Pros Pummel Par at Muirfield Village
Soft conditions lead to low scores
What a wild finish in the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial last weekend. Emiliano Grillo survived hitting a ball into the water on the 72nd hole (where he could have played a moving ball) to fall back into a tie with Adam Schenk and then prevailed on the second playoff hole for the victory.
71% of you thought that Brooks Koepka played his way onto the Ryder Cup team by winning the PGA Championship in last week’s Tour Backspin Poll while 29% of you think that going to LIV Golf disqualifies him from the team. Tell us who you got in the Brandel Chamblee versus Claude Harmon Twitter Spat in this week’s Tour Backspin Poll
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Clip You Might Have Missed
This week the PGA TOUR visits Dublin, OH, for the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. This tournament dates back to 1976 and honors deserving players from the past. This year’s honoree is Larry Nelson, a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, inducted in 2006, and the most deserving player to captain a Ryder Cup team who never got the chance.
We’re turning back to the 1980 tournament where David Graham wound up on top of a very crowded leader board. Scroll down to learn more about the exciting week that resulted in a tournament scoring record.
The hits of 1980 fill the airwaves on this week’s Spotify playlist. Listen HERE.
John Mahaffey’s sweet swing is featured in Swing Like a Pro feature. Scroll down to view.
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Congratulations to Bruce Effisimo, the leader in the WHAT HOLE IS IT? contest who was the only person to correctly answer last week’s hole. Bruce identified hole #18 at Abacoa Golf Club in Jupiter, FL. Check out the 2023 leader board and scroll down for your chance to win in this week’s WHAT HOLE IS IT? We’ve got some new prizes to hand out!
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Larry Baush
David Graham Uses Course Knowledge To Win Memorial
It is early in May in 1980 and New York Times reporter, Jeff Gerth, is not only playing a round of golf with arguably the best golfer of all time, but he is playing a championship course that was designed and built by that same golfer—Jack Nicklaus. They were touring the Muirfield Village Golf Club just weeks prior to the playing of the Memorial Tournament on the PGA TOUR. Nicklaus was giving Gerth a first-hand account of how the course was prepared and his design concepts that made the course a championship venue.
“Nicklaus demands precision and concentration rather than power and length in his golf courses as well as his own game.”
Gerth was a former one-handicap player who played on the Northwestern University golf team, and he was provided with the insight on the subtleties of the course from the man who had, at that point, won more prize money than anyone in golf history.
In his subsequent article, Gerth observed that “Golf is a game that emphasizes mental conditioning over physical conditioning, and Nicklaus demands precision and concentration rather than power and length in his golf courses as well as his own game.”
This precision would come into play at the 1980 Memorial Tournament where Byron Nelson would be the honoree, a tradition every year at the tournament. Lord Byron agreed, in a story published by the UPI on Thursday, May 22nd, that Tom Watson, already the winner of five tournaments and $350,000 for the year, was the odds-on favorite at Muirfield Village.
“Tom has the true passion to be a great player,” he said. “And you must have that.”
In addition to Watson, the same article named Bruce Lietzke, winner of the Colonial Invitational the week prior, U.S. Open champion Hale Irwin, Gary Player, Ben Crenshaw, Gil Morgan, Jerry Pate, and former Memorial champions Jim Simmons and Roger Maltbie, as favorites in the field. Despite a prolonged slump, the host and course designer, Jack Nicklaus, was also included in the list of favorites. Beautiful weather was predicted for the week.
Lietzke admitted that he was “basically a streak player and I’m in the middle of a good streak.”
Lietzke’s good streak continued in the first round as perfect conditions led to low scoring and his course-record matching 67 tied longshot Bobby Walzel for the lead. Walzel, a nonwinner who considered quitting the PGA TOUR the prior winter, rode a hot putter on his way to tying the course-record.
“I really wanted that putt for a piece of the lead. There’s been a lot of talk about Watson’s streak of leading 12 consecutive rounds. I have my own mini-streak going and I wanted to see how long I can keep it going.”
“That’s the best putting round I’ve had in a year,” Walzel said after his round.
Lietzke birdied the final hole hitting a six-iron approach shot to four feet.
“I really wanted that putt for a piece of the lead,” he told reporters. “There’s been a lot of talk about Watson’s streak of leading 12 consecutive rounds. I have my own mini-streak going and I wanted to see how long I can keep it going. I don’t think it will go to 12, but I wanted to keep it alive.”
Watson could not get anything going in the first round as he scored a two-over-par 74, the highest score in his last seven tournaments. He immediately went to the practice range upon the completion of his round to work out his problems.
“Nobody is more surprised than I am.”
Ray Floyd was in second place shooting a 68 which represented his best effort at Muirfield Village.
“Nobody is more surprised than I am,” Floyd admitted after his round.
The day resulted in the lowest scoring ever on the course and the group at 69 included Peter Jacobsen, Tom Weiskopf, Mike Reid, Tom Purtzer, and Dan Pooley.
“There’s no wind and the golf course is in absolutely perfect shape,” Weiskopf explained. “Any time you get those conditions, you’re going to get low scoring.”
“It was a pretty decent round of golf. As well as I’m striking the ball, I’m going to start doing better. I don’t think there is any question about it.”
Nicklaus recorded one birdie and 17 pars for a 71, four strokes off the lead.
“It was a pretty decent round of golf,” Nicklaus said. “As well as I’m striking the ball, I’m going to start doing better. I don’t think there is any question about it.”
Players continued their assault on par in the second round. Miller Barber, runner up in the 1979 Memorial, shot a course record 66 for a two-round total of 138, six-under-par. He was tied for the lead with Pooley and Jacobsen, who both shot their second straight 69, and Ed Fiori who added a 68 to his first round 70. One stroke behind the leaders was John Fought who shot a 67 in the second round as did John Mahaffey to add to his first round 72. Hubert Green (68) and first round co-leader Lietzke (72) were also at 139, one shot off the lead.
The leader board was crowded with three players tied at 140—PGA Champ David Graham, Tom Weiskopf, and Bill Rogers. Graham moved into contention with a second round 67 while Weiskopf shot a 71 and Rogers recorded his second straight 70.
Several hours of steady rain on Friday softened the 7,116-yard Muirfield Village course and set it up for low scoring. A whooping 30 players were under par whereas the prior year, only the winning Tom Watson was under par.
“It’s a tremendous course and you will be rewarded for your good shots,” Jacobsen said. “But it’s not a course that can be taken apart.”
“Really, it’s just a tremendous challenge. It brings out the best in you. I made eight birdies out there today and I haven’t made eight birdies all year.”
Miller Barber was ecstatic about his round and spoke with reporters about it.
“Really, it’s just a tremendous challenge,” he said. “It brings out the best in you. I made eight birdies out there today and I haven’t made eight birdies all year.”
Saturday’s third round featured a madcap scramble as seven players led or shared the lead over the course of the day, but it was Bob Gilder who took command with a 3-wood shot that ended up two feet from the hole on the par-5 15th hole and he tapped it in for an eagle. He had the course record in his sights as he played the 18th hole, but his bogey left him one shot shy of the record with a 67 and a three-round total of 209, seven-under par.
Tom Watson, the defending champion, charged up the leader board with a 69 and total of 210.
“It was a pretty decent round,” Watson said. "I’m in the tournament. I’m very happy with my position and I’m very happy with the way I’m playing.”
Watson was tied with Graham, who birdied his last hole for a 70, and Dan Pooley, who shot a 72. Miller Barber, who held the lead alone at one point in the round, before bogeying two of his last three holes shot a 72. Four players were tied at 211 making nine men within two shots of the lead. Tom Weiskopf (71), John Fought (72), Dr. Gil Morgan (68), and John Mahaffey (72) were the four players tied at 211.
Play was delayed for about 20 minutes by a thunderstorm that passed through the area a few minutes before the leaders teed off.
The madcap scramble for the lead continued in Sunday’s final round as seven different players either held, or shared, the lead at one point or another. The subtle demands of the back nine that winds through valleys and forests, around ponds and streams, eventually reduced the contenders to just two—David Graham and Tom Watson.
“I knew if I made the putt at 15, I was right back in the tournament.”
Graham, a member of Muirfield Village, used his course knowledge, especially on the greens, to prevent Watson from winning his sixth title of the year. He one-putted seven holes including a 20-foot, downhill putt for eagle on the 15th hole.
“I knew if I made the putt at 15, I was right back in the tournament,” Graham said. "I had been leaving putts short all day. What helped me is that it was downhill. It was impossible to leave short.”
The two players came to the 18th hole tied and Graham hit his approach shot to 30-feet while Watson hit his to 20-feet. Graham putted first and put his course knowledge to work reading the putt.
“I had practiced the same putt at 18 three or four times on Wednesday,” Graham explained. “It looks like it would break left. It doesn’t. It breaks right. And you have to putt it like a six-footer.”
Watson’s birdie putt slid by the hole on the left side giving Graham the title. Graham shot a tournament record of 280 and collected $54,000 while Watson collected $32,400 for his runner up finish.
Mike Reid finished with a final round 70 for a total of 282, while Miller Barber shot 73 and was tied at 283 with Tom Weiskopf who shot a 72 after making a bogey at the 71st hole.
While the weather softened up Muirfield Village resulting in the lowest scores in tournament history, the course that Jack built was the perfect setting for an exciting finish and a worthy champion. David Graham used “precision and concentration rather than power and length” to win the 1980 Memorial Tournament.
We are rerunning the video of Gary Player describing his shot on the 16th hole of the 1972 PGA Championship that he provided, exclusively to Tour Backspin. We spoke with him recently from his home in Florida (click on image to play video):
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Bonus Story
John Cook owned a condominium at Muirfield Village, but he wouldn’t be playing in the 1980 Memorial Tournament. And he wasn’t happy about it.
“It disappoints me very much,” Cook said when asked about not being selected by the Captain’s Club who determines the field in the Memorial. “It really bothers me.”
Cook won the 1978 U.S. Amateur, and was runner up in 1979, before turning professional in the fall of 1979. While he did not technically qualify under the 17 categories used by the Captain’s Club to determine the field, they could have granted an exemption to Cook.
Cook felt he was snubbed by the Captain’s Club because eleven of the eighteen members were past or present United States Golf Association officials. Cook and the USGA had been at odds with each other since Cook was bypassed for a spot on the team for the 1977 Walker Cup matches. Cook also elected to stay home and play in the national college tournament instead of playing in the 1979 Walker Cup matches.
“I would also say that my turning pro early (skipping his final season at Ohio State and another possible Walker Cup berth) also caused the USGA to frown upon me,” Cook went on.
Larry Thiel, executive director of the tournament, said he would not question the integrity of the Captain’s Club judgement.
“They have the rights and guidelines among themselves that they follow and that’s sacred ground,” Thiel said about the decision of the Captain’s Club.
WHAT HOLE IS IT?
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Tour Backspin Quiz | Guess The Clubhouse
Can you guess what course features this clubhouse?
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Swing Like a Pro
John Mahaffey’s swing
Blind Shot
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Tall Tales From The Tour
Bob Ross, the longtime pro at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, NJ, was mentioned in our featured story in the April 27th, 2023 Tour Backspin (The Champion From Monterrey). He called the Tour Backspin world headquarters to talk about that Mexico Open in 1966. He was paired with Moe Norman and this is his story.
I played with Moe Norman in the third round, and we teed off, just the two of us. We played the first hole, a par 5. He made three, and I made four. We get to the second hole, and by now there is a gallery following us—it wasn’t a big gallery. Everytime I’d hit a shot, they’d sort of clap and say, “bueno, bueno” and on the second hole, Moe makes a three and I make a four. He’s now made two threes. Well, then we get to the third hole, and he makes another three.
He comes over to me and says, “Hey, Bob, Bob, what’s the matter with me? What’s the matter with me? How come they don’t clap for me? They clap for you, but they don’t clap for me. Don’t they like me?”
I said, “Moe, honest to God, sure, they like you. But, you know Moe, you’re playing pretty fast and they don’t see you hit a shot.”
He’d hit his ball and then go, and as soon as I hit my shot, the people were looking at my ball. The thing is, he’d already hit his ball and he was gone.
“I’ve already played three holes with you Moe, and the only time I saw you hit was off the first tee,” Ross told Norman.
I’m quite positive about this—I think he made five straight threes.
It must have been quite the sight, but you had to look quick.
Thanks for the story, Bob!
Check It Out
On the ground at Gamble Sands with David McLay Kidd. Watch HERE.
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
These glasses are so 1980.
Tour Backspin Quiz Answer:
The featured clubhouse can be found at San Jose Country Club in San Jose, CA.
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Final Thoughts
How about that crosshanded grip in the Clip You Might Have Missed, Craig Welty?
How nice was that bounce that Emiliano Grillo got on the second playoff hole?
What I wouldn’t give to follow Moe Norman for 18 holes.
How good was Tom Watson’s 1980 season?