Widely considered to have been the greatest fourball in the history of the game, it was arranged over a few drinks prior to the Bing Crosby Pro-Am of 1956. And even with the return of the US Open to the Monterey Peninsula next week, it is believed that this celebrated golfing area will never again witness anything quite like the events of 44 years ago. The match was set up by two Cypress Point members, Eddie Lowery and George Coleman.
Lowery, a wealthy car salesman, is better remembered as the 10-year-old caddie for Francis Ouimet when he won the US Open in 1913. Anyway, in the belief that amateurs Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward could beat any opponents his friend cared to pick, the former caddie issued a $100 Nassau challenge. Coleman chose Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson. Venturi, now a veteran golf commentator with CBS, recalls Lowery approaching Nelson and saying: "The two kids want to play you and Hogan."
To which Nelson replied: "I'll play, but I don't think Hogan will." When Coleman got the same response from The Hawk, the match was on. Hogan's only stipulation was that it should be kept as quiet as possible, so a fake tee-time of 1.0 p.m. at Pebble Beach was released. They hadn't bargained, however, on Joe Solis, the caddiemaster at Cypress Point, seeing it as a golden, business opportunity. "I called people on the phone and clued them in," he admitted. "I used to sell candy out of the pro shop I ran out real early that day." The match, still remembered by Nelson as "the best fourball I ever played; in fact the best one I ever saw", got under way at 10.0 a.m. on January 11th at Cypress Point. And Venturi can recall every shot.
Picking it up at the halfway stage, he said: "We halved the front nine but Hogan holed an 85-yard wedge for eagle at the 10th and they go one up. We get to the 15th hole and we're still one down. Then Hogan and I birdie the 15th and Harvie and Byron birdie 16 and 17. "We go to 18 and Harvie and I are still one down. I'm in there about 15 feet from the flag and Hogan is about 12 feet. I drain my putt and Nelson turns to Hogan and says `OK Ben, knock this in. We need it for the win.' To which Hogan growls `I'm not about to be tied by two amateurs."
Venturi concluded: "Needless to say, he hammered it right in the heart and we lost one down. We had halved the last four holes with birdies and still lost." In fact the match produced a total of 27 birdies along with Hogan's eagle at the 10th. Hogan shot 63, Venturi 65 and Nelson and Ward shot 67 each. And for good measure, the professionals made more money out of the match than they would in the Crosby tournament, where their reward was a modest $50 each.
"Whether he wants the baton or not is another thing. I've seen players who don't want it. They don't want the responsi- bility to be the best player in the world . . . Those extra, outside pressures."
Greg Norman on what the future may hold for his brilliant fellow Australian, Aaron Baddeley.
Prize-money was a rather vague affair during the early years of the US Open. Indeed on one celebrated occasion, the winner had to give money to the US Golf Association.
It happened in 1898, when the St Andrews born professional, Fred Herd, captured the title at Myopia Hunt Club, near Boston, for a top prize of $150.
Before the presentation, however, Herd, who was as well known for his drinking exploits as for his ball striking, was required to put up a security deposit for fear he would pawn the trophy for drinking money. That, incidentally, was the first US Open to be played over 72 holes, which meant eight trips around the nine-hole Myopia layout.
Money was again an issue when Harry Vardon captured the title in 1900 at Chicago GC. This time it had to do with the fact that while Vardon collected top prize of $150, the third-place finisher, David Bell, fared considerably better. Apart from his official prize money of $125, Bell received an additional $150 for being the top finisher from the Chicago area.
Meanwhile, what Myopia lacked in length, it certainly made up for in difficulty when the championship returned there in 1908. Reminiscing about the tournament in the "Detroit News" 38 years later, Alex Ross, who was tied 23rd, said: "The rough was so thick you couldn't make your backswing. You were forced to play back on the fairway and were lucky to do so in one stroke."
He went on: "They must have used 10-ton steamrollers on the greens. They had the cups where they knew it would be toughest getting the ball in. Mike Brady (an Irish-American), took nine putts on one green. On the fourth green, which was like marble, Ernie Way hit a putt that rolled down a ridge, off the green, and into a swamp. He never found it. He was probably the only golfer who ever lost his ball in the rough after a putt."
During a visit to Lisbon a few years ago, I had the pleasure of playing the splendid Penha Longa course, which overlooks the grand prix circuit. And I had the further pleasure of meeting the resident professional whom I discovered was a Dubliner, Robert Judd, from the family more closely associated with Forrest Little. Against that background, I had a very interesting e-mail this week from a reader, Frank Cunnane.
He wrote: "During his recent visit to Portugal to meet with the president of the EU, President Clinton took time out to play Penha Longa. His playing partners were the American Ambassador and the Penha Longa professional, none other than Robert Judd." He went on: "President Clinton was very complimentary about the course (designed by Robert Trent Jones Jnr) and spoke fondly of his golfing memories of Ireland. According to Robert: `It was a pleasure to play golf with him; he was great company and a more than competent golfer."'
When the oil-rich Texan arrived at the golf course, his British opponent thought he was rather over-stating his wealth by having a servant pulling a foam-cushioned chaise-longue behind him. "Good God man, you're not going to make the poor caddie lug that couch all over the course after you," he remonstrated. "Caddie my ass," came the reply. "That's my psychiatrist."
More than 100 limited partnerships have stepped up to help strengthen the equity position of the Pebble Beach Company.
It will be recalled that the prestigious course and trimmings were bought last year by a group involving Clint Eastwood, Peter Ueberroth, Arnold Palmer and Dick Ferris for $820.
Though the list of partnerships, at $2 million each, is supposed to be a closely-guarded secret, it is known to include John Elway, the celebrated Denver NFL quarterback, and financial giant, Charles Schwab.
Meanwhile, Eastwood has announced plans for the development of another golf course in the Pebble Beach area, on 425 acres of the Del Monte Forest residential development which has been re-zoned for open space use. Ol' Clint, the one-time mayor of Carmel, has clearly come a long way since his directorial debut in the 1971 movie "Play Misty For Me", which was shot mainly in this area.
This Day In Golf History . . . On June 10th 1933, Johnny Goodman became the last amateur to win the US Open. And he did it in style, shooting a second-round 66 to equal Gene Sarazen's single-round record. Goodman, the fifth of 10 children from a poor family in Omaha, went on to capture the US Amateur in 1937. He then turned professional but with little success.
Teaser: The flow of water in a water hazard carries a ball out of bounds. May the player invoke Rule 26-1 (Ball in water hazard)?
Answer: No. Since the ball lies out of bounds, the player must proceed under Rule 27-1 (Ball lost or out of bounds). Water is not an outside agency and thus the ball would not be replaced under Rule 18-1. In a situation where it is likely that a ball may be carried out of bounds by the flow of water in a water hazard, it is suggested that a screen be installed to prevent such an occurrence.
