Huron Expositor, 2001-04-18, Page 14•_,�. .t-Y=LIS:.
14 -THE HURON EXPOSITOR, April 11I, 2001
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Sports
Canadians `heard' magnolias
while watching Masters
"Magnolias. I thought I
heard magnolias!" It doesn't
really make sense when you
substitute the word heard for
the word smelled, unless of
course, you are a Canadian
golfer.
When the music began to
play on the Thursday
afternoon to signal the
television coverage of the
Masters, golf fans across our
nation "heard" magnolias,
and azaleas and dogwoods.
They grabbed their favourite
snack, their favourite chair
and surrounded themselves
with like-minded golfers to
celebrate the birth of spring
and another golf season.
The tradition continues
year after year and the stories
and the legends grow as time
adds pages to Masters'
history. I love the music, the
colours, the sound of the
club striking the ball, the
hushed voices of the
announcers and the educated
applause of those lucky
enough to be close enough to
actually "smell" the flowers.
It seems that golfers can't
get enough of this event.
All players covet an
invitation and dream of
donning the green jacket,
symbolic of victory and
membership in one of the
final "old boys clubs" in the
world.
Early in my life, and I do
mean pre -colour television. I
would try to imagine what
Dad saw when he parked in
front of our snowy television
screen and tried to follow the
white ball on a gray
background. Televised golf
was in its infancy and boring
would be the only word that
I would use to describe it.
It all changed for me in
1975 when I watched a
stylish young blonde golf pro
birdie six holes in a row to
challenge the leader. Johnny
Miller birdied 2.3,4,5,6 and 7
that year. Colour television
highlighted his blonde good
looks against a backdrop of
rich green grass and
gorgeous flowers. Miller
didn't win. Jack did. But for
me, it was' a wake up call. I
really started to follow golf
from that time on.
Year after year, you watch,
you enjoy, you learn. The
stories are heartwarming and
often gut wrenching - some
you remember first hand
while others you've heard so
many times you just think
you were there.
If you don't think so just
remember Greg Norman's
complete and utter collapse a
few years ago when he went
into the final round with a
six shot lead only to be
defeated by a combination of
his own errors and Nick
Faldo's exquisite play.
Remember Tiger striding
to an unheard of I2 -stroke
margin of victory in 1997.
He was the youngest winner
ever at 21 years, three
months, 14 days and the first
black to win the event long
associated with the old
south's history of racial
discrimination. There he was
in his red shirt, all smiles,
ready to hug his parents as
Tartan chameleon
he did what he had set out to
do so many years before.
Do you remember Ben
Crenshaw's emotional win in
1995 just days after his long-
time mentor and coach,
Harvey Penick had passed
away? I will never forget
Ben's putt into the last hole
and his gars when he was
finally able to let out the
grief he had set aside to
accomplish this final salute
to a man he admired so
much.
In 1999 Jose Maria
Olazabal became a repeat
winner at the Masters, but
this is not what is so
memorable.
There are other repeat
winners, but Olazabal wasn't
supposed to be there; not in
the winner's circle, not at the
event, not even playing golf.
Injuries. to his feet made it
almost impossible for him to
golf. There he was limping to
victory - what a comeback!
Do you remember the
heart breaking story of
Roberto DeVincenzo, the
Argentinian star who
finished the Masters in 1968
tied with Bob Goalby for the
lead and prepared to enter a
playoff for the green jacket.
Robert discovered that on the
17th he had signed for a four
on his card instead of a three
which he really had. because
he had signed for the higher
number he was not
disqualified but had to accept
that score - meaning that Bob
Goalby ended up with the
championship. Roberto's
words: "What a stupid, I
am."
Then there's Jack. He has
won the most Masters titles,
six in all. The first he won in
1963. He won back-to-back
in 1965 and 1966; something
only he and Faldo have done.
The victory remembered
most by our generation is
Jack's win in 1986 at the age
of 46 years, two months and
23 days.
The excitement as Jack
staged his charge was
electric as we watched it on
television and I would have
loved to be in my brother
Kenny's shoes.
He was there working for
CBS at the time. He tells
how when someone makes a
birdie and you're out on the
course you hear the crowd's
roar of approval and
accompanying applause, but
when Jack makes a birdie the
roar is different; like thunder
or a tidal wave.
As Jack birdied hole after
hole and climbed the leader
board the roars became
louder and louder.
The gallery left who they
were following to join in the
wake that followed the
charging Nicklaus right to
the 18th green and his last
green jacket.
The Masters is the first of
the PGA Tour Majors. The
illusive Grand Slam can
begin only with a victory at
the Masters. Only the green
jacket winner has a shot --
like the Kentucky Derby for
the Triple Crown.
Bobby Jons and Alister
MacKenzie designed the
original course in Augusta in
1934 where the holes are all
named after flowers. Robert
Tyre Jones and Clifford
Roberts wanted to host a
special tournament and the
first event was held on
March 22, 1934.
Gene Sarazen scored a
double eagle on the par 5
fifteenth hole in 1935 to
begin the legends.
The tallest winner was
George Archer at 6' 5", the
shortest Ian Woosnam at 5'
4.5". The highest score on a
hole is a 13, a record shared
by Tom Weiskopf and
Tommy Nakajima.
Ken Venturi holds the
record for the low round by
an amateur at 66. Nick Price
and Greg Norman share the
record of 63 for low round.
Canada's Sandy
Somerville scored a hole in
one on #16 in 1934.
Joe Durant won the
Wednesday Par Three
tournament at the Masters in
1999. He's not Joe Who
anymore. The winner of the
Par Three has never won the
Masters in the same year.
Many foreigners have won
including players from South
Africa, Spain, Germany,
Scotland, England, Wales
and Fiji. The last time
Canada was close was when
George Knudson finished
tied for second.
Last week, once again,
Canadian golf fans were
glued to the set to see how
Mike Weir, the lone
Canadian in the field would
do on Augusta's treacherous
greens.
Once again, Mike followed
his usual pattern of having a
less than stellar first round
but recovered nicely for the
weekend's play.
Unfortunately, he was
suffering from a sinus
infection that took the edge
off his ability to focus on the
final day and finished 27th.
The winner was Tiger who
completed a version of the
Grand Slam as he now holds
all the trophies for the four
majors at the same time. Add
to this the TPC
Championship trophy. The
Canadian Open, the NEC
World Championship of
Golf, the World Cup (won
with David Duval), Bayhill
and the Memorial and you
have quite a collection on the
mantelpiece.
The first Seaforth Golf and
Country Club Men's Night of
2001 is Tuesday, April 24.
The first Ladies Night is
Thursday, April 26.
Everyone welcome.
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