PGA Tour: Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial

Site: Colonial Country Club – Ft Worth, TX
Yards: 7,204   Par: 70
Defending: Phil Mickelson   266   (beat T. Clark & R. Pampling by 1)
Field: World Top 20: Geoff Ogilvy (5), Kenny Perry (6), Paul Casey (7), Vijay Singh (9), Sean O’Hair (12), Steve Stricker (13), Jim Furk (14), Anthony Kim (15), Ian Poulter (18) & Zach Johnson (19)   Other Notables: Ian Baker-Finch, Lee Janzen, Danny Lee, Davis Love III & Corey Pavin.

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European PGA Tour: European Open

Site: London Golf Club – Ash, England
Yards: 7,257   Par: 72
Defending: Ross Fisher   268   (beat S. Garcia by 7)
Field: World Top 20: Sergio Garcia (3), Henrik Stenson (4), Robert Karlsson (11), Lee Westwood (16) & Rory McIlroy (19)   Other Notables: Angel Cabrera, Ross Fisher , Retief Goosen, Martin Kaymer, Colin Montgomerie & Jeev Milkha Singh.

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Japan Tour: Mitsubishi Diamond Cup

Site: Oarai Golf Club – Ibaraki, Japan
Yards: 7,190   Par: 72
Defending: Prayad Marksaeng   274   (beats. Kai by 1)
Field: World Top 20: None   Other Notables: Ryo Ishikawa, Toshi Izawa, Shingo Katayama, Prayad Marksaeng, Frankie Minoza, Craig Parry & Toru Taniguchi.

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Champions Tour: Principal Charity Classic

Site: Glen Oaks Country Club – West Des Moines, IA
Yards: 6,877   Par: 71
Defending: Jay Haas   203   (beat A. Bean by 1)
Field: Ranked: The entire Charles Schwab Cup top 20 except Bernhard Langer (1), Eduardo Romero (15), Fulton Allem (T16), Don Pooley (T16), Tom Lehman (18) & Mark James (20)   Other Notables: Isao Aoki, Ben Crenshaw, Bruce Fleisher, Hale Irwin, Tom Kite, Gil Morgan, Larry Nelson, Jerry Pate & Fuzzy Zoeller.

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Elsewhere...
JLPGA – Kosaido Ladies Cup – Chiba, Japan
Nationwide – Rex Hospital Open – Raleigh, NC
Euro Challenge – Telenet Trophy – Lasne, Belgium

PGA Tour: HP Byron Nelson Championship

Winner: Rory Sabbatini 68-64-65-64   261   (beat B. Davis by 2)
Site: TPC Four Seasons Resort - Irving, TX

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


European PGA Tour: BMW PGA Championship

Winner: Paul Casey 69-67-67-68   271   (beat R. Fisher by 1)
Site: Wentworth Golf Club (West course) – Surrey, England

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


Sunshine Tour: Vodacom Origins of Golf Pretoria

Winner: Brandon Pieters 65-67-72   204   (beat D. Fichardt by 1)
Site: Pretoria Country Club – Pretoria, South Africa

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


LPGA Tour: Corning Classic

Winner: Yani Tseng 68-70-62-67   267   (beat P. Creamer & S.Y. Kang by 1)
Site: Corning Country Club – Corning, NY

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


Champions Tour: Senior PGA Championship

Winner: Michael Allen 74-66-67-67   274   (beat L. Mize by 2)
Site: Canterbury Golf Club – Beachwood, Ohio

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


Elsewhere...
LET – Ladies German Open – Jade Schaeffer 275 (Story)
JLPGA – Bridgestone Ladies Open – Eun-A Lim 209 (Story)
Euro Challenge – Piemonte Open – Edoardo Molinari 270 (Story)
Tour de Las Americas – Copa Tres Diamantes Mitsubishi – Paolo Pinto 274 (Story)

PGA Tour: HP Byron Nelson Championship

Site: TPC Four Seasons Resort - Irving, TX
Yards: 7,166   Par: 70
Defending: Adam Scott   273   (beat R. Moore in a playoff)
Field: World Top 20: Phil Mickelson (2), Vijay Singh (9), Anthony Kim (15) & Ian Poulter (18)   Other Notables: Fred Couples, Steve Elkington, Brad Faxon, Danny Lee, Davis Love & Corey Pavin.

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European PGA Tour: BMW PGA Championship

Site: Wentworth Golf Club (West course) – Surrey, England
Yards: 7,320   Par: 72
Defending: Miguel Angel Jimenez   277   (beat O. Wilson in a playoff)
Field: World Top 20: Henrik Stenson (4), Paul Casey (7), Robert Karlsson (11), Lee Westwood (16), Ernie Els (17) & Rory McIlroy (20)   Other Notables: Angel Cabrera, Luke Donald, Retief Goosen, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Martin Kaymer, Colin Montgomerie, Jose Maria Olazabal & Justin Rose.

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Sunshine Tour: Vodacom Origins of Golf Pretoria

Site: Pretoria Country Club – Pretoria, South Africa
Meters: 6,324   Par: 72
Defending: Tyrone van Aswegen   201   (beat D. Fichardt & N. Schietekat by 4)
Field: World Top 20: None   Other Notables: Not many.

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LPGA Tour: Corning Classic

Site: Corning Country Club – Corning, NY
Yards: 6,223   Par: 72
Defending: Leta Lindley   277   (beat J. Jang in a playoff)
Field: World Top 20: The entire Rolex top 20 except Lorena Ochoa (1), Karrie Webb (9), Yuri Fudoh (14) & Jeong Jang (18)   Other Notables: Laura Davies, Vicky Hurst, Meg Mallon, Liselotte Neumann, Se Ri Pak, Jan Stephenson & Michelle Wie.

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Champions Tour: Senior PGA Championship

Site: Canterbury Golf Club – Beachwood, Ohio
Yards: 6,895   Par: 70
Defending: Jay Haas   287   (beat B. Langer by 1)
Field: Ranked: All who are physically able   Other Notables: Ditto.

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Elsewhere...
LET – Ladies German Open – Munich, Germany
JLPGA – Bridgestone Ladies Open – Aichi, Japan
Euro Challenge – Piemonte Open – Torino, Italy
Tour de Las Americas – Copa Tres Diamantes Mitsubishi – Barquisimeto, Venezuela

PGA Tour: Valero Texas Open

Winner: Zach Johnson 68-67-60-70   265   (beat J. Driscoll in a playoff)
Site: LaCantera Golf Club (Resort course) - San Antonio, TX

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


European PGA Tour: The 3 Irish Open

Winner: Shane Lowry 67-62-71-71   271   (beat R. Rock in a playoff)
Site: County Louth Golf Club – Baltray, Ireland

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


Asian Tour: GC Caltex Maekyung Open

Winner: Bae Sang-Moon 71-70-70-70   281   (beat T. Oh in a playoff)
Site: Nam Seoul Country Club – Seoul, Korea

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


Sunshine Tour: Nashua Golf Challenge

Winner: Doug McGuigan 66-70-73   209   (beat T. van Aswegen by 2)
Site: Gary Player Golf Club – Sun City, South Africa

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


LPGA Tour: Sybase Classic

Winner: Ji Young Oh 66-69-69-70   274   (beat S. Pettersen by 4)
Site: Upper Montclair Country Club – Clifton, NJ

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


Champions Tour: Regions Charity Classic

Winner: Keith Fergus 66-66   132   (beat G. Jones by 3)
Site: RTJ Golf Trail at Ross Bridge – Birmingham, AL

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


Elsewhere...
LET – Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open – Marianne Skarpnord 276 (Story)
JLPGA – Vernal Ladies – Yuko Saitoh 211 (Story)
Futures – Mercedes-Benz of Kansas City Championship – Elisa Serramia 218 (Story)
Nationwide – BMW Pro-Am – Michael Sim 264 (Story)
Euro Challenge – Allianz Open – Lee James 274 (Story)

Yesterday's highjacking of text from The Book of Golfers was the fun kind, profiling Christy O'Connor upon his selection to the World Golf Hall of Fame.  Today's is of the sadder variety, as 1959 PGA Champion and longtime TV broadcaster Bob Rosburg passed away Thursday in Palm Springs, at age 82.

Suffice to say that you cannot be of a certain age group ("no longer in our thirties") and not be familiar with Rosburg's longtime work for ABC sports, where he broke ground as an on-course reporter.  So, with the tinge of sadness that always accompanies these things:

BOB ROSBURG

Well-known to contemporary viewers for more than two decades of television work, Stanford-educated Bob Rosburg (b.San Francisco, CA 10/21/1926) utilized the 10-finger grip and an ungainly looking swing, yet rode a Hall-of-Fame putting stroke and a keen competitive edge to great golfing heights. All told, Rosburg would win six times on the PGA Tour, placing no worse than 26th in money through 1959 and claiming the Vardon Trophy in 1958. In 1959 he captured what was easily his biggest victory, the PGA Championship, when he closed 68-66, yet still trailed by one until Jerry Barber bogied both the 71st and 72nd holes, handing Rosburg the title.

With the exception of a win at the 1961 Bing Crosby, Rosburg virtually vanished from the Tour for the next decade, reappearing rather dramatically at the 1969 U.S. Open where only a missed short putt at the 72nd prevented him from playing off with Orville Moody. In 1971 he tied for third when the Open returned to Merion, two strokes out of the famous Nicklaus-Trevino playoff. Then 45, he surprised everyone once more by defeating Lanny Wadkins to capture the 1972 Bob Hope Desert Classic, before suffering two declining years and retiring in 1975.

So Ireland’s Christy O’Connor will join Lanny Wadkins and Jose Maria Olazabal as 2009 inductees to the World Golf Hall of Fame. Is this an egregiously bad choice? Of course not, for O’Connor, an elite player on the pre-European Tour of the 1960s, is a living legend in his native land, a two-time British Masters and Vardon Trophy winner, and a 10-time Ryder Cupper, among myriad other achievements. But...

O’Connor also never won a Major championship which, to my lights at least, places him among Hall of Fame members whose historical impact played as large a role in the selection process as their career ledgers did. Fair enough. But by that criterion – and with due respect to O’Connor’s impressive list of British and Irish victories – both Norman von Nida and Sid Brews (pioneering professionals in Australia and South Africa respectively) now seem even more egregious ommissions .

Anyway, rather than spending half an hour penning a glowing tribute to the man known throughout the Emerald Isle as Himself, I once again steal from The Book of Golfers, wherein I wrote:

CHRISTY O’CONNOR (Ireland)

A living legend of Irish golf, Galway’s Christy O’Connor (b.12/21/1924) was a farmer’s son who learned the game as a caddie before turning professional in 1951. Initially he only competed in Ireland, a fact which bears a certain irony for despite a long and prolific career, O’Connor never managed to win an Irish Open. He did, however, take the old Carrolls International four times between 1964-72, a modest title to be sure, but O’Connor’s winning of it did much to expand the game’s popularity on his home soil.

Blessed with a long and wonderfully rhythmic swing, O’Connor was both a superb ball-striker and a pleasure to watch, that is until he reached the putting surface where an entirely different sort of battle was undertaken. That he never won an Open Championship is still mourned by his surviving legions, particularly as he was many times close. Indeed he appeared among the top six finishers on seven occasions between 1958-69, including third in 1961, second in 1965 (two behind Peter Thomson) and his closest call, a tie for third in 1958, when a bogey off a bunkered tee shot at the 72nd kept him out of the Thomson-Dave Thomas playoff.

O’Connor did, however, enjoy much success in Britain, claiming three titles that ranked only behind the Open in prestige: the 1957 News of the World match play at Turnberry, and the 1956 and ’59 British Masters, the latter of which came over amateur Joe Carr during one of the event’s rare visits to Portmarnock. O’Connor also twice won the Vardon Trophy for leading the pre-European Tour Order of Merit (1961 and ’62) and finished second on seven further occasions during the 1960s. Internationally, he appeared in 15 World Cups (teaming with Harry Bradshaw to claim Ireland’s first victory in 1958 in Mexico City) and also set a Ryder Cup record by playing in 10 consecutive matches between 1955-73, a mark later broken by Nick Faldo.

Known affectionately in Ireland as “Himself” in deference to his golfing stature and immense popularity, O’Connor will forever be grouped with that nation’s two other postwar stars Harry Bradshaw and Fred Daly. The debate over who was best is an endless one, though O’Connor’s great longevity certainly made him a much larger presence in the contemporary conscience.

Well, it’s a form of history, anyway.

With his impressive victory at the Players Championship, Sweden’s Henrik Stenson must surely go down as the first-ever golfer of whom one can write: “Now he will no longer be best remembered for taking off his clothes.”

And indeed it’s true, for Stenson achieved a measure of fame/infamy at March’s WGC-CA Championship by stripping down to his underwear before attempting to extricate a ball from a water hazard – a moment which surely got the attention of PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, even if there was little that Finchem could actually do about it. But Stenson turned that fiasco/epic moment into little more than a footnote on Sunday by birdieing six of his final 12 holes en route to a flawless final round 66 and an emphatic four-shot triumph over Ian Poulter, in the process logging by far his largest worldwide victory to date.

And this really was an important win for Stenson, because...

While I am one of the seemingly small number of people genuinely enamored with the Official World Ranking, I must concede that there might be a flaw in its mechanism when a player can be a fixture in the world top 10 without at least occasionally winning on the top tour in t he world. Certainly Stenson has been a consistent winner in Europe (seven E Tour victories since 2000) and I haven’t forgotten that one of those events was the 2007 WGC Match Play which is, of course, also an official event in America. But in general Stenson has avoided playing regularly on these shores. In fact, going into this week, beyond the internationally oriented Majors and WGCs, the Players and the FedEx Cup playoffs, he had made a grand total of seven career PGA Tour starts.

Now, I can’t necessarily blame him for choosing such a path. Indeed, if money is not one’s sole motivator in life, there could be a dozen good reasons to play primarily in Europe – not the least of which might be an admirable sense of loyalty to one’s home circuit. The great Australian Hall-of-Famer Peter Thomson certainly felt no need to ply his trade regularly in the U.S., nor did Seve Ballesteros, and numerous other British and European players since the founding of the E Tour in the early 1970s.

But...

Thomson and Ballesteros made their worldwide competitive bones winning Majors, while those other E Tour types seldom challenged for elite status worldwide. Henrik Stenson, on the other hand, has not accomplished the former but, at least according to the World Ranking, has very much achieved the latter. Fair enough. But by coming to Ponte Vedra Beach and handing it to a world-class field in the game’s fifth biggest event, Stenson certainly validated that top-10 ranking, ending any speculation as to his ability to win “over here.” And if one doubts the significance of that, how, I wonder, do they think history will rate Colin Montgomerie, a genuinely great talent who never won either a Major or a regular Tour event in America?

Anyway, now being unquestionably established among the world elite, will Henrik Stenson opt to play in America more regularly? Or even less?

And then we have the ongoing saga of Tiger Woods, who blew himself out of Sunday contention with a horrendous start, hitting shots pretty much every place but where he was aiming over the first several holes, and never finding enough form to mount any sort of meaningful run thereafter. The naysayers, of course, are getting louder now, and one senses that Tiger’s alleged instructor Hank Haney may soon have considerably more time to dedicate to the all-encompassing work-in-regression that is Charles Barkley. But whether Woods brooms Haney or not, it is still too early to conclude that he has somehow “lost it,” that his knee may never sufficiently recover, or that he now resides again amongst the mortals. Indeed, a player of Woods’ singular talents will almost certainly rise again, in some form or fashion, to a level capable of winning Major championships. But the question that now might be a reasonable one to ask is:

In the time it takes to do that, will he lose his psychological edge?

Have the players that once generally fell to pieces in his presence now become emboldened enough by his post-surgery play that they are more ready to mount significant opposition during crunch time? I’m still certain that Tiger can regain his lost form (albeit almost certainly under new tutelage) but his psychological advantage very well could be on the wane.

And if so, that would certainly make for some interesting competitive times dead ahead.

PGA Tour: Valero Texas Open

Site: LaCantera Golf Club (Resort course) - San Antonio, TX
Yards: 6,896   Par: 70
Defending: Zach Johnson 261   (beat three players by 2)
Field: World Top 20: Anthony Kim (14)   Other Notables: Mark Brooks, David Duval, Steve Elkington, Lee Janzen & Corey Pavin.

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European PGA Tour: The 3 Irish Open

Site: County Louth Golf Club – Baltray, Ireland
Yards: 7,063   Par: 72
Defending: Richard Finch 278   (beat F. Aguilar by 2)
Field: World Top 20: Padraig Harrington (5), Lee Westwood (15) & Rory McIlroy (17)   Other Notables: Ross Fisher, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Graeme McDowell, Colin Montgomerie, Jose Maria Olazabal & Oliver Wilson.

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Asian Tour: GC Caltex Maekyung Open

Site: Nam Seoul Country Club – Seoul, Korea
Yards: 6,962   Par: 72
Defending: Inn-Choon Hwang 279  (beat S.Y. Noh in a playoff)
Field: World Top 20: None   Other Notables: Not many.

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Sunshine Tour: Nashua Golf Challenge

Site: Gary Player Golf Club – Sun City, South Africa
Yards: 7,831   Par: 72
Defending: Keith Horne 210   (beat N. Henning in a playoff)
Field: World Top 20: None   Other Notables: Desvonde Botes, Darren Fichardt & James Kamte.

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LPGA Tour: Sybase Classic

Site: Upper Montclair Country Club – Clifton, NJ
Yards: 6,413   Par: 72
Defending: Lorena Ochoa 206   (beat five players by 1)
Field: World Top 20: The entire Rolex top 20 except Yuri Fudoh (13)   Other Notables: Most who are physically able.

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Champions Tour: Regions Charity Classic

Site: RTJ Golf Trail at Ross Bridge – Birmingham, AL
Yards: 7,473   Par: 72
Defending: Andy Bean 203   (beat L. Roberts by 1)
Field: Ranked: The entire Charles Schwab Cup top 20 except Mark O’Meara (5), John Cook (13), Tom Lehman (18) & Mark McNulty (20)   Other Notables: Fred Funk, Hale Irwin, Tom Kite, Sandy Lyle, Larry Nelson, Lee Trevino, Lanny Wadkins, Ian Woosnam & Fuzzy Zoeller.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Elsewhere...
LET – Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open – Ticino, Switzerland
JLPGA – Vernal Ladies – Fukuoka, Japan
Futures – Mercedes-Benz of Kansas City Championship – Kansas City, Leawood, KS
Nationwide – BMW Pro-Am – Greer, SC
Euro Challenge – Allianz Open – Bretagne, France

PGA Tour: The Players Championship

Winner: Henrik Stenson 68-69-73-66   276   (beat I. Poulter by 4)
Site: TPC at Sawgrass - Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


European PGA Tour: BMW Italian Open

Winner: Daniel Vancsik 68-65-69-65   267   (beat three players by 3)
Site: Royal Park I Roveri – Torino, Italy

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


Sunshine Tour: Samsung Royal Swazi Sun Open

Winner: Jaco Van Zyl 65 points (stableford)   (beat T.C. Charamba & T. van Aswegen by 12)
Site: Royal Swazi Sun Country Club - Mbabane, Swaziland

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


LPGA Tour: Michelob Ultra Open at Kingsmill

Winner: Cristie Kerr 69-63-66-70   268   (bet I.K. Kim by 2)
Site: Kingsmill Resort (River course) – Williamsburg, VA

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


Elsewhere...
JLPGA – World Women’s Championship – Shinobu Moromizato 275 (Story)
Euro Seniors – Mallorca Senior Open – Mark James 206 (Story)

The recent announcement that the World Golf Hall of Fame class of 2009 will include Lanny Wadkins and Jose Maria Olazabal gives one pause to think. Beyond the common debate about inducting a still-active player, Olazabal seems a relative no-brainer, having recorded 29 worldwide wins including two Major championships (the 1994 and ’99 Masters), as well as the 1984 British Amateur. Wadkins, on the other hand, though undeniably a great player, might raise a question or two, largely due to a career record which includes 21 PGA Tour wins, but only a single Major, the 1977 PGA Championship. Thus beyond noting that the unwritten Hall of Fame benchmark has generally been viewed as at least 15 wins and two Majors, my own view of Wadkins’ selection revolves around the use of the precedent system so frequently employed in such discussions (“If Porky Oliver is in, than Dudley Wysong surely belongs”) – and in that light, Lanny’s induction should certainly raise the hopes of a number of players currently still on the outside looking in.

Since modern players (defined here as having played the majority of their careers after the official founding of the PGA Tour in 1968) are well enough known, below appear the 14 pre-Tour players with the strongest arguments for inclusion, based either on their career record exclusively or on historical grounds as well. It is, by any measure, a fairly imposing group.

First, those riding their playing records only, arranged alphabetically:

Johnny Farrell – This White Plains, NY native logged 22 wins today recognized as official by the PGA Tour, including six in an eight-week span during the spring of ’27. Holed a seven-foot putt on the 36th green to edge Bobby Jones by one in a playoff for the 1928 U.S. Open at Olympia Fields, and also claimed the Shawnee Opens (a prestigious Eastern event of the day) three times. A three-time Ryder Cup player, he won numerous additional unofficial events, and came from the same Fairview (NY) CC caddie yard that spawned Tony Manero, Tom Creavy, and the famous Turnesa brothers. Later the professional at Baltusrol for nearly four decades.

Jim Ferrier – Arguably the finest amateur golfer ever produced by Australia. A large, powerful man who won four Australian Amateurs as well as multiple state titles in New South Wales and Queensland. Two-time Australian Open winner (1938 and ’39) who also lost in the final of the 1936 British Amateur, to Hector Thomson. Emigrated to America in 1940, where he soon turned pro and became a force on the PGA Tour in the postwar years. Beat Chick Harbert 2 & 1 at Plum Hollow to claim the 1947 PGA, becoming the first Australian to win a Major championship. Finished 2nd at the 1950 Masters and the 1960 PGA. Logged 12 top 10 finishes in 18 Major championships entered from 1946-52.

Doug Ford - Ranked with Hogan, Snead, Middlecoff and Mangrum (all Hall of Famers) as America’s best of the 1950s. Claimed 15 of his 19 career wins between 1952-59. Defeated Middlecoff 4 & 3 at Meadowbrook (MI) CC to win the 1955 PGA en rout to a three-win, Player-of-the-Year campaign. Defeated Sam Snead by three to win the 1957 Masters, a victory supported by same-year wins at the prestigious Los Angeles and Western Opens. Famously strong short game and one of the great wedge players of all time. A four-time Ryder Cupper and PGA Player of the Year in 1955.

Jock Hutchison – A St. Andrews native who, after emigrating, became one of America’s first great professionals. Runner-up at the 1916 U.S. Open and PGA before playing his best golf in the years that followed the cancellations of WWI. Won the 1920 PGA, defeating Douglas Edgar 1 up at Flossmoor (IL) CC. Won the 1921 British Open at his native St Andrews, memorably defeating a young Roger Wethered in a 36-hole playoff. Also won two Western Opens as well as numerous undocumented events in the pre-WWI years. Remained competitive well into his 40s. Ineligible to represent America in Ryder Cup play due to British birth.

Ted Ray - A hugely long hitter and one of early golf’s more engagingly popular characters. Long labored in the shadows of the Great Triumvirate, but emerged long enough to win the 1912 British Open at Muirfield, defeating his fellow Channel Islander Harry Vardon by four. Joined Vardon (and, later, Tony Jacklin) as the only Britons to win both the British and U.S. Opens, taking the latter, by a single shot over four players, at Inverness in 1920. Also joined Vardon in losing a playoff to the upstart Francis Ouimet at the 1913 U.S. Open. Captained the British side in the inaugural (1927) Ryder Cup match.

Alex Smith - The oldest of the three Carnoustie-born Smith brothers who came to America near the turn of the 20th century. Arrived in 1898 and was an immediate factor in U.S. Open play, finishing 2nd (seven behind Fred Herd) at the Myopia Hunt Club that summer. Lost a playoff to Willie Anderson when the Open returned to Myopia in 1901. Won the 1906 Open at Chicago’s Onwentsia Club, shattering Anderson’s Open record with a score of 295. Claimed a second Open title at the Philadelphia Cricket Club in 1910, winning a three-way playoff over his other brother MacDonald and a young Johnny McDermott. Also won a pair of Western Opens (1903-06) as well as four Metropolitan Opens (1905-09-10-13) and numerous undocumented titles. Less famous than brother Macdonald, but likely the better all-around player.

Ken Venturi - Experienced one of golf’s most up-and-down careers. Following a top-flight amateur career, some great early success as a professional, then an early 1960s slump, came back to win the 1964 U.S. Open at Congressional, famously battling heat exhaustion to defeat Tommy Jacobs by four. Suffered multiple heartbreaks at the Masters, most memorably shooting 80 on Sunday to lose the 1956 title by one while still an amateur. Suffered severe case of carpal tunnel syndrome in late 1964 that effectively ended his career, leading to a long and popular stint in the TV booth. His 14 career wins (with only the single Major) may not measure up – but what kind of record would he have amassed had he stayed healthy?


And those who belong for a combination of playing and historical reasons:

Mike Brady - Among the first American-born professionals to challenge the playing supremacy of the British immigrants. Recalled as a man who could not win the U.S. Open, several times losing late, twice in playoffs (1911 & ’19). Did manage nine official PGA Tour wins including prestigious titles like the 1917 North & South Open, the 1922 Western Open and the 1924 Metropolitan Open, the latter being virtual Major championships of the day. Reportedly won 11 events in 1917, though little record of such victories exists today. Broke the nationality line for American players attempting to compete at the highest levels, and highly underrated historically. Served as professional at Winged Foot from 1924 until WWII.

Sid Brews - South Africa’s first great professional golfer after arriving from England (where his father was professional at Royal Blackheath) at age 15. Won eight South African Opens between 1925-52, as well as six South African PGAs (contested at match play), eight Transvaal Opens and six Natal Opens. First South African to successfully compete overseas, claiming a Belgian Open, back-to-back French and Dutch Opens (1934 & ’35) and the PGA Tour’s 1935 Philadelphia Invitation. Finished 2nd (five behind Henry Cotton) in the 1934 British Open.

Johnny Laidlay – A top 19th-century Scottish amateur who, by his own estimate, claimed 139 medals, mostly in the smaller regional events of the day. By most accounts, pioneered the overlapping grip which predominates modern golf – the mis-named “Vardon grip.” Reached the semi-finals of the British Amateur for seven consecutive years between 1888-94, winning in 1889 (2 & 1 over Leslie Balfour-Melville) and 1891 (at the 20th hole, over Harold Hilton), both times at St Andrews. Seven times a top-10 finisher in the British Open, including a 2nd (two back of William Auchterlonie) in 1893 at Prestwick.

Johnny McDermott - America’s first Major champion. First came to prominence by defeating four-time U.S. Open champion Willie Anderson by one to capture the 1910 Philadelphia Open, then losing that year’s U.S. Open (to Alex Smith) in a three-way playoff. Returned to win both the 1911 & ’12 Opens, the first in another three-way playoff (with Mike Brady and George Simpson) at the Chicago GC, the second by two over Tom McNamara at the old CC of Buffalo. Compounded his dominance with an eight-shot triumph at the 1913 Shawnee Open, but was perceived to have insulted the visiting Harry Vardon and Ted Ray during his acceptance speech, causing a furor. His life soon veered off-course thereafter, leading to a complete mental breakdown in 1915. Committed to a lunatic asylum, where he lived the remaining 56 years of his life.

Willie Park Jr - Son of four-time Open Champion Willie Park Sr. Won the 1887 British Open at Prestwick, then claimed the Claret Jug a second time in 1889 on his home links at Musselburgh, defeating Andra Kirkaldy in a 36-hole playoff. Regular participant in high stakes challenge matches, famously losing to Harry Vardon in much-anticipated 72-hole affair in 1899. Golf’s first great entrepreneur, greatly expanding his father’s successful equipment business both at home and abroad, and breaking ground with his design of various new clubs and balls. Became the first professional to author a book, 1896’s The Game of Golf (Longmans, Green, 1896). Generally viewed as golf’s first modern course architect, at least so far as playing strategy, earth moving and carrying the gospel abroad went. Resided in America from 1916-23. As the first professional not to derive his living in service to a club, a true groundbreaker.

Ted Rhodes – Prior to Tiger Woods, the greatest black golfer of all time. A native of Nashville, this long-hitting former caddie participated in the 1948 U.S. Open at Riviera (firing an opening-round 70) and numerous Los Angeles Opens.  More frequently was relegated to the minority-oriented United Golf Association tour where his dominance was so great that some estimates (largely undocumented) have him winning 150 titles, including five UGA National Opens, four of which came in succession from 1949-52. If Charlie Sifford is in the Hall of Fame, Ted Rhodes must be – period.

Norman von Nida - Caddie turned star who came to international attention upon defeating a visiting Gene Sarazen in a 1936 Brisbane challenge match. First Australian to go abroad in search of top professional competition. Claimed 14 significant wins in the U.K. from 1946-48, including seven titles in 1947, a record unbroken on the modern European Tour. Even more impressive at home, winning three Australian Opens (1950, ’52 and ’53) as well as four Australian PGAs and seven Queensland Opens. Made only sporadic appearances in America but played in five Masters between 1950-62. Finished 3rd in the 1948 British Open at Muirfield. A great character and giant of Australian golf who helped numerous young players, most prominently Peter Thomson and Gary Player.