Thought for the Day:
Change is inevitable, except from vending machines
The victory that nearly killed him
In all the end of season excitement there have been a few events in the world of golf that I haven’t had chance to comment on – one of them being the death of Ken Venturi earlier this year. Best-known over here as a TV analyst for CBS Sports, he was more than a fine golfer but his playing career was cut short by injury and illness. In 1956 he almost won the Masters as an amateur – something that Augusta National’s founder Bobby Jones long dreamed of witnessing. Leading comfortably after three rounds, Venturi collapsed on the last day with an 80 that has been compared to Greg Norman’s similar meltdown in 1996.
Two years later he was again in contention but became embroiled in a rules controversy with Arnold Palmer that dogged him for the rest of his life. In the final round he was a stroke behind playing partner Palmer as they played the dramatic and often pivotal par three 12th. Palmer’s ball flew the green and became embedded in soft earth – heavy rains are a much more common feature of the Masters than many people appreciate. He called for a ruling and the official, Arthur Lacey of the PGA of Britain, refused to give him relief. Palmer disagreed and said he would play a second ball until a further judgement could be made – he scored a double-bogey five with his original ball, and a par three with the second. The key issue is whether or not Palmer announced his intention to play a second ball before playing the first – he says he did but Ken Venturi always maintained that he did not. Venturi also made clear, however, that he never accused Palmer of cheating but of applying the rules incorrectly – that is, making an honest mistake. But because of Palmer’s immense popularity, Venturi received a lot of unjustified criticism from Arnie’s supporters, and others who should have known better.
Despite the confusion and firmly espoused opinions on both sides, on the next hole, the par five 13th, Palmer was sufficiently focussed to land the killer blow. Venturi was obliged to lay up short of the green because of the soft underfoot conditions. Palmer recognised the moment to strike and lashed a 3-wood onto the green before rolling in his 18-foot put for an eagle three. He was then advised, on the 15th hole, that his par three on the 12th would stand so although he stumbled over the last three holes, bogeying both 16 and 18, he hung on for a one-stroke victory.
Sadly, two years later at Augusta, Arnie broke Venturi’s heart again. Ken was sitting in the clubhouse on 283 when Palmer birdied the last two holes to snatch another green jacket by a stroke. Even sadder, in 1961 Venturi was in a car crash and although his injuries were relatively minor his form subsequently dipped and he looked as if his career was going to dribble slowly away. But almost out of nowhere, it seemed, he challenged for the US Open in 1964 and was instrumental in effecting a change to the event that has become permanent. The last two rounds of that championship were played on the same day which, at Congressional CC that year saw the thermometer hit above 100F with 90% humidity. After shooting 66 in the morning, one of only eight sub-70 scores all week, Venturi was so debilitated by the conditions that the on-site doctor warned him not to carry on. But he limped through the final 18 holes, drinking copious amounts of water and wrapping wet towels around his neck, shooting 70 and winning by four. He was so near to collapse that he couldn’t pick his ball out of the hole, a task that had to be performed by playing partner Raymond Floyd. As a result of all this the USGA finally yielded to common sense and the following year ended the practice of playing the final 36 holes on the same day.
Later in 1964, the year of his US Open triumph, Venturi was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome in both wrists, which effectively ended his playing career but he went on to become a much admired broadcaster and greatly respected teacher.
Quite right, too
One other item I have been meaning to mention is that at a dinner just before the Open at Muirfield, Gary Player was asked by a TV interviewer how many sit-ups he performed a day. He replied ‘About 1200.’ The interviewer then asked Colin Montgomerie the same question and he said: ‘About 1200 fewer’.
Quote of the Week:
To get an elementary grasp of the game of golf, a human must learn, by endless practice, a continuous and subtle series of highly unnatural movements, involving about sixty-four muscles, that results in a seemingly natural swing, taking two seconds to begin and end
Alistair Cooke