Mrs. Mayberry Helps Trevino Win '74 PGA
Owner of Trevino's rental house loans him a putter that he uses to win at Tanglewood
It’s a major week! A chance to watch all the best men professional golfers compete against each other on a great course. This is what we want as golf fans, but we seem to only get it during the four majors.
With the streak that Scottie Scheffler is on, Brooks Koepka winning the latest LIV Golf event in Singapore, and Rory winning his last two starts, we should be locked and loaded for a great week of major tournament golf. Here’s hoping the weather cooperates.
Our journey through the past takes us back to 1974 and the PGA Championship at Tanglewood Park (Championship Course). The course was designed by Robert Trent Jones, and I had the honor of working with the Robert Trent Jones Society in presenting the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award to Lee Trevino. You can watch him tell the story of the final green at the 1974 PGA Championship at the end of the featured story, and we’ll be posting the complete interview on The Tour Backspin Show soon.
The PGA Championship dates back to 1916, and changed from a match play format to a stroke play format in 1958. We’re going back to 1974 when an exhausted Lee Trevino came into Tanglewood Park in Clemmons, NC, with low expectations. Scroll down to find out how a borrowed putter changed his outlook and helped him win that week. We wrote about the 1972 PGA Championship won by Gary Player, and the 1970 event where Dave Stockton won his only major championship.
Rory McIlroy turned Sunday at the Wells Fargo Championship into a back nine cakewalk. Xander Schauffele made an eagle at the 7th hole on Sunday to take a two-stroke lead. McIlroy then answered in a dominating way. Scroll down for the Clips You Might Have Missed, a few thoughts on the week from me, a recap of the tournament and highlights.
We want to hear from you in the Tour Backspin Poll, and this week’s Music Clip features a live set from Joni Mitchell and the LA Express. If you liked the album Miles of Aisles, then your going to want to watch this. Watch the unique swing of Lee Trevino as he hits a spectacular shot at Augusta in this week’s Swing Like a Pro and we bring you another tip from Tony Lema. You should be able to get this week’s WHAT HOLE IS IT? so let us know your answer and you may just win a golf swag prize pack. We’ve got some links for you in the Check it Out section and a Vintage Ad from 1974 starring Lee Trevino. Scroll down to view.
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In last week’s Tour Backspin Poll we asked “who ya got?” in the PGA Championship. Scottie Scheffler was picked the favorite by 38% of respondents while Rory McIlroy has support from 13% of respondents. Nobody is on the Jon Rahm bandwagon, but 25% of respondents are picking Brooks Koepka, the same percentage that is betting on the field.
Sticking with the PGA Championship this week, are you taking the over or the under score for the week. We’re setting the over/under at -14.5. Let us know in this week’s Tour Backspin Poll.
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Do you know what happened today in golf history? Or which famous golfer has a birthday today? Me, neither. But I do know where to go to find out. Check out the Your Golfer’s Almanac podcast. Host Michael Duranko celebrates birthdays, milestones, and other accomplishments that occurred on this day in golf history. Listen HERE.
We’re playing PGA Championship Trivia in this week’s Tour Backspin Quiz. Scroll down to play.
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Larry Baush
An Exhausted Trevino Gets Revitalized at The PGA Championship
It is Tuesday, August 6th, 1974, and the 64-page preview of the 56th PGA Championship at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons, NC, has just been delivered to subscribers of the Winston-Salem Journal and Sentinel. Clemmons was a suburb southeast of Winston-Salem and Tanglewood Park is a public park that opened in 1954.
The former trotting-horse farm was opened as a park thanks to a generous trust from the estate of tobacco tycoon W. N. Reynolds and his wife Kate. A million dollars were drawn annually from the trust to provide boating, swimming, camping, picnicking, horseback riding, tennis, and golf to over 300,000 visitors per year.
The golf course, a 36-hole facility, was designed by Robert Trent Jones. The first nine holes were opened in 1956, the last nine holes were opened in 1970. After Lanny Wadkins blistered the Championship course in the Tournament Players Division regional qualifier in 1971 with rounds of 62-68-71-68 for a total of 269, Jones came back for a redesign in 1973 to toughen up the layout in preparation for the 1974 PGA Championship.
The 64-page special section of the Journal and Sentinel had profiles of all the players considered a favorite to win the PGA Championship mixed amongst the many ads for local businesses. Gary Player, winner of the Masters and Open Championship, was considered a favorite as was the U.S. Open winner, Hale Irwin who won at Winged Foot. Johnny Miller and Hubert Green, two young guns with a combined eight wins on the year, were also looked upon as favorites.
Jack Nicklaus was coming into the week with just one victory, at the Hawaiian Open way back in February. He was looking at the PGA Championship as his last chance to add another major championship to his total of 12 as a professional.
“I missed putt after putt of around three feet. I even three-putted from 15 feet. I’m just very tired of golf right now. Nothing would please me more than taking two years off.”
Lee Trevino was also looking for a redemptive week at Tanglewood as he had only one victory for the year, at the Greater New Orleans Open in March. Even though he had earnings exceeding $100,000, he was unhappy with his game which had been inconsistent.
His game had so deserted him by the time he got to the Open Championship, at Royal Lytham and St. Anne’s, that it seemed he lost his passion for the game, and he lost his public composure, at least temporarily.
“I missed putt after putt of around three feet,” he said that week. “I even three-putted from 15 feet. I’m just very tired of golf right now. Nothing would please me more than taking two years off.”
“I feel like I’m hitting the ball better now than I did in either of those tournaments (that year’s Masters and U.S. Open). I hope I can keep it up—and make some putts.”
These sentiments came from the man sitting in the fifth position on the money earning list. Even so, he was not encouraged coming into the PGA Championship.
Arnold Palmer was looking to add a PGA Championship to his majors resume as it was the only major he had not won in his career.
“I feel like I’m hitting the ball better now than I did in either of those tournaments (that year’s Masters and U.S. Open),” he said after a practice round at Tanglewood. “I hope I can keep it up—and make some putts.”
Gary Player had two major victories for the year under his belt, the Masters and the Open Championship, and wanted to add a third title at Tanglewood.
“I am determined to be the best golfer in the world,” Player said. “I now have eight major championships. I am gaining on Jack.”
“I thought it was magnificent. Not only is it a good course, the whole environment is so beautiful. I don’t think you could play a better course. It’s the best Trent Jones course I’ve ever played.”
Player played a practice round on the Sunday before the tournament. The heavy rain that fell around the region that day did not hit Tanglewood during his round, and Player was effusive with his praise for the course.
“I thought it was magnificent,” he declared. “Not only is it a good course, the whole environment is so beautiful. I don’t think you could play a better course. It’s the best Trent Jones course I’ve ever played.”
Nicklaus arrived at Tanglewood on Tuesday and played a practice round with Palmer teeing off just after 2 pm. He would be attending the PGA Champions dinner later that evening and had to leave Palmer, and the other two players in the practice round group, Leonard Thompson, and Grier Jones, to play the last seven holes. He played five holes alone before joining another group for the last two holes and made the dinner at the appointed time.
Nicklaus also praised the course, but he added a caveat about the rough saying, “It’s the toughest rough I've ever seen, except for Muirfield. I didn’t expect the rough to be anywhere near this tough. I wasn’t in it today, but I know I’ll be in it before the week is over. And you’re not going to be able to play many shots out.”
Trevino also played a practice round on Tuesday and agreed with the other players giving the course a great review.
“Hell, everybody needs a rest. Nixon needs a rest. But that didn’t come out the way I said it.”
“I’m grinning when I see my golf ball in the fairway because I know there are going to be 15 other guys in the rough,” he said.
Trevino played 26 holes in his practice round and afterwards he put his comments at The Open Championship about a two-year break in his rear view mirror saying, “Hell, everybody needs a rest. Nixon needs a rest. But that didn’t come out the way I said it. The guy caught me after I had shot a 78 and asked me how I felt. I told him I felt terrible, that I’d like to take two years off. Then he asked me if I was going to take two years off. I answer the questions the way they are asked. If someone asks me a stupid question, I’ll give a stupid answer. Hell, who can take two years off?”
Nixon would resign the presidency two days later on the evening of the first round at Tanglewood.
Trevino then made a couple of predictions for the week.
“What I like best about the course, though, is that the emphasis is on driving,” he said. “I think Gary Player has a good chance here and Sam Snead’s going to play well.
Palmer was pleased with his practice round on Wednesday and was satisfied with his preparations.
“I feel like I’m driving pretty good,” he said. “I had a pretty good day today, a good practice round. I hope it goes that well all week.”
All the preparations had been done, all the prognosticators had spoken, predictions had been made, the course was in perfect condition (except for the greens that had gotten soft due to recent rains), and it was time to get this thing going. Palmer would tee off at 8:59 playing with Chi Chi Rodriguez and Bert Yancy. Player would go off an hour later with Grier Jones and Bert Greene, while Trevino, playing with John Schlee and Bruce Devlin, would tee off at 12:51. Nicklaus would be playing in a twosome with Bob Charles at the 1:17 tee time, and Johny Miller would be going off at 1:51 with Tommy Aaron and Miller Barber. Hubert Green had the 1:59 time playing with Tom Weiskopf and Homero Blancas.
DAY ONE
It was a dreary morning with a steady drizzle that greeted players teeing off in the morning. Soft, spongy greens threatened to force a postponement of the entire round, but the precipitation finally stopped, and the sun came out in the afternoon. Accordingly, scores were better in the afternoon wave.
Sam Snead posted the best score amongst the morning wave of players shooting a 69 that until the weather turned, looked like it would hold up as the best round of the day. Raymond Floyd, John Schlee, and Hubert Green were able to shave a stroke off Snead’s round and were co-leaders at the end of the day at 68.
The three leaders were able to avoid the rough that Floyd called, “The fairest bad rough I’ve ever seen. It’s bad for everybody. I couldn’t have driven much better.”
Floyd employed a controlled fade off the tee that he described as a “slide” to avoid the rough. He had the outright lead at the 17th hole when he finally missed the fairway, which resulted in a bogey.
Schlee, an astrology buff, credited the alignment of the moon and stars for his good opening round.
“My horoscope for the rest of the year is very good,” he explained to reporters, including Terry Oberle of the Winston-Salem Journal. “This week is good, and next week is super.”
Green played a very consistent round with four birdies and two bogeys.
“The ball just hopped real good and went in,” he said about a birdie putt on the greens that had become bumpy due to the morning rain. Green had been off the tour for the last two weeks because of National Guard drills along with relaxing at home.
“The wetness caused more problems than I thought it would.”
In addition to the 62-year-old Snead, there were five players tied for second place at 69, one-under-par. The pack included Bob Cole, Tom Watson, Eddie Pearce, Leonard Thompson, and Jack Nicklaus. Both Gary Player and Lee Trevino opened with 73s. Weiskopf had a disappointing 75, while Johnny Miller had a 71 with 17 pars and a single bogey.
Palmer played in the morning wave shooting a 72 in the damp conditions.
“The wetness caused more problems than I thought it would,” Palmer admitted after his round. “It was hard to judge iron shots. I hit a number of bad irons that I didn’t think were bad when I hit them. The greens were digging up, too. We were early and they were already bad.”
Nicklaus played a methodical round to post his one-under round with two birdies and one bogey.
“You can’t be aggressive on a golf course when the weather is like today’s,” he said after his round. “You may try something when you’ve got a real good opportunity, but with the way the ball was flying out of those lies, you couldn’t force it.”
“He hit a lot of putts that, if they had been the right speed, would have gone. He was either long or short, he could have made eight of them. His putting was really the difference.”
Lee Trevino could not make a putt on his way to a 73, but not because he was putting poorly.
John Schlee explained Trevino’s round to reporters saying, “He hit a lot of putts that, if they had been the right speed, would have gone. He was either long or short, he could have made eight of them. His putting was really the difference.”
“I hit the ball well, but I didn’t score very well,” Trevino said after his round.
Rain was predicted for Friday afternoon.
Attendance for the day was estimated to be 11,400.
DAY TWO
Lee Trevino and John Schlee, playing together along with Bruce Devlin, teed off at 8:25 and while the course was still wet from the rains, the three players stayed dry during their rounds—but just barely. Just after Schlee finished his round with a 67 for a total of 135, and Trevino did one better with a 66 to work himself to within four shots of the lead, the skies opened, and a torrential rainstorm soaked the course.
“I wanted to hit a lot of balls, but I had to cut it short because I was getting soaked.”
Gary Player arrived at the course well in advance of his 1:59 tee time with the intention of hitting a lot of balls on the practice range. The rain made him change his plans, though.
“It started pouring down when I got in the car to go to the practice range,” Player explained after his round. “I wanted to hit a lot of balls, but I had to cut it short because I was getting soaked.”
Officials decided to suspend play at that point and play was stopped for about 45 minutes. Players on the course, such as Hubert Green who was looking at a 25-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole, marked their locations and sought shelter from the storm. Once play resumed, Green sank his birdie putt and finished his round with a second straight 68 to trail Schlee by one stroke.
Player sat in the locker room to wait out the rain-delay.
“Then I sat around in the locker room in the air conditioning and got a little cold,” Player related.
The disruptions to his preparations did not seem to affect Player in the slightest. He birdied his first hole and then hit a 2-iron to within two feet for another birdie on the 3rd hole. A bogey at the 4th hole momentarily slowed him down but then he put together a string of six birdies in a seven-hole stretch. That stretch of holes, starting at the 8th hole, featured five consecutive threes.
His round almost came undone on the final four holes as he had to get up-and-down from off the green for a par at the 15th, and then he drove into a fairway bunker at the 16th hole but escaped out with a 5-iron to within six inches of the cup. On the 17th hole, his drive put him out of position, and he was only able to get his ball to the long rough fronting the green. From there he made bogey.
“I hit a good tee shot, a little too much hook,” Player said after the round. “But there’s a spot in front of that green that might cost someone the tournament. It’s the highest rough on the course.”
A routine par at the final hole gave Player a round of 64, a new competitive course record for Tanglewood. His 137 total put him two strokes off Schlee’s lead and one shot behind Green.
“You can’t beat the scoring conditions today. The ball lands on the greens and sticks—you can even do it coming out of the rough.”
Lee Trevino, playing in the morning before the rainstorm, shot a blistering 66 which was the low score for the day before Player posted his 65. Trevino’s total of 139 put him four shots behind Schlee. Jack Nicklaus had his second straight 68 and was one stroke ahead of Trevino at 138. Bobby Cole was tied with Player at 137 after shooting a 68. Frank Beard and Tommy Aaron were tied at 140 along with Sam Snead, Ray Floyd, Al Geiberger, and Leonard Thompson.
“You can’t beat the scoring conditions today,” Trevino said after his round. “The ball lands on the greens and sticks—you can even do it coming out of the rough.”
Attendance for the rainy day topped 15,000. ABC began their national coverage of the tournament with a preview show on Friday night at 10:30 pm. The national coverage was blacked out in the Winston-Salem area, but residents of Raleigh would be able to tune in as they were outside the black out zone. ABC would continue with 10-hole coverage on Saturday and Sunday.
DAY THREE
The sun finally came out for the third round on Saturday. Trevino used a putter he found in the attic of the rental house he was staying in for the week (see the Bonus Story below) and made almost everything he looked at on the greens on Saturday and shot a 68 for a three-round total of 207. He was at the top of the leaderboard with a one-stroke lead over Bobby Cole, who had a 71, and Jack Nicklaus who shot a 70. Frank Beard, with a 69, and Hubert Green with a 73 were at 209.
“It was as varied a round as I’ve had in a long time.”
Beard had a wild round with two eagles, seven bogeys, and three birdies. His eagles came at the 6th hole where he holed a wedge from 115 yards, and at the 13th hole where his 150-yard 9-iron found the bottom of the cup.
“It was as varied a round as I’ve had in a long time,” Beard understated after his round.
Gary Player could not make a putt and his 73 put him at 210 tied with Dave Hill, who shot a 67, Leonard Thompson who had a 70, and Schlee who skied to a 75.
Trevino birdied the first two holes of his round sinking putts of 12 and 15 feet. Then the putter let him down momentarily at the 4th hole where he three-putted for a double-bogey. But he came back with birdies on the 13th, 14th, 17th, and 18th holes. His only bogey came at the par 3 17th hole.
“I’m delighted to be in position to win.”
Schlee was alone in the lead after the 11th hole but then started to find the rough with his drives that led to a collapse over the final holes. He bogeyed the 12th, 13th, 17th, and 18th holes. Cole bogeyed the 8th hole and then double-bogeyed the 9th but did come back with birdies at the 10th and 14th holes. He held the lead alone after playing the 16th hole, but the two bogeys that came after left him with a 71.
Nicklaus looked like he was going to grab a share of the lead after hitting his approach shot on the 17th hole that left him with a short birdie putt. He was unable to hole the short, uphill putt and had to settle for a 70, but he was pleased with his place on the leader board.
“I’m delighted to be in position to win,” Nicklaus said after his round. “It’s been a while. It’s been a while since I haven’t needed four miracles—four 30-footers—in the last round to win. I can go out and play golf for a change. Whether I do or not is another question.”
Trevino told reporters he was going to play basketball (with Jerry West!) to wear himself out and help him sleep.
“I’m going to go for broke tomorrow. I may shoot 80 and I may shoot 65. But I’m going to go for broke.
“I’m just going to go play some basketball and maybe some tennis and out like a light after ‘Sandford and Son’,” he said.
He also laid out his plans for how he would play the final round to the assembled reporters.
“I’m going to go for broke tomorrow,” he stated. “I may shoot 80 and I may shoot 65. But I’m going to go for broke. I’ve never won the PGA and I’m not going to be in this position again for a long time.”
Attendance for the day was 18,000.
DAY FOUR
Trevino, well rested and ready to play, came out and birdied the first hole in Sunday’s final round. Cole did him one better with an eagle on the first hole and the two were now tied for the lead. It became apparent on the front nine that the tournament had boiled down to a three-way battle between Trevino, Cole, and Nicklaus. Trevino and Nicklaus were in the final group with Hubert Green while Cole was in the group in front of them.
“I was in good position after that.”
Cole followed his eagle with a birdie and two pars before he bogeyed the 5th hole. He birdied the 8th hole to tie Trevino for the lead before he bogeyed the 9th while Trevino birdied it. Nicklaus started slowly with two pars and a bogey and found himself three shots off the lead. Birdies at the 4th and 5th holes quickly got him back into contention.
“I was in good position after that,” Nicklaus later told reporters. He played even par golf from there with a three-putt bogey on the 12th followed by a birdie on the 13th hole.
Trevino stuck to his game plan of shooting at the pin and going for broke and by the time the group got to the back nine, the strategy was paying off. He hit his drives longer than Nicklaus when he had to and stuck his approach shots inside of Nicklaus. From tee to green, it was the best round of the tournament.
Once Trevino got the lead on the 9th hole, he held onto it for dear life. His only stumble came at the 17th hole where he put an immense amount of pressure on himself by three-putting for a bogey.
“I tried to hit it and completely missed it.”
Cole, playing in the group in front of Trevino, met his fate with a disaster on the 17th hole. After a bogey at the 16th hole, he hit his drive on the 17th into the trees resulting in a lie in the deep rough just in front of a tree. He couldn’t see his ball when he took his stance due to the branches of the tree obstructing his vision.
“I tried to hit it and completely missed it,” Cole explained after his round. “I tried again and just managed to get it to the fairway.”
The result was a double-bogey that ended his hopes at winning the title.
Nicklaus had the honors on the 18th tee after Trevino’s three-putt bogey at the 17th hole and he used a 3-wood to ensure hitting the fairway. Trevino took driver and hit it past Nicklaus and then knocked his approach shot inside of Nicklaus who put his approach shot to 20-feet from the hole.
“If you don’t let me putt this putt now, I’m going to pass out.”
Nicklaus’ putt slid past the hole and he marked his ball and stepped back to watch Trevino’s putt. Trevino cozied his 18-foot down the hill leaving himself a putt of only a foot. Trevino looked at Nicklaus and Green and had a favor to ask. It is customary to let your playing partners finish putting out before you sink the winning putt, but Trevino wanted to putt out.
“Listen,” Trevino said to Nicklaus and Green. “If you don’t let me putt this putt now, I’m going to pass out.”
Green and Nicklaus gave Trevino the go ahead and Trevino tapped in the short putt for the win. The win by Trevino denied Nicklaus a major championship for the year, the first time since 1969 that he failed to win at least one major championship.
“There isn’t much I can do about it,” Nicklaus said. “I don’t like to go a year without winning one, but it’s happened before and I’m sure it’ll happen again. But Lee played just about as good a round of golf as a man can play.”
Attendance for the final round was 19,000 and the total for the week was 63,800.
Sam Snead shot a final round 68 for a four-day total of 279 and a tie for third along with Hill, Cole, and Green.
“That’s a pretty good day for me,” the 62-year-old Snead said about his round.
But it was Lee Trevino, who came into the week discouraged and tired, used a found putter to outlast all his challengers on a tough Robert Trent Jones course to land his fifth major championship and took home a check of $45,000.
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BONUS STORY
Lee Trevino rented a house for the week of the 1974 PGA Championship from a Mrs. Mayberry of Clemmons, NC. He used a bedroom on the top floor, down the hall from an attic with a glass door. Trevino noticed a golf bag full of clubs in the attic. He did a double take when he saw the putter that was in the bag. It was a Wilson Designed by Arnold Palmer blade and when he took it out of the golf bag and gripped it, he realized it had the original grip that was wrapped over paper.
“I like paper under the grip,” Trevino explained to reporters on the grounds at Tanglewood. “I was looking through the attic Tuesday when I found what I wanted. Otherwise, it’s the same type of putter I’ve always putted with.”
Mrs. Mayberry came to the house that same Tuesday to collect the rent. Trevino brought up the putter.
“I didn’t mean to snoop,” Trevino told her. “But I found this putter. It’s not for sale, is it?”
Mrs. Mayberry told him that she was saving the clubs, which belonged to her deceased husband, for her teenage son, but she did tell him that he could use the putter for the week if he wanted to. Trevino put the putter in play during a practice round on Wednesday.
“It’s in a box upstairs. I call it Mrs. Mayberry.”
After Trevino fired a 66 in the second round, Mrs. Mayberry told Trevino that if he could win the tournament, the putter would be his.
Trevino went 68-69 over the weekend and beat Jack Nicklaus by one-stroke. He only had one three-putt over the 72 holes of the tournament. Trevino still has the putter.
“It’s in a box upstairs,” he says. “I call it Mrs. Mayberry.”
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WHAT HOLE IS IT?
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Congratulations to Glenn Blue who correctly identified #7 at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, NC, in last week’s WHAT HOLE IS IT? contest. Glenn beat out three other correct answers in the random drawing and a prize pack is on its way to him. Submit your answer for this week and get yourself into the race for the Herbert C. Leeds Trophy, our new perpetual trophy for the annual winner.
PGA TOUR Wrap-Up | Wells Fargo Championship
With a Signature Event played on a classic course, we got a great warm-up act for a major championship week. Rory McIlroy won his second event in a row by pulling away from Xander Schauffele on the back nine on Sunday.
Schauffele eagled the 7th hole to take a two-stroke lead and then McIlroy answered by playing the next eight holes in eight-under-par. McIlroy took a six-shot lead into the “Green Mile,” the final three holes at Quail Hollow, and won by five strokes—after a meaningless double-bogey at the final hole.
McIlroy was seen wearing a wedding ring during the final round on Sunday, but arrived at Valhalla Golf Club sans ring and announced that he filed a divorce petition against his wife of seven years, Erica.
Read the tournament recap by Adam Woodard of Golfweek USA Today HERE.
There was also an alternate event for those players who did not qualify for the Signature Event. Congrats to Chris Gotterup for winning the Myrtle Beach Classic. Gotterup blew away the field to win by six-shots.
See the top shots from both the Myrtle Beach Classic and the Wells Fargo Championship HERE.
Clips You Might Have Missed
Nice start to the day for Homa on Sunday.
What a ruling.
Let’s put Johnson Wagner on the case.
Practice round fun with Justin Rose and Shane Lowry.
Jordan Spieth pulls the string on this shot.
Love the use of the tracer down range from the tee.
Tour Backspin Quiz | Kemper Open Trivia
In the stroke play format era, where was the first PGA Championship played in the Pacific Time zone? What year was it played? Who won the event?
Scroll down for answer
Swing Like a Pro
Lee Trevino on the 12th hole at Augusta in 1975.
Tip From Tony Lema*
Audio excerpts from the book Champagne Tony’s Golf Tips by Tony Lema with Bud Harvey.
(Click on player and scroll down when page opens)
Repair ball marks on the green and replace divots taken on the fairway. Most golfers are considerate about performing the first chore, but too many are lazy and indifferent about replacing their divots. This is one of the tests of golf as a gentleman’s game. Nobody is going to spring out of the underbrush and compel you to repair your divot marks. This is a simple matter of self-discipline, a case of being sensitive to the rights of others and developing a habit of thoughtfullness. It pays off in character-building.
*AI generated voice
Blind Shot
Click for something fun. 👀
Read more about the putter Lee Trevino calls “Mrs. Mayberry” in The Kingdom by Robin Barwick.
Tour sponsor goes deep on frustrations with the PGA TOUR from Sean Zak at Golf.com.
Tour Backspin Music Clip
Joni Mitchell and the LA Express live in 1974
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.
WHAT IS HIP?
Laura Baugh and Ben Crenshaw in 1974 were certainly hip. (Photos: Golf Magazine / Image: Tour Backspin)
WE GOT MAIL
Great story (Tour Backspin 5/9/2024, Dick Lotz, Kemper Open), played a lot at Castlewood CC during his playing days.
Kevin G. via Facebook
Tour Backspin Quiz Answer:
Once the PGA Championship changed to a stroke play format, it was played in the Pacific Time zone for the first time in 1977 at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, CA. It was won by Lanny Wadkins.
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Final Thoughts
I like the way CBS is using the shot tracker tracer from different angles and not just from behind the shot. Pretty cool.
I once found one of those Wilson Designed by Arnold Palmer in a pawn shop. It was in a barrel and I paid under $10 for it. Wish I still had it.
I’ve been practicing all wrong. Should be doing it like it is shown in this week’s Blind Shot.