Beware Of The Injured Golfer
Doug Sanders comes back from five-week rest because of painful wrists to win the Kemper Open
Welcome to this week’s Tour Backspin journey through the past as we go back to 1972 and the Kemper Open won by Doug Sanders. Sanders was coming off a five-week rest due to tendonitis in his wrists. The Kemper shares some DNA with the Truist Championship being played this week on the PGA TOUR. The Truist is usually held in early May Quail Hollow Country Club, home of the Kemper Open for many years. The Truist is being held at The Philadelphia Cricket Club this year because the PGA Championship is being held at Quail Hollow next week. Scroll down to learn more about how the Kemper Open played out that week in 1972.
Things are getting real interesting for the PGA Championship coming up next week. McIlroy on the quest to keep his Grand Slam for the year alive and the performances of both Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Speith at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson showed that they are ready for the season’s second major. Scheffler was just dominant in Dallas. Scroll down for my take on his week in the PGA TOUR Wrap-Up, and check out the Clips I Loved.
PAST TOUR BACKSPIN ARTICLES ON THE KEMPER OPEN
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Enjoy the golf this week from Texas.
Jim Dent (5/9/1939 - 5/2/2025)
The golf world lost another great one last week with the passing of Jim Dent. Dent came to the game of golf through the caddie ranks eventually working at Augusta National.
“It gave me everything I own,” Dent said in an interview from early 2025 with NBC BLK of his introduction to the game. “If I didn’t learn how to do caddying, I never would have been a golfer, and I never would have made the little money that I did.”
Dent went from packing a golf bag to playing professionally in a career that spanned four decades. The long-hitting Dent won 12 titles on what is now known as the Champions Tour.
Dent passed on May 2nd after suffering a stroke and was 85 years-old.
Dent is a member of the African-American Golfers Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Caddie Hall of Fame in 2022. In 2020, more than six decades after Dent started playing golf at “The Patch,” a public course in Augusta, the road to the course was named Jim Dent Way. The head pro there: Jim Dent Jr.
Read the obituary by Tod Leonard of GolfDigest.com HERE.
He will be missed.
It’s not too early to pick a winner of the PGA Championship being played at Quail Hollow Country Club in Charlotte, NC May 8-11. Scroll down and pick your winner in this week’s The Tour Backspin Poll. This week’s Vintage Ad from 1972 highlights a protein bar from Pillsbury. Scroll down to view.
The Tour Backspin Poll
In last week’s Tour Backspin Poll we asked which golf you watched on TV, the LPGA major, the Chevron Championship, or the team event on the PGA Tour, the Zurich Classic. There were 60% of respondents who tuned into the Zurich Classic while 40% watched the major on the LPGA Tour.
Who ya got in the PGA Championship? Odds courtesy of CBS Sports. Let us know in this week’s Tour Backspin Poll.
We’re playing Three Balls and a Lie in this week’s Tour Backspin Quiz. Scroll down to take the challenge. Give us your best guess in this week’s WHAT HOLE IS IT? and if you get it correct you may win prizes from the Tour Backspin Golf Shop.
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Okay, we're on the tee, let's get going.
Enjoy!
Larry Baush
Doug Sanders Returns to Form in Charlotte
Doug Sanders did not have a good 1971. He developed tendinitis in his wrists and played in pain the entire year. He fell from the top 60 and lost his exempt status and would have to rely on Monday qualifying, making the cut in the previous week’s event, and sponsor exemptions to get into tournaments.
He lost confidence in his game and his desire to win had waned. The pain in his wrists continued into the 1972 schedule. He required Novocain shots to play in the Greater Greensboro Open in April, the week before the Masters. He then left the tour taking five weeks off before returning for the Houston Open the first week of May.
“With the way I swing the club, my hands take a beating,” Sanders explained to Will Parrish of The Charlotte Observer in Charlotte, North Carolina, during the first week of May at the Kemper Open. “You watch the other pros. They’ll take a divot with a wedge, nine, or eight iron. I take ‘em with a 2-iron.”
“You can’t imagine the confidence I have knowing that I can take the club back without having tremendous pain in the wrist.”
By the time he came into Charlotte for the Kemper Open, he only had $24,891 in earnings. The Kemper was played at Quail Hollow Country Club in Charlotte, NC, a course that measures 7,278 yards and played to a par of 72.
The five-week rest did wonders for the pain in Sanders’ wrists and he finished tied for second in Houston. He followed with a fifth-place finish in Memphis and a tie for seventh in Atlanta. Making the cut in Atlanta qualified him for the Kemper Open the next week.
“You can’t imagine the confidence I have knowing that I can take the club back without having tremendous pain in the wrist,” Sanders said to Parrish.
Arnold Palmer, winless for the last 10 months, came to Charlotte ready to turn things around. In early April, he had the Greater Greensboro Open in the bag until a triple on the 16th hole in the final round gave the tournament to George Archer. He fell out of contention with another triple bogey at the Masters on the 12th hole. At the Memphis Open, two weeks before the Kemper, Palmer discovered that his $1,200 Rolex watch was missing from his bag during his final round and promptly made another triple bogey hitting his tee shot out-of-bounds. He fought back into contention but couldn’t catch the eventual winner, Lee Trevino. Palmer felt he could return to the winner’s circle if he could just eliminate the round-killing triple bogeys.
“I’ve been in the chase here a couple of times,” Palmer recalled to reporters including Ron Green of The Charlotte News. “But unfortunately, I got into the chase too late. Maybe I can get into again this week—and then do it again in a couple more weeks at the U.S. Open.”
Palmer’s 4-under par 68 in Wednesday’s pro-am, where he hit every green in regulation, gave him a great deal of confidence for the week. Bob Charles of New Zealand won low pro honors in the pro-am with a course record matching 65. The team headed by Bruce Devlin won the team event. A member of that team, Tom Carpenter, sporting an eight handicap, shot a 69, and the team finished at 15-under, one stroke short of the winning total posted by teams headed by Phil Rodgers, Tommy Aaron, Jerry McGee, and George Archer.
“Lee was right behind me and every time I made a putt he was waving his arms at me and yelling, ‘Hey, I get 3 percent.’”
Cesar Sanudo, a native of Navajoa, Mexico, used a borrowed putter from Lee Trevino to post a 65, good for a one-stroke lead over Billy Casper.
“It was really funny out there,” Sanudo, a winner of one tour title, the 1970 Azalea Open, said after his round. “Lee was right behind me and every time I made a putt he was waving his arms at me and yelling, ‘Hey, I get 3 percent.’ I said, ‘Hey, that works both ways?’”
Charles Sifford, Gibby Gilbert, and Chris Blocker all came in with a 68. Lee Trevino was in a very large group of players at 69, Palmer was in an even larger group at 70, and Sanders came in with a 71.
Casper’s 66 included two eagles, one at the 5th hole and the other at the 10th hole.
“I don’t think I’ve ever shot two eagles in one professional round before,” Casper observed after his round.
A total of 43 players broke par under beautiful blue skies while 11,000 spectators enjoyed the action.
Another 12,000 fans came to Quail Hollow, again under sunny skies, to watch the second round. Gibby Gilbert, playing in the last threesome of the day, fashioned a five-under round of 67 for a two-day total of 135 and a one-shot lead over Sanudo (71), Casper (70), and Dave Hill (66).
Gilbert had been suffering from poor putting before he received a tip from Gary Player at the Atlanta Classic that turned the situation around.
“He told me that I was moving my legs,” Gilbert told Richard Sink, sportswriter for the Charlotte Observer. “I was moving my knees in with my putt, making me miss to the right side. I’ve been working on it ever since.”
Trevino added a second 69 in the second round for a total of 138 and Sanders was another stroke back after a 68, tied with Gary Player at 139.
It took a score of 145, one-over, to make the cut and Palmer made the cut on the number after a 75. Former Kemper champions, Dale Douglass and Dick Lotz missed the cut.
There were 21,000 fans who swarmed over the grounds at Quail Hollow for Saturday’s third round and they were not disappointed as many of the players went low, although none of the players challenged Gilbert for the lead. Gilbert had a nervous 37 on the front nine before he calmed his nerves and reverted to a more aggressive mode of play to record a 34 on the back nine for a 71. His three-day total of 206 was good for a one-shot lead over Trevino (69), and Sanudo (71).
Sanders was one of the players who assaulted par shooting a 68 to join Trevino and Sanudo at 207. Others with hot rounds included Bruce Devlin (209), Tom Weiskopf (209) and Lou Graham (210), who all shot 66 and shared the $1,500 awarded for the daily low score. Graham added another $5,000 for scoring an ace on the 2nd hole (See the Bonus Story).
With a round of 73, Billy Casper joined the group at 209, as did Gary Player after a round of 70. The low rounds of the day, as well as Gilbert’s front nine struggles, tightened the tournament at the top of the leaderboard as there were 17 players within four shots of the lead. It promised to be an exciting finish on Sunday.
“Hell, that thing broke at least 30 feet.”
There was drama piled upon drama in Sunday’s final round that was witnessed by a record crowd of 23,000. Labron Harris made it to the clubhouse with a total of 277 after a sparkling 68 and he waited to see if any players behind him could match his score.
Sanders arrived at the par-5 15th hole at 11-under-par, the same score that Harris was sitting on in the clubhouse. After his second shot up to a plateau 20-yards short of the green, Sanders studied the scoreboard. Lee Trevino, playing behind Sanders, was at 12-under par. Sanders knew he had to go for broke on the finishing holes to gain two strokes to win, or one to tie Trevino.
He lofted his pitch shot onto the green where it rolled out to four feet from the hole and then knocked the birdie putt in to go to 12-under. At the final hole, Sanders hit his approach shot to the back fringe, 30 feet from the hole. He faced a ticklish downhill putt for his birdie. He stroked the tough putt in for a round of 68, and a total of 13-under 275.
“Hell, that thing broke at least 30 feet,” Sanders said of the putt.
Lee Trevino was standing in the fairway when Sanders made his putt, and he knew exactly what he needed to do to match Sanders’ 275 score—he had to birdie the hole. He fired his approach shot dead at the pin to within six feet of the hole. He lined up the putt to tie Sanders, and knew he had pulled it the second the ball left the face of the putter. It missed inches to the left of the cup.
“I knew it was a bad putt when I hit it,” Trevino admitted to reporters after the round.
“I wasn’t pulling against him, but I wasn’t pulling for him either,” Sanders said with a laugh.
Trevino won $19,950 for his runner-up finish while Harris won $12,425 for third place. Sanudo (71), Devlin (69), and Player (69) all won $7,233 for their tie for fourth place.
Sanders won $35,000, but just as important, the victory earned him a one-year exemption, a return to the Masters and Tournament of Champions, and a boost to his confidence that helped propel him to the 16th position on the leading money list with $102,253 in official earnings.
Doug Sander’s rebirth on the PGA TOUR in 1972 came as a result of being forced by injury to take a five week break from competition. In Charlotte at the Kemper Open, he gave proof to the adage “beware of the injured golfer” to win his 20th, and final, PGA TOUR event.
Coming Next Week: Al Geiberger Wins 1966 PGA Championship as golf world is rocked by tragic news
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WHAT HOLE IS IT?
Congratulations to David Rihm, winner of the WHAT HOLE IS IT? contest. David correctly identified #7 at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, TX. He beat five other correct answers in the random drawing. We’re adding more to the gift discount code to The Tour Backspin Golf Shop that David has as he is a multiple winner. We are sending discount codes to the winners of WHAT HOLE IS IT? in 2025 so that they can choose their prize from the offerings in The Tour Backspin Golf Shop, including the Tour Backspin 19th Hole Hot Sauce. Winners can combine multiple discount codes to use on a single order, and the codes never expire. When the code is redeemed, the prize will be sent with free shipping, so getting your prize will not cost you anything. Check out The Tour Backspin Golf Shop HERE.
The Herbert C. Leeds Trophy has been sent to the 2024 winner, Doug Posten, and we expect a picture of his victory pose soon.
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Here’s some more of the film that we have cleaned up and digitized for the Tony Lema documentary. If you are my age, this will bring back some memories. If you’re younger, this is how we watched lived tournament golf back in the day. Coverage started on the 16th hole. (clicking on link will open this post on the web, scroll down to video player).
Click on image to view on the web.
You can now support the induction of Tony Lema into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Sign the online petition HERE.
Tour Backspin Quiz | Three Golf Balls and a Lie
Listed are three real golf ball brands and one that is as fake as that vanity handicap your buddy has.
Continental
TruSphere
Velocite
dynaflyte
Scroll down for answer
Clips I Loved
Yikes! Surprisingly, no one was hurt.
Okay, he’s not perfect. Could have set a new 72-hole scoring record if he hadn’t schlubbed this chip.
Scottie Scheffler celebrates with family after blowing the competition away at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson.
Jordan Spieth is rounding into shape just in time for the PGA Championship. Could we have another member of the career Grand Slam club?
Byrson did not like the bunkers in Mexico.
This is as scary to watch as the emergency plane landing at the top of the clips. Power lip!
PGA TOUR Wrap-Up | THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson
Scottie Scheffler gave notice that he is ready for the second major of the year, the PGA Championship that starts May 8th at Quail Hollow Country Club in Charlotte, NC. Sheffler ran away from the field winning by a margin of eight strokes. It was a most satisfying win and not just because it was his first victory of the year. It was also a victory that came in his hometown in front of family and friends.
He put the pedal to the metal from the get-go with a first round 61 and never looked back. He added two rounds of 63, one in the second round and again in the final round. His 66 in the third round was his highest score of the week.
Scheffler admired Byron Nelson and even had a picture of him and the legend, from when he was a six-year-old.
"He was great for the game of golf,” Scheffler said when shown the photo after his victory. “He was a great person, a family man, and I'm proud to be the champion at his event."
Scheffler set tournament records with his play during the week including the lowest 72-hole total at 253, 31-under-par, which also ties the lowest all-time 72-hole score on the PGA TOUR. Justin Thomas set the record at 31-under when he won the 2017 Sony Open in Hawaii.
“It doesn’t matter where you’re playing if you’re pushing it past 30 under that’s absolutely ridiculous, and that’s what he’s doing,” Jordan Spieth said.
Scheffler went wire-to-wire for the win and is the first player to do so in the Byron Nelson since 1980.
Read more from Adam Schupak of Golfweek HERE.
Here are the final round highlights from THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson:
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Tour Backspin Quiz Answer:
We made up the Velocite golf ball.
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Bonus Story
Blind Shot
My Open Tabs
Vintage Ad
Final Thoughts
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