Doug Sanders Oversleeps, Still Wins
The field included stars, grinders, and dreamers on a last chance powerdrive
We lost another giant from the golf world last week with the passing of “Little Pro” Eddie Merrins. Merrins played 82 times on the PGA TOUR, never more than 10 times a year. He qualified for the U.S. Open eight times and the PGA Championship six times and held the course record at Medinah with a 66 at the Western Open.
But he was more well known as a teacher and coach. While holding down the head pro position at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, Merrins coached the UCLA golf team from 1975 to 1989 winning the NCAA title in 1988. He coached such notables as Corey Pavin, Duffy Waldorf, and Steve Pate. He also taught many of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
When Merrins was growing frustrated with his deteriorating hand-eye coordination, he made an appointment with Dr. Robert Hepler, an L.A. ophthalmologist, for some tests. Dr. Hepler made sure to instruct Merrins to bring a driver, which the pro found strange.
“When Dr. Hepler saw me and the club, he started laughing," Merrins wrote. “‘No,’ he said, ‘I meant for you to bring a driver so you would have a ride home after the appointment.’ The story got around fast, and I became the laughingstock of the community.”
R.I.P. “Little Pro” Eddie Merrins (December 10, 1930 - November 22, 2023).
The PGA TOUR is in the Bahama Islands, at Albany, for the Hero World Challenge and Tiger is in the field! We’re turning back to the Bahama Islands Open, the last event of the 1970 PGA TOUR schedule. Scroll down to learn how Doug Sanders won the event despite a first-round hangover.
I’m so proud to have Uncorked selected as a finalist for Coyne Prize. Thank you to Tom Coyne, author of A Golf Course Called America for conceiving this prize. This is what the website says about the Coyne Prize:
“By recognizing and celebrating the best storytelling in golf, the Coyne Prize endeavors to ENCOURAGE, PROMOTE, and ADVANCE the careers of both new and established voices in the game. The Coyne Prize is awarded annually to the most exciting golf writers and creators, as deemed by a panel of golf and creative industry professionals.”
You can buy Uncorked, The Life and Times of Champagne Tony Lema on Amazon HERE.
In last week’s Tour Backspin Poll, we asked you, “Whaddya ya got, stuffing or dressing?”There were 67% of respondents had dressing made in a pan, while 33% had stuffing made inside the bird.
The Player Impact Program (PIP) results were released last week. The top five finishers were Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler. The top 20 players in the PIP standings received a combined $100 million. The metrics used for awarding this money are opaque and confusing. Is it time to end this program where the rich get richer, or is the social media engagement that results too important? Let us know in this week’s Tour Backspin Poll.
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Clips You Might Have Missed
Min Woo Lee wins in his home country.
Unfortunately, no takers to this offer.
Some days you get a caddie who makes the round just that much more enjoyable.
This week’s Vintage Ad has the 1970 version of the “BUY NOW” button—a mail-in form to order shoes. Scroll down to see.
Jim Jamieson and his powerful legs are highlighted in this week’s Swing Like a Pro feature. Scroll down to view.
We return to pastdaily.com for our live playlist this week. It’s Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young at Filmore East in 1970. This is the tour that resulted in 4-Way Street, the double-album the group put out. We’re featuring the acoustic set whish is not quite as “polished” as the commercial album version.
If you like golf history, check out the Your Golfer’s Almanac podcast. Host Michael Duranko celebrates birthdays, milestones, and other accomplishments that occurred on the day in golf history. Listen HERE.
Congratulations to Doug Poston who correctly identified #9 at Arrowhead Golf Club in Littleton, CO, in last week’s WHAT HOLE IS IT? contest. Doug beat out three other correct answers in the random drawing and a prize pack is on its way to him. Check out the 2023 leader board and scroll down for your chance to win in this week’s WHAT HOLE IS IT?
Space is filling up! Save your spot. This is a great book right in the wheelhouse of the era we cover here at Tour Backspin. You can buy the book at Amazon or Barnes and Noble and then join us For FREE, to talk about it with Patrick on the 14th. Sign up HERE.
We’re playing Five Balls and a Lie Trivia in this week’s Tour Backspin Quiz. Scroll down to play.
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Larry Baush
The Last Chance in the Bahama Islands
It is the second week of December, and the last week of the 1970 PGA TOUR schedule. The stars, the grinders, the rabbits, and the dreamers of the tour all have a reason to play in the Bahama Islands Open, a new tournament that replaced the West End Classic that was a stop on the PGA satellite Latin-American Tour.
The stars included Lee Trevino who was sitting on top of the money list, as well as the exemption point list, and had all but wrapped up the Vardon Trophy for the lowest scoring average. To Trevino, the most important of the “triple crown” was the money title.
Another star, Arnold Palmer, was a late entry looking to win his first tournament of 1970 which would keep his streak of winning at least one tournament since 1955 alive. A win on the Emerald Course at Kings Inn and Golf Club in Freeport would also give “The King” a chance at catching Trevino in the money list chase.
Two grinders, Bruce Crampton and Frank Beard, could also catch Trevino with a first or second place finish, but it would take a poor performance from Trevino. Tommy Aaron, another grinder, was entered to try to secure a year-long bonus from one of his corporate sponsors.
Jim Jamieson and Dave Eichelberger represented the rabbits as they were entered to secure their playing privileges for the 1971 season. Eichelberger sat in the 61st spot on the points list and Jamieson sat in the 63rd spot. They needed to get inside the top 60 on the list or they would be required to Monday qualify to play in events in the new year.
Dreamers included Herb Hooper in 64th place, who experienced back problems early in the year and earned no points at all in the first two months of the season. He was seemingly out of contention to get inside the top 60 until a T6 finish at the Coral Springs Open the week prior to the Bahama Islands Open gave him hope as he rose to the 64th spot. A good week in Freeport could see him squeeze into the top 60.
The biggest dreamer in the field might have been Chris Blocker, a six-year veteran on the tour, was sat in 96th place on the points list. Blocker’s cousin was Dan Blocker, star of the television show Bonanza. Blocker was looking for his own bonanza in Freeport.
Doug Sanders, a 17-time winner on the PGA TOUR, did not fit into a category; he defined his own. Coming into the week with less than $26,000 earnings for the year, and without a win since early 1967, he was still very much a self-described playboy.
“Get up in time to shave? I didn’t even get up in time to throw up. My game just isn’t geared to early morning rounds.”
Living up to his reputation, Sanders overslept and nearly missed his tee time for Thursday’s first round. He didn’t even have time to shave. He started his round at the 6,600-yard, par 72 Emerald Course with stubble on his face and bleary eyes. He took three putts on the first hole for a bogey. It didn’t matter. On the back nine he got hot with a hole-in-one on the 210-yard 15th hole where he hit a 3-iron, and then birdied the next two holes and carded a course record 66 for a one-shot lead over John Jacobs and a two-shot lead over Palmer. Chris Blocker shot a 69 and Trevino was in with a 73.
“Get up in time to shave?” Sanders asked rhetorically talking with the press. “I didn’t even get up in time to throw up. My game just isn’t geared to early morning rounds.”
Eichelberger opened with a kick-in birdie at the first but then things fell apart on his way to a 76. Hooper was even worse, coming in with a 79. Jamieson got off to a good start with a 72.
The hard-hitting Blocker made his presence known in the second round as he matched the course record with a 66 for a two-round total of 135. He birdied every par five, added a birdie by draining a 50-foot putt at the seventh hole and made another birdie at the 12th hole. He did not have a bogey on his card.
“It’s amazing how tired you can get just hitting the ball a couple more times than you did the day before.”
Palmer’s round featured five birdies, four of them on putts of less than four feet, and a double bogey on the 12th hole after hitting into an unplayable lie. He shot a 69 leaving him two shots behind Blocker. Sanders shot a 70, one behind Blocker.
“It’s amazing how tired you can get just hitting the ball a couple more times than you did the day before,” Sanders joked after his round.
Those players vying for a spot inside the top 60 on the point list helped their cause on Friday. Jamieson shot a 69 and was up among the leaders with a total of 141, while Eichelberger added a round of 70 giving him a total of 146. Hooper rekindled his chances with a round of 69 for a two-round total of 148, one shot inside the cut line.
The grinders, Beard and Crampton, were holding their own. Beard sat at 142 while Crampton was another stroke back, tied with Trevino.
Sanders woke up with plenty of time before his tee time for Saturday’s third round, but he had another problem; his wrist was painfully swollen. The pain in his wrist was a chronic condition and he administered painkillers like aspirin to try to alleviate the pain. Still, it was painful enough that he almost dropped to his knees after his tee shot on the first hole, which he then bogeyed.
Despite the pain, he was able to record a score of 68 for a 204 total and a two-stroke lead over Blocker who shot a 71. A frustrated Palmer shot a 75 and was eight off the lead. Trevino shot a 67 and climbed the leaderboard to six shots off Sander’s lead, while Jim Jamieson shot a 71 for a total of 212.
Hooper completed his fantastic comeback with a final round 69 that secured him 16th place and 52 points, just enough to pass Bob Stanton for 60th place on the points list.
Saturday was a disaster for Eichelberger who shot a 76 while Hooper shot a 68 to go six shots ahead of him. Those watching the “bubble boys” agreed that Jamieson and Hooper were virtual locks to get inside the top 60 while Eichelberger had blown it. Those observers were correct as even a good round on Sunday got Eichelberger only 54th place, good for just 16 points. He was out of the top 60.
Hooper completed his fantastic comeback with a final round 69 that secured him 16th place and 52 points, just enough to pass Bob Stanton for 60th place on the points list. Jamieson shot a final round 72, good for a tie for 10th place and moved up to 58th on the points list. Both players accomplished what they came to Bahama to accomplish.
Doug Sanders birdied the final hole to shoot a 68 and tied Blocker who finished with a 66. The two then went out for a sudden-death playoff. Sanders scored two routine pars while Blocker bunkered his second shot on the second playoff hole and had to settle for a bogey and second place. Sanders completed a surprise week that won him $26,000, more than he had won all year, while Blocker pocketed $14,800.
Trevino shot a new course record 65, as did Dick Crawford and Tommy Aaron. Trevino finished in third place securing the money title, the points title, and the Vardon Trophy for the year. Crampton shot a final round 70 for a total of 283 and a top-10 finish, while Beard finished with a 75, well down the leader board.
Palmer finished with a 69 that left him nine strokes behind Sanders. The AP report labelled it “the end of era” since it was the first time since 1955 that he had failed win an individual title.
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BONUS STORY
It is late at night, or early in the morning, the first week of September 1969 in an unnamed motel in Hartford, Connecticut and there is money on the line. Fifty bucks and a 50-foot-long hallway that is just six feet wide and seven feet tall. The hall is lined with 20 lamps, ten on each side of the wall, and a wooden door at each end.
The bet is that Doug Sanders cannot hit a golf ball down the hall and into the door on the fly without touching anything. Sanders looked over his shot and evaluated his options before selecting a 3-iron for the shot. Utilizing his short compact swing, Sanders hit the ball off the carpeted floor. It traveled straight and low before crashing into the door at the end of the hall.
As he collected his winnings, Sanders admitted that what made the shot so difficult were all the heads sticking out of the doors down the hallway along his line of flight. One of those heads belonged to Larry Hinson, a fellow touring pro.
“I saw it,” Hinson said, “but I don’t believe it.”
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WHAT HOLE IS IT?
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Tour Backspin Quiz | Five Balls and a Lie
We give you five balls from 1970 and one that is a fake. Your job is to identify the fake one.
Tom Cat
XD-300 Plus
Centaur Hi Energy
PCR
Colt
PG Cutlass
Scroll down to for answer
Swing Like a Pro
Jim Jamieson
Our friend, and ace fact-checker, Gary Plato, clarified some facts from our Bonus Story last week concerning the silver service set that Tony Lema won in the 1953 Oakland City Championship.
I sat down this morning with a cup of coffee and read your recent Tour Backspin and was especially interested in the story about Arnold Palmer and Tony Lema in 1960. As I got through the article and went down to bonus story, I noticed there was a story about Tony winning the Oakland City against John Fry. I remember that tournament. However, I didn’t play in it and you mentioned that he won a silver set in a nice wooden box from a jewelry company called Marc Weiss. You might want to check the name out. I believe it’s Mark Rice Jewelers. They were very big back in the late 50s and 60s making all kinds of different trophies for Northern California golf tournaments.
Thanks for the correction, Gary. We endeavor to be accurate and are lucky to have people who were “in the room” helping us do just that. Thanks for reading.
Blind Shot
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Remember Anthony Kim? Here’s a great story, from Golf Digest, about his generosity. Read it HERE.
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Uncorked, The Life and Times of Champagne Tony Lema tells the story of one of the tour’s biggest stars in the mid-1960s. A fascinating glimpse into the traveling caravan that was the PGA TOUR during an era where the fields were full of “Mad Men” era personalities. From a hardscrabble youth spent on the “wrong side of the tracks” in the Oakland suburb of San Leandro, to the temptations of Elko, Nevada, to the bright lights of the PGA TOUR, Uncorked tells a story of determination, redemption and, above all else, a love story that documents how Betty, Tony’s new wife, provided the direction and motivation for him to become a top star. Order on Amazon.
Uncorked, The Life and Times of Champagne Tony Lema has been named a finalist for The Coyne Prize. The Coyne Prize is awarded annually to the most exciting golf writers and creators, as deemed by a panel of golf and creative industry professionals.
WHAT IS HIP?
Rope and bucket hats in 1970.
Tour Backspin Quiz Answer:
The Centaur Hi Energy ball is faker than that handicap that won your member-guest tournament.
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Check out the Tony Lema 2024 Wall Calendar now available in the Tour Backspin Pro Shop.
The Tony Lema 2024 Wall Calendar features press photos from the 1964 Crosby Clambake (won by Lema) and Lucky International Open.
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Final Thoughts
How cool is that Anthony Kim story?
Would have loved to have been a fly on the wall for that Doug Sanders bet. See what I did there?
Wouldn’t mind having that Christmas scam pulled on me.