O'Grady Battles Demons To Capture TOC
Mac O'Grady needed to quell his inner demons to beat Rick Fehr at 1987 Tournament of Champions
Happy New Year! Here’s hoping you achieve all your golf goals, as well as life goals in 2025.
The PGA TOUR is back. Did you miss it? The season opens in Maui at The Plantation Course at Kapalua for The Sentry which used to be known as the Tournament of Champions. We’re turning our journey through the past to the year 1987 when the Tournament of Champions opened up the season at La Costa Resort and Hotel in Carlsbad, CA.
The tournament was won by Mac O’Grady, then just starting his second year on tour. O’Grady was a different breed of cat than what you usually found on the PGA TOUR of the mid-80s. Scroll down to learn more.
I wrote about the 1974 Tournament of Champions, won by Johnny Miller HERE, the 1981 event, won by the oldest man in the field—Lee Trevino, HERE, and the 1972 event, won by Bobby Mitchell, HERE.
The golf world lost another true icon this week with the passing of the golf writer Steve DiMeglio. DiMeglio’s byline graced the pages of USA Today, and Golfweek for decades. He was diagnosed with rectal cancer in 2022, and passed away at home in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. He was 63 years old and will be sorely missed.
The PGA TOUR was off last week, but you’ll still find some fun items in the Clips You Might Have Missed. You are also invited to let us know how you feel about the issues in golf in The Tour Backspin Poll. We highlight the original video with the Bangles performing “Hazy Shade of Winter” in this week’s Music Clip and the theatrical trailer for “Raising Arizona” starring Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter in the Tour Backspin Goes To The Movies. Both are from 1987.
There is something a little different in the Swing Like a Pro this week and highlights the quirkiness of Mac O’Grady. Scroll down to learn more. The vintage ad this week has a 1987 ad that is all about the Tournament of Champions. Scroll down to view.
The Tour Backspin Poll
In our poll last week, we asked, “who ya got” in The Sentry. Not too surprising, but Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland garnered zero votes as news of their freak injuries became public. There were 40% of respondents who thought Ludvig Aberg would win and the same amount of people think Xander Schauffele would win. The remaining 20% are putting their money on Max Homa.
We want your opinion on more news from Max Homa. He has signed an endorsement deal with Cobra and leaving Titleist. He also has a new clothing deal with Lululemon. Historically, making these big changes have sometimes led to a decline in performance the next year. We want to know if you think Max Homa will do better in 2025 than he did in 2024 in this week’s Tour Backspin Poll.
We’re playing Tournament of Champions Trivia in this week’s Tour Backspin Quiz. Scroll down to play.
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Larry Baush
Tour’s Quirkiest Character Overcomes Fear To Capture Tournament of Champions
In the Monday, January 5th, 1987, edition of the Oceanside Blade-Tribune from Oceanside, CA, staff writer Todd MacDonell talks with Dick Rudolph, the course superintendent at the La Costa Resort and Hotel in Carlsbad, CA. They talked about the preparations of the golf course for the upcoming Tournament of Champions scheduled for Wednesday, January 7th through Sunday, the 10th. The tournament featured the winners of PGA TOUR events in 1986, and this was the second year that the tournament occupied the opening slot on the tour’s schedule.
“He’s missing what? Over my dead body.”
Rudolph, and his team, has spent the last month working from sunup to sundown to get the course in immaculate condition, and MacDonell highlights the fact that Rudolph has been working up to 80 hours per week during this time.
The tournament received some bad news that is reported in the Monday papers—Jack Nicklaus, a five-time winner of the event, would not be in the field. Nicklaus explains his decision to not play as he is “semiretired” and will only play a limited number of tour events in 1987. Nicklaus is the only player eligible for the event who would not be playing.
The wives of the players thought that the stop at La Costa was one of the best on tour. One writer called the Nicklaus residence to confirm that he wasn’t playing, and Barbara Nicklaus answered the phone. The reporter asked Barbara if it was true that Jack was going to miss the event.
“He’s missing what?” she asked. “Over my dead body.”
The wives loved the event because of the amenities at the resort that they enjoyed including the spa, the pool, horse riding, tennis, and the festive dress-up parties. The pros loved the event for the guaranteed $8,100 and the complimentary accommodations at the hotel and spa.
Pre-tournament favorites included Greg Norman, Calvin Peete, the defending champion, PGA Champion and Player of the Year Bob Tway, and Fuzzy Zoeller, a three-time winner in 1986. Corey Pavin, who lived in Los Angeles and won twice in 1986, is a hometown favorite. Pavin had career earnings of $932,601 and was looking to push that total over $1 million with a win in Carlsbad.
Other winners from 1986 who looked to be good bets for the week included Andy Bean, Dan Pohl, Hal Sutton, Ben Crenshaw, and the U.S. Open champion, Raymond Floyd. First time entrants in the tournament included Mark Calcavecchia, Rick Fehr, and Mac O’Grady.
Interestingly, there would also be a senior’s event played simultaneously at the same course. This event featured 10 winners from the Senior PGA Tour in 1986, and a purse of $100,000. Miller Barber would be defending his title and would be challenged by Bruce Crampton, who won seven events in 1986.
Norman, who only played in 19 PGA TOUR events in 1986, still managed a one-year tour earnings record with $653,296 won. He also topped the European and Australian tour money lists. He won a major, The Open Championship, and he became the first player in history to hold the lead during the final round of all four majors. He now had his sights set on being the first professional to win the Grand Slam.
“There’s no reason it can’t happen,” Norman declared to Gary Hyvonen, staff writer for the Blade-Tribune after shooting a 69 in the pro-am on Tuesday. “The players are good enough to create a situation where they can win it.”
The Tournament of Champions was played Wednesday to Saturday so that it would not be competing with the NFL conference championship games on Sunday. Officials stated that the tournament would end on Saturday even if the weather caused a delay. NBC required that the event wrap up by 1 pm on Saturday and they would be broadcasting the AFC Championship between the Denver Broncos and the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Rick Fehr, Tom Kite, Doug Tewell, and Ernie Gonzalez all shot 68 and shared the low-score honors in Tuesday’s pro-am. Norman and Ben Crenshaw shot 69 while Hal Sutton turned in a 70.
The table was set, and it was time to get the 1987 Tournament of Champions underway, but the weather on Wednesday morning did not look like it would cooperate. When Norman looked out of his window in his room in the plush hotel at 6 am, he did not think there was any way to play. Two hours later, the sun broke through the clouds and play commenced utilizing the lift, clean, and place rule.
“There won’t be any more problems with me. I guarantee it.”
Both Mac O’Grady and Mark Calcavecchia carved up the 7,022-yard La Costa course shooting seven-under-par 65 to take the first-round lead. Calcavecchia was even-par after 11 holes but then finished the last seven holes in seven-under including an eagle three on the 12th hole. O’Grady made eight birdies and one bogey in his round.
O’Grady had been suspended and fined $5,000 in 1986 for publicly criticizing the PGA TOUR and commissioner Deane Beman. Beman levied the punishment for “conduct unbecoming a professional” and O’Grady was eager to put the affair behind him in 1987.
“There won’t be any more problems with me,” he assured reporters after his round. “I guarantee it.”
Calcavecchia had two three putt greens in his round, once from 30-feet and once from just four-feet.
“Neither one came close,” he said about the three-putt at the 11th hole from four-feet. “I just blanked out.”
He bounced back at the 12th hole, a par-5, where he hit driver-driver to within 20-feet of the hole and made the putt for an eagle.
“Strange how it took the same number of strokes to get the ball in the hole from 541 yards as it did from four feet,” he deadpanned to reporters.
Rick Fehr played the front nine in even-par and then tore up the back nine with four birdies and was three shots behind the leaders. Pavin shot 34-34 and was tied with Fehr. Norman was another stroke back at 69.
Don January enjoyed a two-stroke lead after shooting a 67 in the senior portion of the event.
By the time of the second round on Thursday, the course had dried out and conditions were better although lift, clean, and place rules were still in effect for balls in the fairway. It was imperative to hit fairways because the rain earlier in the week resulted in thick, tangled rough where the ball had to be played as it laid without the aid of lift, clean and place.
The rains on Tuesday and Wednesday resulted in soft greens which suffered from the traffic on them and players had to negotiate spike marks and heel prints while putting.
“On every hole, I felt like I was having a tooth pulled without Novocain.”
Rick Fehr navigated the difficulties of the course shooting a second round 67 to go with his first round 68. Fehr, a 24-year-old player from Seattle, WA, was starting his second year on the tour and qualified for the Tournament of Champions by way of his victory at the B.C. Open in 1986.
The first-round leaders, Mark Calcavecchia and Mac O’Grady, had very different second rounds. O’Grady dealt with frustration about the slow pace of play to shoot an even-par 72, for a total of 137, two shots behind Fehr.
“Boy, am I glad to get this round over with,” O’Grady said after his round. “It was really tedious and tormenting. On every hole, I felt like I was having a tooth pulled without Novocain.”
Calcavecchia soared to a 75 in the second round for a total of 140, five shots off Fehr’s lead. Norman carded a 70 on Thursday for a 139 total while Corey Pavin followed his first-round 68 with a 73 to fall six shots off the lead.
“But when I’m at my best, I can compete with anyone.”
Raymond Floyd, John Mahaffey, and Bob Tway all came in with a second-round 68 which placed Floyd and Mahaffey at 138, while Tway was at 139.
Fehr was not intimidated by the name players behind him on the leaderboard.
“No, it doesn’t bother me. I’ve found my place out here.” Fehr declared after his round. “I can compete. Norman, Floyd, Tway, O’Grady, Mahaffey, they’ve all had better records than I’ve had. They’re the best in the game. But when I’m at my best, I can compete with anyone.”
O’Grady felt differently saying, “If the course dries out, the big boys will get pretty tough to beat. But if it stays like this, it’s unpredictable. Somebody is going to come from five or six back on the last day to win.”
Butch Baird shot a four-under-par 68 for a total of 138 and held a one-shot lead over Don January who had a second-round 72 in the Senior Tournament of Champions.
In the third round on Friday, O’Grady navigated the soft, bumpy greens with all their heel marks, recorded a two-under 70 under sunny skies and breezy conditions, and held a one-shot lead over Fehr, but that is not who he was concerned about.
“Where’s Greg?” he asked as he entered the pressroom. “Seven under? Oh, boy . . .”
O’Grady knew the different history of both his and Norman’s career. Norman won more money in 1986, $653,296, than O’Grady had in his four years on tour with $571,673.
“This is the type of course that if you start making putts, you can shoot a 64.”
While O’Grady complained about the condition of the soft greens, Norman was looking forward to the final round.
“I’m happy with the way my ball-striking is going, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow,” Norman said to Jay Posner, a sportswriter for the Daily Times-Advocate out of Escondido, CA. “This is the type of course that if you start making putts, you can shoot a 64.”
Rick Fehr spoke with reporters about his round saying, “Considering the way I played, I guess 73 is not too bad. Today was a day when I didn’t do anything well. It was a struggle all day long. I did not drive the ball well and missed quite a few short putts.”
John Mahaffey added a third-round 71 for a total of 209, tied with Norman two-shots behind O’Grady. Calcavecchia bounced back with a 70 for a three-round total of 210 and was tied with Hal Sutton who had rounds of 72, 69, and 69. Ray Floyd slid down the leaderboard after carding a 74 and stood at 212 and Pavin was another three shots back after also shooting a third-round 74.
The Senior Tournament of Champions had boiled down to a two-man affair between Butch Baird and Don January. Baird shot an even-par 72 on Friday for a three-round total of 210 and a two-stroke lead over January. Chi Chi Rodriguez was six shots behind Baird.
“The demons just come. They’re here to haunt you.”
Mac O’Grady didn’t know what was in store for him in Saturday’s final round, but when the time came, he answered the challenge and shot a one-under-par 71 for a total of 278. That was one stroke better than Rick Fehr and good for his second victory on the PGA. But it did not come easily.
“The demons just come,” he said to reporters, including Randy Harvey of the Los Angeles Times. “They’re here to haunt you. You feel so isolated, so alone. You’ve got both feet in the grave. You wonder what in the hell you’re doing out there.”
He went on about losing his confidence, suffering from a sudden case of the yips, and how his mind was racing.
“I was afraid the ball would explode like a hand grenade,” he said. “Nerve endings in my fingertips were misfiring. Fear was rampaging.”
Rick Fehr, who matched O’Grady’s 71 in the final round, sat spellbound as O’Grady spoke in the pressroom. He later admitted he didn’t understand a word of what O’Grady was talking about.
“If I was thinking about nerve endings firing out the ends of my fingertips, I don’t know if I could pull the club back,” Fehr told reporters. “I’m glad I don’t know anything about that.”
Calcavecchia caught O’Grady at nine-under in the final round on the 14th hole but lost a stroke on the next hole and finished with a 70 for a four-round total of 280, two shots behind O’Grady. Norman had a final round of 71 and also finished at 280.
“I brought the ship home. Through the hurricane and tsunami, the cargo and crew intact.”
O’Grady won the event at the 14th hole when he ran in a 48-foot birdie putt that gave him a two-shot lead over Fehr. Fehr sunk a 12-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole to pull within one shot of the lead. O’Grady got so excited on the 18th green that he putted out from one foot even though Fehr was waiting to chip from off the green, a breach in PGA TOUR etiquette.
“If I was wrong for doing it, I apologize to Rick,” O’Grady said later. “I didn’t know what the rules were. I just knew I had to get that putt down.”
An obviously relieved O’Grady said, “I brought the ship home. Through the hurricane and tsunami, the cargo and crew intact.”
While the weather played havoc with all the preparations that Dick Rudolph, the course superintendent and his crew did on the La Costa course, it was the successful navigation through the stormy waters of his own mind that delivered the Tournament of Champions trophy to Mac O’Grady.
Don January caught Butch Baird in the Senior Tournament of Champions and won the event on the fourth playoff hole.
The Denver Broncos defeated the Cleveland Browns in the AFC Championship game in overtime, 23-20 on Sunday.
BONUS STORY
Mac O’Grady was well-known for his quirkiness, brash statements, and eccentric behavior off the course. He was also known for attending Q-School 16 times before he finally earned his tour card on his 17th try.
Although he played golf on the tour as a right-hander, he was also adept at the game playing left-handed. During his career he would often putt left-handed, and he had dreams of taking his left-handed game further.
He wrote a letter to the USGA asking to be classified as a professional playing right-handed, and as an amateur playing left-handed. He claimed that the organization never answered his letter. He tried to enter the Chrysler Team Championship as a team. He would play one ball right-handed, and another ball left-handed. His entry was denied.
For more on Mac O’Grady, and his quirkiness, read the great profile in Golf Digest by Kevin Cook HERE.
WHAT HOLE IS IT?
Congratulations to Glenn Blue for winning the WHAT HOLE IS IT? contest last week by correctly identifying #18 at La Quinta Country Club, in La Quinta, CA. Glenn beat out one other correct answer in the drawing and we’ve got a prize pack of golf swag on the way to him.
Congratulations to Doug Posten, our 2024 WHAT HOLE IS IT? champion! Doug’s name will be engraved on the Herbert C. Leeds Trophy, the perpetual trophy for WHAT HOLE IS IT?
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We told you about getting our hands on a treasure trove of film that we are cleaning up and digitizing for the Tony Lema documentary. Some great footage of Tony in action and even home movies. Below is home movie footage of Tony and his mother during a vacation visit to Bermuda. Check it out (clicking on link will open this post on the web, scroll down to video player).
Clips You Might Have Missed
Replace your divots. Fix your ballmarks.
Tiger before he found the weight room.
So nice we’ll watch it twice.
A new step forward in content creation from the PGA TOUR.
Tour Backspin Quiz | Tournament of Champions Trivia
Who did Jack Nicklaus beat by five strokes in the 1963 Tournament of Champions?
Scroll down for answer
Swing Like a Pro
Mac O’Grady’s left-handed swing.
Blind Shot
Click for something fun. 👀
Todd Stice of Golf.com explains how “Winter Rules” are addressed in the Rules of Golf.
Tour players to watch in 2025 from Joesph LaMagna of The Fried Egg.
Gary Van Sickle at The First Call on Substack, details the banner year we just had for golf books.
Brandel Chamblee dives into the problems of men’s professional golf on Xitter.
Tour Backspin Music Clip
The Bangles do “Hazy Shade of Winter” in 1987.
Tour Backspin Quiz Answer:
Jack Nicklaus beat Arnold Palmer and Tony Lema in the 1963 Tournament of Champions. Nicklaus shot a 273, 15-under-par, at the Desert Inn Country Club in Las Vegas, NV.
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Vintage Ad
Final Thoughts
We talk about how the world of men’s professional golf is lacking in “characters.” Maybe a Mac O’Grady is needed to mix things up?
Next week marks the start of our fifth year doing Tour Backspin. We’ll be doing some special content to mark the event, so don’t miss it.
We welcome and thank the new subscribers we got in 2024 and I’m thrilled to have passed the 700 subscriber mark.
I will be attending the PGA Show in Orlando later this month, with an official press pass, and will have some content to pass along. Keep a lookout for it in upcoming issues of Tour Backspin.
The Tour Backspin official vehicle has been replaced since the former one was smashed into by a 17-year-old without a drivers license. Fun times.
