteen major titles whereas Phil would never obtain that elusive signature win.

Yet, Phil Rodgers did not become just a footnote in golf history. He has become a highly sought-after teacher of the game. And as fate would have it, one of Rodgers’s first students was none other than his former rival Jack Nicklaus, who credited his teacher with his winning his fourth US Open in 1980 at the ripe old age of forty.