On Sunday, Aussie Will Power won the Indianapolis 500. On this date in 1960, a Ford won at Indy. Two-time major winner Doug Ford, who passed away in recent weeks, became the first winner of the 500 Festival Open, held on the Speedway Golf Course during Indy 500 week. Ford shot 66-68-68-68-270, 14 under par, to win the $9,000 first prize.
Yesterday’s birthday figure, Sam Snead, makes the date entry today, too, for winning the Colonial National Invitation on this date in 1950. Yesterday Justin Rose was crowned champion of that event, now called the Fort Worth Invitational. In 1950, it was a second straight tour win for Snead; he won the Western Open on May 21. His combined take-home pay for the wins: $5,600.
The PGA Tour’s all-time victory leader with 82, Sam Snead, was born on this date in 1912, the same year Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson were born. Snead’s swing is often considered the greatest ever, and it’s hard to argue against that since it helped him set longevity records. The big gap in his record is that he never won the U.S. Open; his four second-place finishes were constructed every way imaginable.
With the Indianapolis 500 coming up on Sunday, TV viewers will see portions of a golf course on the interior and exterior of the racetrack. The course is a reminder that the PGA Tour used to have an event during race week called the “500” Festival Open, held on the Speedway Golf Course (now called Brickyard Crossing) and it was played from 1960 to 1968. May 26, 1960, was the very first round played in the event. Doug Ford shot 66 and went on to win the event. Arnold Palmer, who would be the main man in 1960, shot 70 in Round 1 and would tack on a 71 and 73 to miss the cut.
Ben Hogan ended the 1948 PGA Championship on May 25, with a 7-and-6 victory over Mike Turnesa for his second PGA win. Hogan was 4 up after the first 18 holes at Norwood Hills Country Club in St. Louis, having made six birdies. Hogan had four more birdies in 12 holes of the next round, to easily close out Turnesa.
Old Tom Morris, one of the most iconic Scottish figures in golf history, died on this date in 1908, three weeks shy of 87. Symbolic of St. Andrews, Old Tom was adorned with a distinguished long gray beard late in life. He won the Open Championship four times but was also a course designer, clubmaker and greenkeeper.
Australian David Graham was born on this date in 1946. A meticulous player, he won two majors on courses that required patience: Merion in the 1981 U.S. Open, and Oak Hill for the 1979 PGA Championship. He also won on the PGA Tour in six other events: the 1972 Cleveland Open, 1976 American Express Westchester Classic and American Golf Classic, the 1980 Memorial Tournament, the 1981 Phoenix Open and 1983 Houston Coca-Cola Open. He had 24 other wins worldwide.
The winner of the first and third Masters, Horton Smith, was born on this date in Springfield, Missouri, in 1908. He was praised for his putting prowess--for which he wrote a book--and off the course led the PGA of America as its president in 1952-1954. He received the prestigious Bob Jones Award in 1962.
The inaugural Curtis Cup Match—the women’s amateur event pitting teams from the U.S. and Great Britain against each other—was just a one-day event, held on May 21, 1932, at Wentworth Golf Club in England, as opposed to the two-day expanded version used presently. The format in 1932 was three foursomes and six singles matches. The Americans won, 5½ to 3½.
Many parts of the country are experiencing turbulent Open Championship-type weather, which makes it appropriate to observe an Open Championship historical note in May since we are used to the Open being played in July. But in 1897, the Open was played on May 19 and 20, 36 holes each day, with amateur Harold Hilton winning, at Hoylake in England, for his second victory, this time by a stroke over James Braid.
Jerome (Jerry) Travers was born on this date in 1887. He is one of the least appreciated great amateurs in golf history. His phenomenal record of four U.S. Amateurs and one U.S. Open was swallowed up by Bobby Jones’ legendary feats; Jones was born 15 years after Travers. But the New York City native is not totally forgotten; he has a place in the World Golf Hall of Fame.
On a happy note, esteemed TV journalist Jack Whitaker turns 94, born in Philadelphia on this date in 1924. But on a somber note in golf history, on May 18, 1950, Bobby Jones underwent a second spinal surgery in Boston to alleviate his syringomyelia condition, but it was eventually not considered a success. A wire-service news item read: “Bobby Jones Goes Under Surgery”--BOSTON, May 18 -- A surgical operation today on golfdom’s great Bobby Jones--at the base of his skull--was expected to correct a long-standing spinal ailment caused by an accident 20 years ago. Jones was taken to the New England Baptist Hospital for the operation after a checkup at the Lahey Clinic. Dr. Frank Lahey, head of the clinic, said an examination there showed the former golf champion was suffering from pressure on the spinal cord.
In 1947, the United States had gone 11 years since winning the Walker Cup, but that was a gap mainly caused by World War II. Great Britain & Ireland beat the U.S., 7-4, in 1938, but the match wasn’t held again until May 16 and 17, 1947, which was won by the Americans, 8-4, at St. Andrews.
In the sixth Walker Cup Match that started May 15, 1930, and ended on the 16th, U.S. captain and player Bobby Jones led the Americans to a 10-2 victory over Great Britain & Ireland at Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, England.
Ken Venturi was born on this date in 1931 in San Francisco. He had a fine amateur record, nearly winning the 1956 Masters as one, but he fell short of the predicted stardom, primarily suffering from a hand ailment. He won a legendary 1964 U.S. Open title, achieved notoriety in the television booth, and ultimately was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Pardon the indulgence on this day: Today would have been my father, Donald Schrock's, 90th birthday and on this occasion each year I like to recall the one round of golf we played together, at the Illinois State University Golf Course. The year and round details escape me except for two notes: he took a lot of swings, and on the 150-yard par-3 17th, when he missed a 3-foot putt, he asked me to knock the ball back to him. He kept trying that putt and missing it, and raking it back to keep trying over and over. Eventually, I could hear the guys on the tee say, "Can you believe these guys?!" That's when I told Dad to give it up and we went to play the final hole.
Arnold Palmer's final PGA Tour victory was the 1973 Bob Hope Classic at age 43, so by the end of the 1980s he was not having great success in his late 50s. He still had the Byron Nelson Classic on his schedule because of his love for Lord Byron. At the 1988 GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic, Arnie shot 70 in the first round but on May 13 had a 75 in Round 2 and had to withdraw with a rib-cage pull. It was the last time he played the Nelson Classic.
At the Colonial National Invitation on May 12, 1962, Arnold Palmer shot a 66 in Round 3 to be in full command of the lead. But he shot 76 the final day to fall into a tie with Johnny Pott, but then won an 18-hole playoff, 69-73. Arnold had rounds of 67-72-66-76—281 and first-place prize money of $7,000.
In the span of a year, Arnold Palmer went from rags to riches on May 11. In 1958, he tied for 51st in the Arlington Hotel Open, shooting 69-71-76-76—292. At that time on tour, however, if you made the cut you weren't necessarily going to make even a penny. Sometimes the prize money wasn't enough to get to all the players. Arnie got zero dollars that week. In 1959, however, he shot 73-64-67-69—273 in the Oklahoma City Open for first place and $3,500, a more memorable May 11.
One of the most flamboyant figures in golf history is in today's item. Walter Hagen won his fourth Open Championship, and 11th and final major championship, on May 10, 1929, at Muirfield, Scotland. His winning score was 12 over par, and that won by six shots! Known for his outsized personality and colorful wardrobe, Hagen is in the World Golf Hall of Fame.