Nicklaus and Glen Abbey Affected by Bacterial "Bugs"
Nicklaus experiences stomach discomfort while trying to win the one major national championship that eluded him
It was a sad weekend at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth. Grayson Murray withdrew from the tournament on Friday, and it was announced on Saturday by his family that he took his own life. Life on the tour is more difficult than it appears to us golf fans and our heart goes out to his family.
This week, on our journey through the past, we head up north to the Canadian Open in 1981. Both Glen Abbey and the course’s designer, Jack Nicklaus, were fighting off the symptoms of bacterial infections. For Glen Abbey, the result was spotty greens and fairways while Nicklaus fought intestinal problems. Scroll down to see how Peter Oosterhuis was able to emerge from a very crowded leader board on Sunday to take the title, beating Nicklaus, Bruce Lietzke, and Andy North by one stroke.
We wrote about the 1974 Canadian Open won by Bobby Nichols, and the 1975 Canadian Open won by Tom Weiskopf.
Davis Riley, entered the Charles Schwab Challenge week in the season-long FedEx Cup points list in the 151st place. He then shocked all experts by running away from Scottie Scheffler and the rest of the field for a five-stroke victory. He is now exempt through 2026, as well as the remaining Signature Events, and jumps up to number 55 on the FedEx Cup list giving him a good shot at making the playoffs. We’ve got a wrap of the week, so scroll down for the Clips You Might Have Missed, a few thoughts from me, and a recap of the tournament.
We want to hear from you in the Tour Backspin Poll, and this week’s Music Clip goes back to 1981 and a live performance by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. We’ve got the repeating swing, that produced a reliable fade, from Bruce Lietzke in this week’s Swing Like a Pro and we bring you another tip from Tony Lema. Take a shot at this week’s WHAT HOLE IS IT? 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 1981 that’s nuts. Scroll down to view.
We understand if you can’t pay for a premium subscription and we’re happy to have you here however you’ve arrived. You can sign up for a free subscription so you’ll never miss the newsletter. It will arrive in your inbox every Thursday.
In last week’s Tour Backspin Poll we asked how you thought the networks covering the PGA Championship did. There were 64% of respondents who loved both ESPN and CBS, while 18% loved CBS, not so much ESPN, and 9% loved ESPN, not so much CBS. The same percentage, 9%, loved the Golf Channel Live From.
Are you going to watch the U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club this week? Let us know in this week’s Tour Backspin Poll.
Tour Backspin Poll
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 Canadian Open Trivia in this week’s Tour Backspin Quiz. Scroll down to play.
Did you miss a previous newsletter? You can view it HERE. Help us grow Tour Backspin! Please forward this email to a friend. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? You can sign up HERE.
Okay, we're on the tee, let's get going.
Enjoy!
Larry Baush
Peter Oosterhuis Breaks Open a Tight Leader Board
It is Wednesday, July 29th, 1981, and the pro-am preceding the start of the Canadian Open at the Jack Nicklaus designed Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario, is in process. During the round, Nicklaus, known for taking notes on distances and other playing conditions, is taking more notes than usual. He is documenting the issues with the course that have left it in less-than-ideal conditions. Rain on Tuesday has left the fairways in poor shape while the greens were the victim of a bacterial blight that left them spotty and slow.
Nicklaus, a four-time runner-up in the Canadian Open but never a champion, was also afflicted by a bacterial bug that had been hanging around for several weeks and had given him stomach problems. It was diagnosed by the Cleveland Clinic in mid-June as a bacterial infection brought on by eating crab meat. He was feeling somewhat better until he saw the condition of Glen Abbey.
The greens at Glen Abbey, a 7,060-yard, par 71 course, were seeded with Toronto Bent, or C15, grass which had a reputation for falling victim to the bacterial blight that was evident as the players arrived for the week.
“Muirfield was the same as here, but we caught ours,” Nicklaus explained to Peter Krivel of the Toronto Star. “We lost the fringes last year and a little bit of the greens. But it happened here after a lot of rain. After six to eight hours, the course was gone. They’ve had it at quite a few other places, but you haven’t heard about it. At Firestone, it affected the putting surface behind the first tee.”
Nicklaus had plenty of blame to spread around, including the greenkeeping staff at Glen Abbey, but reserved his harshest criticism for himself and his staff at his golf course designing and management company.
“I don’t know who is at fault,” he told Krivel. “It could be the people here, the weather, financial, or us. I’m embarrassed to see it. It is something I don’t like to see at one of my courses.”
Nicklaus tried to differentiate between being the course designer and being a competitor.
“It’s a shame that the course is obviously not in good shape. The grass is untreatable at this point, and it will be a difficult week. The course is going to play long. It is going to be a difficult tournament.”
“If I talked as a competitor, I’d be saying that the greens will be better by the time the tournament starts and that the fairways will be okay,” Nicklaus declared. “I wouldn’t be saying what I have been saying if I didn’t feel partially responsible. I had my people up here. I’m my own worst critic and I’m hard on myself. It’s not what you are used to seeing at Glen Abbey.”
Tom Watson agreed saying, “It’s a shame that the course is obviously not in good shape. The grass is untreatable at this point, and it will be a difficult week. The course is going to play long. It is going to be a difficult tournament.”
Ben Crenshaw, who always played well at the Canadian Open with a third place and two second place finishes in the last three years, took a different approach to the less-than-perfect greens and the reaction of his fellow professionals. He thought that maybe they were getting a little too spoiled about course conditions found on the PGA TOUR.
“The greens, I think, will putt a lot better than they look,” he predicted. “With good weather, they will be able to cut the fairways, too.”
Canadian Dave Barr won low honors for the professionals at the Wednesday pro-am giving Canadian golf fans hope that a homegrown pro could win the national championship. The field was representative of the importance of the Canadian Open, a tournament that ranked near the top of non-major tournaments in prestige even awarding a spot into the World Series of Golf. The leading money winner, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, winner of three Canadian Opens, Tom Weiskopf, Johnny Miller, Andy North and U.S. Open champion, Hale Irwin were also in the field.
“The year has been bad to poor. I’ve been struggling with a few things like my grip and setup. I haven’t felt comfortable with them this year and it’s just starting to come around.”
But it was a relative unknown who took the lead after the first round. Phil Hancock, a 27-year-old from Pensacola, FL, navigated the heavy fairways and spotty greens on his way to a three-under-par 68 and a one-stroke lead over nine players who came in one shot higher at 69.
Hancock, who won the 1980 Hall of Fame Classic, had been struggling so far for the year missing the cut in the last eight events he’d entered prior to the Canadian Open.
“The year has been bad to poor,” Hancock reflected to the Star’s Krivel. “I’ve been struggling with a few things like my grip and setup. I haven’t felt comfortable with them this year and it’s just starting to come around.”
The group at 69 included Tom Kite, Mike Reid, Jim Thorpe, Lon Hinkle, Dan Pooley, Tom Jenkins, Bill Sander, Bob Eastwood, and Peter Oosterhuis. Jack Nicklaus was tied with eight others at 70 while Bruce Lietzke was at 71, and Andy North opened with a 73.
“The greens have improved, but the fairways are no good.”
The amateur, Richard Zokol, led the Canadian contingent with a 71 followed by Dave Barr at 72. Lee Trevino opened with a 74 as did Hale Irwin.
Nicklaus was still angry about the condition of the golf course, which he claimed could have been prepared better.
“The greens have improved, but the fairways are no good,” he said after his round. “The fairways will improve because they’ll dry out and they’ll be able to cut them. But there wasn’t a good housekeeping job done on them. There are weeds, clover, and bare spots, things that shouldn’t be there and that have nothing to do with the rain.”
Leonard Thompson, who shot a first-round 71, birdied his first hole of the second round after hitting a six-iron to five feet from the pin. He then followed with three pars before ripping off a string of birdies from the 5th hole to the 7th hole. He finished the front nine at four-under-par and then parred the 10th and 11th holes.
He then parred the par-3 12th hole and began a string of threes, starting with an eagle at the 13th hole and continuing through the 16th hole. His eagle on the 13th resulted from a 3-wood approach shot that ended up 18-inches from the cup. His record-setting 62 beat the previous Canadian Open at Glen Abbey record of 64 shot by Jack Newton in 1979.
“When you shoot a 62, it’s hard to say bad things about the course. That’s all I’m going to say.”
Thompson was surprised about his round given his performance of the past two tournaments. He missed the cut the Western Open, took two weeks off, and then missed the cut at the Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic the week prior to the Canadian Open.
“What can I say about a 62 on this course?” Thompson rhetorically asked. “I just hit every shot right at the flag all day. I can’t think of one time that I picked the wrong club. When you shoot a 62, it’s hard to say bad things about the course. That’s all I’m going to say.”
Peter Oosterhuis shot his second straight 69 and at 138, he was four shots off Thompson’s lead. Lon Hinkle was tied with Oosterhuis while Mark Hayes was another stroke back. Jack Nicklaus was at 140 after shooting another 70 and he was tied with Larry Nelson and Bob Eastwood. Andy North was at 141 after a second round 68, tied with Bruce Lietzke who added a 70 in the second round.
Richard Zokol, the Canadian amateur, came back to earth with a second round 79 and missed the cut. Dave Barr’s second round 77 put him outside the cut line by one stroke at 149. The only Canadian to make the cut was Jim Nelford of Burnaby, British Columbia, who shot rounds of 74-69.
Thompson took his four-shot lead into the third round and promptly double-bogeyed the second hole but did manage to get to the clubhouse with a single stroke lead shooting a 73. Mark Hayes crept into the lead by the time he teed off on the 18th tee, but then double-bogeyed the hole for a 69 and a total of 208, one shot behind Thompson.
Tom Kite shot the round of the day, a 68, to come in at 209 and he liked his chances.
“There are better courses to be behind on, and this is one of them,” Kite explained to reporters after his round. “You get going bad, you might not finish. It’s a funny course, one of those courses where you’re not out of it if you’re five or six shots behind.”
Thompson was almost shocked at the difference between his Friday round and Saturday’s.
“But what a difference a day makes,” he observed. “I didn’t play well at all. I hit a lot of bad shots, and I didn’t pull the right club out of the bag very often. I had a chance to shoot a low score.”
Nicklaus shot his third straight 70 for a 210 total, three shots off the lead.
“It was not much different a round than the way I’ve been playing,” he said after his round. “It was just middle-of-the road golf. I was able to make birdies when I needed them.”
The Canadian, Nelford, shot a 78 that included a double and a triple and left him at 221, far down the leader board.
Peter Oosterhuis quietly kept pace shooting a third round 72 and was tied with Nicklaus at 210, as was Andy North who had a 69. Bruce Lietzke was another shot back at 211 after shooting a second straight 70. It was a crowded leader board with ten players within five shots of the lead.
The fourth round was not going to provide an easing of the logjam at the top of the leader board. This was not due to the great shots being played by any of the leaders. In fact, as soon as a player made a move, he would find a way to backpedal.
Thompson began the backwards march as he could not get anything going and stumbled to a 76 finishing at 283. Mark Hayes seemed ready to charge through the door that Thompson left open as he held a three-shot lead after ten holes. Oosterhuis, playing three groups in front of Hayes, then ran in birdie putts of three, ten, and six feet at the 11th, 12th, and 13th holes to take a one-shot lead over Hayes.
Once again, the leader faltered once he had attained the lead. Oosterhuis bogeyed two of his next three holes.
Meanwhile, Nicklaus, Tom Purtzer, North, Lietzke, and Thompson, were within one shot of the lead as they played their last three holes. Tom Kite was another stroke back, and David Graham was three strokes off the pace.
“My over-riding thought was, don’t let the ball get in the water.”
Oosterhuis was nervous as he stood on the tee at the 72nd hole.
“My over-riding thought was, don’t let the ball get in the water,” he told reporters after his round talking about the water around the green. “I was happy to save par.”
He saved his par thanks to a stellar bunker shot that left him a tap-in. He now retreated to the scorer’s tent to watch how the crowded leader board would shake out over the last few holes. After the entire field had completed 15 holes there were nine players within three strokes of the lead. Hayes and Oosterhuis were tied for the lead, Nicklaus, North, Lietzke, and Thompson were one shot back while Kite and Purtzer were another shot back.
Hayes began the unraveling of the challengers as he double bogeyed the 16th hole when he hit it into the water. Kite and Thompson each had two straight bogeys, and Nicklaus, Purtzer, Lietzke, and Graham all bogeyed the 17th hole. North bogeyed the 16th hole. In all, the challengers squandered a combined total of 13 strokes to par with 11 bogeys and a double bogey over the last three holes. Oosterhuis, with a bogey on the 16th hole, made it 14 strokes lost to par by the final groups.
“There could have been a playoff but actually, I lost the tournament at the 17th where I was one-over. I think that bogey decided it.”
All the carnage left Nicklaus and Hayes as the only two players who had a chance to tie Oosterhuis at the final hole, but they would need an eagle to do it. Hayes never had a chance for an eagle, but Nicklaus faced a 20-foot putt for eagle.
“It was 18 or 20 feet downhill,” Nicklaus recapped for reporters after the round. “That’s a fast green so I played the putt that way, flat-out forgetting the wind that was blowing straight at me. As a result, I left it short like I did at 15 and 16, too. There could have been a playoff but actually, I lost the tournament at the 17th where I was one-over. I think that bogey decided it.”
“What a way to win it. After watching those big names come in and mine still stay up there on the leader board.”
Oosterhuis was ecstatic with his first PGA TOUR victory after seven years of struggle.
“What a way to win it,” he said afterwards. “After watching those big names come in and mine still stay up there on the leader board. I am fortunate that the course is so tough. It allows no one to make a powerful finish. It was very satisfying.”
Nicklaus was, as always, gracious in defeat.
“I am happy for Peter,” he said. “He dominated the British tour then came over here and waited seven years to win.”
“It’s easily the biggest paycheck of my career. Twice as big as anything I’ve won before.”
Oosterhuis collected $76,500 for his win while Nicklaus, North, and Lietzke each earned $31,733 for their tie for second. Hayes and Graham, tied for fifth place, each earned $16,150.
“It’s easily the biggest paycheck of my career,” Oosterhuis said. “Twice as big as anything I’ve won before.”
With a golf course, and its designer who just happened to be the best player in the world, both suffering from a bacterial bug, it was a patient Englishman who was able to outlast a crowded leader board full of players in backtrack mode to win his first PGA TOUR title. The win got Ooosterhuis into the Masters, and the Tournament of Champions. For Nicklaus, the Canadian Open would continue to be the one major national title that eluded him.
Watch action from the 1981 Canadian Open.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Threads.
BONUS STORY
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) had its operations in the summer of 1981 disrupted by a strike by the technician’s union, the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians, which required a workaround to broadcast the Canadian Open.
Ten days before the start of the tournament, the situation was resolved by a collaboration between CBC and CBS leaving CBS, and its director, Frank Chirkinian in charge of the broadcast. One problem though was that CBS would have to use technicians from the CTV television network, another of the Canadian broadcasting companies, and could not use anything that had been produced by CBC. CBS had to bring in cables and other equipment, and the CTV cameramen were not experienced in capturing live golf.
“We just didn’t have the facilities to do it on two weeks’ notice. We don’t do that much golf in the first place.”
The broadcast featured 13 cameras covering the 14th through 18th holes. CBC would have used 22 cameras with coverage starting on the 12th hole.
“We just didn’t have the facilities to do it on two weeks’ notice,” Johnny Esaw, CTV vice-president of sports explained. “We don’t do that much golf in the first place.”
Originally, CBS would use its announcers and picked up the video feed from CBC. CBC would have used Canadian commentators, in addition to Peter Alliss. In the workaround, CTV viewers got the same programing that viewers in the U.S. received. Vin Scully, Pat Summerall, and Ken Venturi called the action assisted by Canadian Don Chevrier.
The broadcast on CTV was tape-delayed until the completion of the CFL game between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal Alouettes.
What Hole is It? powered by Rota Golf. Doesn’t your bucket list journey deserve one of these?
WHAT HOLE IS IT?
Are you on the leader board?
Congratulations to Alan Wrzesien who correctly identified #9 at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, TX, in last week’s WHAT HOLE IS IT? contest. We’ve got something new we’re sending in the prize pack to Alan. 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 | Charles Schwab Challenge
Davis Riley missed six of eight cuts earlier this year and he fell to number 250 in the Official World Golf Ranking so it was quite the surprise to see him dominate to win the Charles Schwab Challenge. In the final round he built up a seven shot lead and coasted to a five shot victory over Scottie Scheffler and Keegan Bradley.
Riley credited the win to reuniting with swing coach Jeff Smith and the small tweaks they made to his swing helping him improve his ball striking. Riley was able to handle the howling wind that kept scores high and coasted to the victory during the back nine.
Read the tournament recap by Tim Schmidt of Golfweek USA Today HERE.
Clips You Might Have Missed
Happy birthday to you, Tom Hoge.
Touching interview with Peter Malnati.
Even the number one player in the world gets frustrated by this game.
What’s with the belt?
Tour Backspin Quiz | Canadian Open Trivia
How many times did Jack Nicklaus finish runner-up in the Canadian Open?
Scroll down for answer
Swing Like a Pro
The repeating swing of Bruce Lietzke.
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)
From the start of the back swing, the club head must be carried back along a flat plane for a distance of 12 to 18 inches. The worst thing you can do at this point is to "pick up" the club with the right hand. The club head must move back slowly and smoothly along a track that is absolutely square against the path of the club.
*AI generated voice
Blind Shot
Click for something fun. 👀
Dylan Dethier of Golf.com on the player tributes to Grayson Murray.
Tour Backspin Music Clip
The Boss and the ESB do The River live in 1981.
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?
Judy Clark and her hats were the epitome of hip on the LPGA in 1981 (Photos: Golf Digest / Image: Tour Backspin)
Tour Backspin Quiz Answer:
Jack Nicklaus finished runner-up in the Canadian Open seven times (1965, 1968, 1975, 1976, 1981, 1984, 1985). Nicklaus never won the Canadian Open.
Thank you for reading this far, I know your time is valuable and choosing to spend some of it on what I’ve created is gratifying. If you want to help support the work we’re doing, please consider upgrading. It’s just $36 a year and you’ll be helping to tell the stories from one of golf’s golden ages.
Vintage Ad
Final Thoughts
So sad about Grayson Murray, but as Lexi Thompson has revealed, it’s not easy for your mental health being a touring professional golfer.
Glen Abbey sure received a lot of criticism in 1981.