This story was excerpted from Guts in the Clutch. See below)
By
Richard J. Noyes
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, age 22, won the 2011 U. S. Open with a -16, a record. Rory’s dad, Gerry, who was a scratch golfer, realized that by the time his son was four there was no more to teach him. It was all there, including the liquid swing, all Rory had to do was practice.
98 YEARS EARLIER Before 1913, golf was not a game for working-class stiffs. That all changed when 20-year-old Francis Ouimet won the Massachusetts Amateur title and entered the U.S. Open at The Country Club. That’s it, no other name, just The Country Club. It’s like The Crown to a British subject; no further explanation is needed.
Ouimet lived near and had caddied at The Country Club, and now he was back inside the toney Brookline, Massachusetts landmark, but this time as a contestant. Most everyone in the golf world expected either Harry Vardon or Ted Ray, two standout British pro golfers, to win the 1913 U.S. Open. Francis Ouimet was barely noticed, never mind being considered a serious contender.
But Ouimet knew the course, played it impressively now that he had the chance, and stayed in contention into the final round. The sports world was electrified when they learned that Ouimet sank a long birdie putt on the 17th hole to tie and force a three-way playoff with Vardon and Ray.
The following day, all three men went out in 38, and Ouimet took the lead when both Vardon and Ray three-putted the par-3 10th. By the time they reached the par-4 17th Ray had given up the fight, but Vardon was only one behind when he caught a bunker with his drive and took bogey. Ouimet then drilled a 15-foot birdie putt to put the championship on ice and endear himself to the world, with a little bit of help from his ten-year-old caddie Eddie Lowery, a pint-sized neighborhood kid who added a touch of whimsy to the photographs.⁶
FRANCIS OUIMET’S legendary upset win made him a national hero, diminished the perception that golf was a game only for the privileged, and initiated it as a national pastime for the rest of us. In 1913 it is estimated that only 350,000 Americans played golf. Ten years later, fueled by Ouimet’s heroics, that number was up to 2,000,000. So it is that Ouimet is rightfully called the Father of Amateur Golf.⁷
It must be mentioned, however, that the great Bobby Jones was the finest amateur golfer in the history of the game. Many experts would argue that he was the best golfer ever. (Jones’s wrists were so strong that he could grasp three pool cues at the tips between the fingers of one hand and lift the butt ends off the table.)
6 Courtesy of the World Golf Hall of Fame, http:www.wgv.com/hof/members/fouimet.html, available as of 9/24/05
7 WGHOF, Ouimet
Richard J. Noyes, former Associate Director, Center for Advanced Engineering Study, Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a consultant to public and private sector organizations.
Noyes is the co-author with Pamela J. Robertson of Larceny of Love, a provocative print and eBook novel that traces the interwoven careers of three men in jeopardy (one of the men is a professional pitcher who suffers sudden, unexplained, career-threatening wildness) and the unforgettable women in their lives. http://larcenyoflove.com/
“Whenever dramatic storytelling about people you like is created around business, sports and film, I'm a happy reader. I'm sure you will be as well.” –Kevin Marcus
Another recent print and eBook by Richard Noyes and Pamela Robertson: Guts in the Clutch: 77 Legendary Triumphs, Heartbreaks, and Wild Finishes in 12 Sports, with a Foreword by Drew Olson of ESPN. http://gutsintheclutch.com/
“The best compilation of fascinating sports stories I have read.” -David Houle, Emmy and Peabody Award-winning producer of documentaries on Hank Aaron and the Harlem Globetrotters.
