Johnny Miller's British Invasion

AS I WATCHED HIM STRIDE UP the 72nd fairway at Royal Birkdale, the thought occurred to me, “Why didn’t he win another major?”

I flipped on the Golf Channel last night as they were airing one of their classic highlight programs, the 1976 British Open at Royal Birkdale, also this year’s Open venue.

Johnny Miller’s final-round performance in that Open was phenomenal. Johnny fired a 66 to overtake 19-year-old Seve Ballesteros and leave the great Jack Nicklaus and Masters champion Raymond Floyd in the dust.

In true Ballesteros fashion, Seve was knocking the ball all over England. Paired together, Nicklaus and Floyd played well, though, closing with 69 and 70, respectively. But Miller looked like he was playing in Tucson, taking dead aim at flagsticks and running in birdies with his Bulls Eye putter and jabby stroke. He even chipped in for an eagle on the 13th hole.

Johnny won going away, by six shots, the largest winning margin at the British Open since Arnold Palmer at Royal Troon in 1962. Wearing a red shirt and a pair of those awful golf slacks from the 70s, a beaming Miller hoisted the Claret Jug. He looked like he could win a bunch of them. He was only 29.

That was the end, his second and final major victory, although he did win seven more times on the PGA Tour. It’s still hard to believe Miller didn’t win another major. He was such a good player.

−The Armchair Golfer

Asterisk Weighs in on Tiger’s ‘Major’ Absence

Asterisk, looking fit as ever.

AS USUAL, ASTERISK WAS MINDING its own punctuation business when stories recently broke suggesting winners of upcoming golf majors may deserve Asterisk by their names because of the absence of Tiger Woods.

“I’ve been doing a lot of academic work,” Asterisk told ARMCHAIR GOLF in a telephone interview. “To be perfectly honest, I don’t pay much attention to golf.”

Although the punctuation mark did admit that the sports world often does flock to it, sometimes to stir up controversy, sometimes to edit record books.

“Let’s just say sports folks can get a little carried away,” Asterisk chuckled.

One prominent memory was when Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s single-season home-run record. Asterisk was suggested because Maris hit his record-setting 61 home runs in 162 games instead of the 154-game season of Ruth’s era.

“Maris wasn’t very popular,” Asterisk remembered. “That was the crux of it all.”

Does being at the center of sports controversies ever bother Asterisk?

“Hyphens and parentheses never go through this, so, yeah, it’s a distraction,” the punctuation mark said. “But I guess it goes with the territory. I can handle it.”

And what did Asterisk think when PGA Tour journeyman Paul Goydos said that maybe Jack Nicklaus should have Asterisk by all 18 majors since Tiger Woods didn’t play?

“Touché. I like that Goydos guy a lot.”

−The Armchair Golfer

Hold the Tiger Comparisons, Please

Anthony Kim

ON TODAY'S GOLF MENU, I’d like a well-done Anthony Kim story. But hold the Tiger comparisons, please.

For anyone, say, over 40, do you remember how many “next Jack Nicklaus” stories there were? A bunch. Every time someone won a big tournament, had a good year, or grabbed a major, the ink would fly. Especially if the dude had blond hair. (Think Hal Sutton, for instance.)

There was only one Jack, though.

That’s why I say, “Stop it, y’all.” Yes, Anthony Kim is young, talented and has won twice this year. But that doesn’t mean he has earned a spot in the same sentence with Tiger Woods. Not even close.

Leave Anthony alone. That “next Jack” or “next Tiger” kind of talk has crushed players. Just let him play. If he keeps winning, there will be plenty of time to fit him with a crown.

-The Armchair Golfer

Q&A: Ian O’Connor, Author of ‘Arnie & Jack’

WHEN IAN O'CONNOR CONTACTED ME in May and offered to do something on his new golf book, Arnie & Jack, I said, “Great.” The book was doing very well and already on my radar. Then the author emails me. Perfect.

Besides, growing up, Jack Nicklaus was my Tiger Woods. Arnie & Jack was right in my golf wheelhouse. A review copy soon arrived and I dug in.

Honestly, there’s not much I could say that hasn’t already been written in the many fine reviews. The rivalry angle hadn’t been done, and O’Connor’s reporting skills made this a book. The guy can write a sentence, too.

O’Connor is a nationally recognized sports columnist for FoxSports.com and The Record of New Jersey. He answered my questions between filing columns about major league baseball and the NFL.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: What drew you to this project?

IAN O’CONNOR: I was always fascinated by how the Augusta National crowds reacted to Arnie and Jack in different ways. It didn’t matter that Jack had won six Masters, and Arnie four – it was clear who was king there and who was not. But the first seed for the book was planted seven years ago, at the 14th green. Jack had nearly won the Masters in ‘98, at age 58, just before going into hip replacement surgery, so he wasn’t at all happy that Augusta’s elders had paired him with Palmer and Gary Player for another Big Three reunion. At 61, Nicklaus still thought he could win the damn thing, and here he was part of a ceremonial group. Jack hates the ceremonial stuff.

Anyway, as he’s about to putt at 14, Arnie walks toward me and sits down among a circle of fans and starts engaging them in conversation. Jack hears the commotion, backs away from his putt, and stares daggers at Arnie. Arnie tips his cap, the fans laugh, and Jack just can’t believe Palmer’s behaving like this while he’s trying to grind it and make the cut. It’s a small-picture scene, but it told me a lot of big-picture things about their relationship and just how different they are as golfers and human beings.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: You did a ton of reporting – was it a long haul to get this story published?

IAN O’CONNOR: Two years of blood, sweat and tears. I did 200-some interviews and spent countless hours reviewing old magazine and newspaper clips in the hope of producing the defining account of the rivalry. The time actually passed quickly, as I found it to be incredibly rewarding work. It’s so difficult to do a book (especially when you keep your day job, as I did, as a newspaper columnist) that you have to be passionate about the subject matter. I can’t imagine doing a book on something I wasn’t all that interested in.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: I read somewhere that you used the Arnie-Jack rivalry as leverage to get face time with them. Tell me a little bit about that.

IAN O’CONNOR: At first, Nicklaus and Palmer both declined to cooperate with the book. Their reps contacted me with word that they had some vague agreement with Gary Player to possibly do a Big Three book in the future, and that they couldn’t cooperate with a competing project. I ended up sitting down with Arnie, anyway, for a few minutes just to plead my case, and at the end of that brief conversation he mentioned that he might agree to help if Jack changed his mind and agreed to help. It sounded grade schoolish to me, but again, said a lot about their relationship. So I knew I had to work on Jack to get Arnie.

Nicklaus agreed to see me in his North Palm Beach office. He was familiar with my work; I had a weekly column at USA Today at the time, and he was a regular USA Today reader. I sat down with him and just appealed to his work ethic (Jack's an incurable workaholic), just told him I'd work as hard on this book as he ever did on one of his golf course design projects. And he said, “OK, I’ll help you.”

Once I was through with my first Jack interview, I got back in touch with Arnie, told him Jack was on board, and voila, Palmer signed on as well. Both men and their families couldn’t have been more accommodating or accessible, and I’m indebted to them all for that.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: From reading Arnie & Jack, Tiger’s large galleries and intimidation factor have nothing on Arnie’s Army. Yet Jack’s focus, even as a young pro, was other-worldly. Do you think Tiger (or anybody) could intimidate Nicklaus on a golf course?

IAN O’CONNOR: I can’t imagine anyone intimidating Nicklaus on a golf course, Woods included. Jack was quite an intimidating presence himself. Many players told me that Nicklaus could stare a hole through them with those cold blue eyes of his. Like Tiger and unlike Arnie, Jack never spent any clubhouse time fraternizing with the other players. He never wanted his opponents to be comfortable around him. Jack wanted them to feel uncomfortable in his presence on the tee boxes, on the greens, and in the locker room.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: I learned a lot about the wives and how they enabled Arnie and Jack’s success. Anything surprise you? I'm guessing you unearthed new family material.

IAN O’CONNOR: I was surprised by just how close Winnie Palmer and Barbara Nicklaus were as their husbands were warring on the golf course and in the boardroom. It’s amazing to think that Winnie and Barbara could walk together at Oakmont in ‘62 while Arnie’s Army was unleashing a vicious verbal assault on Jack, but their bond was air-tight. As I wrote in the book, Winnie and Barbara deserve credit for preventing the Arnie-Jack relationship from ever getting to Defcon 1.

On another front, Peg Palmer, Arnie’s older daughter, is probably the most candid person I’ve ever interviewed. She had no problem talking openly about some painful experiences within the family, and about the burdens she carried as the child of an American icon.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: As a national sports columnist, you cover many sports. Where does golf rank for you?

IAN O’CONNOR: I find golf to be one of the most fascinating sports to write about. I love the man-versus-nature, man-versus-himself element to the game, and I think it lends itself to lively prose. Golf is all about mental challenges, and those demons and doubts within every player – Tiger Woods excluded – inspires a lot of drama.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: What's next?

IAN O’CONNOR: My wife is demanding some time off before I start another book. I’d think about doing a Tiger book, but I can’t believe my chances of getting him to cooperate would be within a long par-five of my chances of getting to Arnie and Jack.

Coming Soon: ‘Arnie & Jack’ Author Q&A

MY FAMILY VACATION began yesterday afternoon with a six-hour car trip, so I missed the final round of the U.S. Women’s Open. Between trips to the beach, water park and movies with my kids, I plan to publish a few things this week.

One will be a post on Arnie & Jack, a relatively new book authored by national sports columnist Ian O’Connor about the longstanding rivalry between Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.

The book has made the New York Times bestseller list. I’m always glad to see a golf book make the list.

I heard from Ian yesterday, and as soon as I can tidy up our email Q&A I’ll post it for you. Probably in a day or two.

−The Armchair Golfer

Is Tiger Woods Already the Greatest?

ARTICLES, POSTS AND COMMENTS that declare Tiger Woods as the greatest golfer of all time are increasing. So here’s an informal Friday survey as I wait to board a flight at LAX.

Is Tiger Woods already the greatest? Or does he need to break Jack Nicklaus’ record for major wins to earn that distinction?

I know what I think, but I want to hear from y’all. Give me your take and rationale.

−The Armchair Golfer

Remembering Jim McKay

LEGENDARY SPORTS BROADCASTER Jim McKay died this weekend. He was 86.

Something I didn’t know: His real name was James McManus, but he legally changed it after hosting a program a CBS executive dubbed “The Real McKay.”

Some of us grew up with McKay, who covered virtually every sport, from the Olympic Games to motor racing to golf.

McKay reported the action at the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and other tournaments during the Palmer and Nicklaus eras when professional golf began to appear on small black-and-white and color screens across America.

His favorite sport? Horse racing. McKay passed away just hours before the running of the Belmont Stakes.

−The Armchair Golfer

Kenny Perry Collects Third Memorial Win

OK, KENNY. Nice work. You were due.

The old man (47) by PGA Tour standards finally broke through at the Memorial Tournament after coming close the last few weeks at The Players Championship and AT&T Classic.

With his third Memorial victory, Kenny Perry is also in rare company. Only one other man has three victories at Jack’s tournament: Tiger Woods.

Woods claimed his three consecutively in 1999, 2000 and 2001. Perry, on the other hand, has spread his Memorial titles over 17 years, beginning with a playoff win over Hale Irwin in 1991.

Perry played near flawless golf in the final round, fashioning a 69 on a U.S. Open-tough Muirfield Village course that befuddled most of his young challengers. Eight under won the thing, the highest winning score on tour this year.

What could have been a breakthrough win for a Matthew Goggins or a Justin Rose, or a resurgent win for a Mike Weir or a Jerry Kelly, was instead the 10th tour win for an “old” man who wants one more shot as a Ryder Cupper. Perry has now moved up to fifth in Ryder Cup points and has a great shot at making Azinger's team.

Way to go, Kenny.

−The Armchair Golfer

The Man Who Nicknamed Jack The Golden Bear

THEY CALLED HIM FAT JACK. Early in his career, a serious, heavy-set Jack Nicklaus was the villain, an object of open scorn on the PGA Tour, especially at Grand Slam events such as the 1962 U.S. Open at Oakmont.

Ten years older and the undisputed king of golf, the charismatic Arnold Palmer was universally adored, the people’s hero.

It didn’t stop the highly focused, methodical and talented Nicklaus from usurping Palmer’s throne to become the game’s top player by the mid 1960s.

By the time the 1967 U.S. Open was played at Baltusrol, Jack had a growing fan base and a new nickname coined by an Australian sportswriter named Don Lawrence. Referring to Jack’s blonde mane and hefty physique, “The Golden Bear” stuck.

“The notion of a growling bear sat well with Jack, who was self-conscious about his high-pitched voice,” writes Ian O’Connor in Arnie & Jack.

Jack’s Memorial Tournament began today in Dublin, Ohio. Matthew Goggin leads with a 65.

−The Armchair Golfer

Ernie Els Wants Some Positive Vibes

(Pocketwiley/Flickr)

CAN'T SAY I BLAME Ernie Els for changing his mind about playing the Memorial, especially after missing the cut last week at the BMW PGA Championship. The Big Easy ballooned to a 75-73 for 148 at Wentworth of all places, his home course.

As for Jack's Memorial Tournament where top ten players are dropping like flies, first Els was in, then he was out, and now he's back in.

“Originally, this week was going to be a gap in my schedule, but I’ve changed my mind and decided to play in the Memorial,” Ernie said at his Web site.

“It’s one of my favourite tournaments of the year and I love Jack’s course, Muirfield Village. I figure it’ll be a good week to try to get back some positive vibes in my game.”

With the U.S. Open just around the corner, the Big Easy definitely needs to find something positive in his golf game. And in a hurry.

−The Armchair Golfer

Q&A: Tiger’s Left Knee Carries Weight of Golf World

Tiger's Left Knee in action. (Honeyfield/Flickr)

IN A RARE AND REVEALING INTERVIEW, Tiger Woods' Left Knee told ARMCHAIR GOLF about its recovery from a third surgery and the multiple pressures that come with supporting the world’s greatest golfer.

Q: First of all, how are you feeling?

LEFT KNEE: I have my good days and bad days, but overall I think I’m getting stronger.

Q: This was your third surgery. Did the fist-pump celebration during the final round of last year’s PGA Championship exacerbate the problem?

LEFT KNEE: No comment.

Q: It really looked like Tiger was limping after that.

LEFT KNEE: I was told there wouldn’t be any fist-pump questions.

Q: Can you talk about Tiger’s swing and how it affects you?

LEFT KNEE: Well, you’ve seen him. Tiger has the mother of all golf swings. The torque is absolutely incredible. It gives me a sharp twinge just thinking about it. No knee is designed for that.

Q: What’s the hardest part about being Tiger Woods’ Left Knee?

LEFT KNEE: There’s the physical aspect, certainly, but there’s also the weight of everyone’s expectations. He’s playing for the record books and immortality. That’s a pressure very few knees ever experience. I also know that no matter how hard I train and how much pain I endure, I can be replaced.

Q: Does the fact that Tiger was just named fittest guy in America create added pressure?

LEFT KNEE: Didn’t see it, but no.

Q: Do you ever wish you were just a normal left knee for, say, a claims adjuster or a florist?

LEFT KNEE: Sure. I think all knees of great athletes have moments when they dream of a normal life. Look at Mickey Mantle, Joe Namath, Larry Bird. The list of greats with highly pressured knees is very long. I’m not the first, nor will I be the last. But in the end you have to work with the person you’re given.

Q: How do you keep going? Where does your inspiration come from?

LEFT KNEE: I take it a day at a time. Do the PT. Get my rest. I really hope Tiger is done with the running. That’s a killer. As far as inspiration, I look to the greats. In golf, all of us lower extremities pretty much worship Hogan. I mean, my God, his legs were totally mangled from that car accident and he came back and not only walked again but won six majors. It’s incredible (sniffling). Sorry, I promised myself I wouldn’t get emotional.

Q: It’s OK.

LEFT KNEE: Are we about done?

Q: Yeah. One last question. When will you be back? At the Memorial or the U.S. Open?

LEFT KNEE: Not sure. That’s Tiger’s call. But I hope Memorial.

Q: Why sooner?

LEFT KNEE: It’s always great catching up with Jack’s hip. The right one, not the replacement.

Q: I see. Thanks for taking the time.

LEFT KNEE: My pleasure.

Men in Plaid

Davis Love is a plaid man. (Eddie Honeyfield/Flickr)

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Verizon Heritage played at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Arnold Palmer won the first one in 1969. Boo Weekley is the defending champion.

The Plaid Jacket always follows the Green Jacket. The Green Jacket is the most coveted garment in golf, but as I scanned the Heritage winners list I realized that many of the golf greats and goods have worn the Plaid Jacket. Davis Love, who shares the first-round lead, is the top man in plaid.

Plaid Jackets
Davis Love 5
Hale Irwin 3
Johnny Miller 2
Hubert Green 2
Tom Watson 2
Fuzzy Zoeller 2
Payne Stewart 2
Stewart Cink 2

Other notable winners of the Heritage are Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, Greg Norman, Nick Price and Bernhard Langer.

−The Armchair Golfer

Trevor Immelman’s Idol

Gary Player at the Masters.
(The Armchair Golfer)


While a generation of American golfers idolized Jack Nicklaus, South African golfers such as Nick Price, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and new Masters champion Trevor Immelman looked up to their hero, Gary Player.

A week ago when I attended the Masters with author John Coyne, we watched Player on 15, 16 and 17. We took a few photos, and then John told me about the afternoon he spent with Gary Player nearly 40 years ago. There’s some story material, I thought. Later I was delighted to find out John wrote it down.

It’s 1969. You’re traveling through South Africa and decide to pick up the phone book and find the listing for Gary Player. There it is. You call and Player invites you over for tea. No kidding, that’s how it happened.

Here’s the story in John’s words:

“I interviewed Gary years ago at his home in South Africa when I was visiting all the countries I hadn't seen when I was with the Peace Corps. Gary invited me to his farm for tea one Sunday afternoon.

“His father was there, a retired mine worker, as well as his step-mother. Gary's wife was playing in a golf tournament. She, too, was a fine player, a South African women's champ.

“Gary had designed his ranch home so that each room was a collection of items he had picked up from around the world. For example, he had a 'Western Room' full of saddles, horse gear, and wild west paintings from America. There was a Spanish Room, as well as an Asia Room.

“In the doorways of his kids' rooms he had a bar installed so that his boys (Vivienne and Gary have six children) could do one or two chin-ups entering and leaving their bedrooms. It is not for nothing that Gary is nicknamed Mr. Fitness. (He is also called the Black Knight for his history of always wearing black when playing tournaments.)

“Gary was a poor kid who lost his mother when he was 8 or so, and started to play golf at 14 when his father took out a loan to buy him a set of golf clubs that he could play with. His father worked in the gold mines of South Africa. Gary had a brother who is a famous environmentalist.

“Gary only finished secondary school and then turned pro. His father would write a letter to Bobby Jones 51 years ago asking him to invite young Gary to the Masters, saying how great his son was, and it worked!

“When I visited Gary back in 1969, he kept talking about the ‘winds of change’ coming to South Africa as he led me around the farm and introduced me to his African workers, all of whom he knew by name. I was there, of course, during the apartheid years. It took over 20 years before apartheid finally ended in South Africa.”

Gary Player made a record-setting 51st appearance at the Masters this year. And Trevor Immelman’s victorious walk up Augusta's 18th fairway came exactly 30 years after his idol’s final Masters title.

−The Armchair Golfer

New Masters Book Is a Green Jacket Compilation

Recently a PR person at the Wall Street Journal contacted me. She wanted to alert me to their story about a new Masters book, First Sunday in April: The Masters.

They and others made a big stink about the title. (The Masters ends on the second Sunday in April.) I remember someone calling it a “shank.”

I asked Sterling Publishing VP Carlo DeVito about it today in an email. “So was the title a sneaky publicity ploy?” I wrote half jokingly.

“We know that the final round of the Masters takes place on the second Sunday in April,” Carlo answered.

“But the tournament begins the Sunday before when TV and radio and print journalists start arriving. Open a sports section on the first Sunday morning in April, and tell me there's not a major piece on the Masters in your regional or local newspaper.”

Concluded Carlo: “Was the title a ploy? Not really. Did we name it something different on purpose? Yes.”

The book itself is a collection of Masters stories from players (Byron Nelson, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson and others) and golf writers (Herbert Warren Wind, Dan Jenkins, John Feinstein, Rick Reilly and more). It’s broken down into sections: The Traditions, The Course, The Moments, The Controversies and so on.

It’s not the kind of book you have to read from front to back. You can scan the table of contents and start wherever you like.

Last night, for instance, I read “A Master Feat,” a piece written by Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News that tells about Lee Elder’s breakthrough as the first African American to play in the Masters.

Setting aside the title debate, I think this compilation will entertain the interested Masters observer.

−The Armchair Golfer

Armchair Q&A: SI’s Jim Gorant on the Masters

In his book, FANATIC: 10 Things All Sports Fans Should Do Before They Die, Jim Gorant takes you on his pilgrimage to golf heaven on earth, Augusta National. It’s good stuff for the golf or sports junkie. Jim provides vivid glimpses into this world-famous golf landscape and the strange sideshow outside the tournament gates.

The book, which includes nine other sports must-do’s, comes out in paperback the week before the Masters. Jim is a Sports Illustrated senior editor and a self-described sports addict. We hooked up via email earlier this month.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: It's been a few years since your sports fanatic boondoggle. Do you still owe your wife big-time?

JIM GORANT: I owe her for agreeing to marry me in the first place. Seriously, I think it helps that the book turned out well. She's always proud of me, but in the end she enjoyed reading it herself and that helped make all the sacrifice and craziness seem worthwhile. It doesn't hurt that over time you tend to forget how bad things were. It's the same phenomenon that allows women to have more than one baby. Within months of having the first they sort of forget how miserable the experience was. Maybe sleep deprivation has something to do with it.

AG: You've no doubt watched the Masters all your life. What was most startling about actually being at the Masters and Augusta National?

JIM GORANT: To me the most startling thing was the juxtaposition of the scene outside the gates at Augusta National and on the grounds. The course is pristine and beautiful, but you expect that. What you don't expect, or at least I didn't, was the sort of honky tonk, flea market feel that dominates the streets outside the club. It's sort of where Bobby Jones meets John Daly. If I'm being totally honest, I also love any chance to use the word juxtaposition.

AG: You were fortunate to see Jack Nicklaus in his last Masters appearance. What else is on your Augusta highlight reel?

JIM GORANT: Amen Corner, Magnolia Lane, players skipping the ball across the water at 16 during practice rounds, lunch on the clubhouse balcony, and a friend who's a well-known TV personality trashing a customized golf cart while cruising around the development we were staying in the rain well after midnight.

AG: Did the experience disappoint you in any way? Now that you've been, have you gone back?

JIM GORANT: I have been back and imagine I will certainly go again. I really loved it. It's just one of those places that so unique and so special that it makes you feel lucky to be there. You don't want to leave.

AG: I'll be a first-timer at the Masters this year. Any tips or advice? Should I go easy on the pimento cheese sandwiches?

JIM GORANT: You're on your own with those pimento cheese things. I stayed away. Although I will say, they're a great deal, like all the food at the Masters. Otherwise, wear comfortable shoes because you're going to want to cover a lot of ground in order to see everything there is to see. As for viewing, I like 16 during practice, and the spot right by the 12th tee where you can see part of 11, all of 12 and all of 13. It’s beautiful and there's plenty of action.

AG: If you made a list of golf tournaments to see before you die, what events besides the Masters would be on your list?

JIM GORANT: Good question. Obvious answers are the other majors, U.S. Open, British Open and the PGA. I also really enjoy the Players, because it's a such a different-looking course with lots of dramatic risk/reward shots. Beyond that I'd want to hit the classic venues -- Riviera, Pebble Beach, Colonial. Phoenix for the, um, atmosphere, and then something in Hawaii, because who doesn't want to go to Hawaii?

AG: Any good stuff you can share that didn't make it into the book?

JIM GORANT: No. All the good stuff is in there.

−The Armchair Golfer

Two Different Torrey Pines for Tiger Woods

(Delores Knowles/Flickr)

With four consecutive wins at the Buick Invitational, Tiger Woods owns Torrey Pines in January. But what about June?

That’s the question as the golf world marvels at Tiger’s most recent exploits at the famous muni on the Pacific Coast. He made it look ridiculously easy, as only Tiger can, an eight-shot victory that ties him with Arnold Palmer with 62 career wins. Only Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Sam Snead have won more on the PGA Tour.

Early in the telecast I heard this from Nick Faldo in the CBS booth: "Tiger Woods will win the Grand Slam this year."

Of course, Grand Slam talk is an annual ritual in the Tiger era. Tiger believes he can win it, and some seem to have already conceded it to him. The Grand Slam chatter is definitely trending upward.

I can’t hop on the Grand Slam bandwagon. It will take tremendous good fortune along with the skills of the greatest golfer of this generation (and likely ever) to win all four majors in a calendar year.

Possible? Yes. Probable? Um, no.

The U.S. Open may be the key to it all, a major Woods hasn’t won since 2002. Torrey Pines will be a much different (and diabolical) golf course in June -- long, fast and gnarly.

Tiger rode a hot putter to his eight-shot victory this past weekend. In June, all facets of Tiger’s game will need to be sharp, most notably his tees shots so he can hit approaches that assure pars and allow for occasional birdies.

One thing’s for sure: Tiger loves Torrey. Will the romance continue in June? I’m sitting squarely in the wait-and-see camp.

The Armchair Golfer

Golf’s Greatest Swings: Sam Snead

The greatest golf swings of all time. Who’s on your list? How do you even determine such a thing? Beauty? Effectiveness? Wins? Majors?

It’s subjective, a matter of opinion, which I think will make it a fun subject to explore as an occasional series.

Here’s a quick list off the top of my head: Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Bobby Jones, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Harry Vardon, Mickey Wright, Gene Littler, Moe Norman, Gene Sarazen, Annika Sorenstam, Johnny Miller, Vijay Singh, Lee Trevino, Steve Elkington and today’s subject, Sam Snead.

The graceful, athletic Snead had a drop-dead gorgeous golf swing and was a splendid ball-striker. Wrote Al Barkow in Sam, “The sound heard when Sam Snead hit an iron shot was like the door of a Rolls-Royce slamming shut.”

“I know many of us pros would go out and watch Sam hit balls,” Jack Fleck said. “It would help our rhythm, timing and balance immediately.”

“He is, in a word, an athletic wonder,” wrote Herbert Warren Wind when Snead was in his 60s.

As for getting any clues from the man himself, Snead once said, “Golf is played with the arms.”

The File on Sam Snead
Nickname(s): Slammin’ Sam
Era: Late 1930s through 1960s
Tour wins: 82
Major wins: 7
Other: In World Golf Hall of Fame. Played on seven Ryder Cup teams. Won Greensboro Open eight times. Honorary Masters starter. Never won the U.S. Open. Balky putter throughout his career.
Case for swing greatness: Power, grace, tempo, balance and longevity. Snead’s first Tour win came in 1937; his last in 1965.

The Armchair Golfer

Jack Nicklaus to Youth: Don’t Just Play Golf

Sergio Garcia and Greg Norman watch Jack Nicklaus tee off.
(Gunnsteinn Jónsson/Flickr)

In a story published yesterday at Golf.com, Jack Nicklaus said that specializing in golf at a young age is idiotic.

“To play all the sports is great,” Jack was quoted as saying. “I played everything. My dad played everything. Golf to me was just another sport until I was about 19. When I won the National Amateur at 19, I finally said, ‘Hmm, I must be a little better than I think I am.’”

Added Nicklaus: “Eventually, if you want to specialize in something, that's fine. But go out and enjoy, and be happy to be able to play other things.”

The Armchair Golfer

Tomorrow: Interview with Fred Hawkins, who talks about competing with Ben Hogan.

Harry the Great

I’m reading The Greatest Game Ever Played, the book about Francis Ouimet’s upset of Harry Vardon and Ted Ray at the 1913 U.S. Open at Brookline, Massachusetts.

Author Mark Frost includes English golf great John Henry Taylor’s assessment of Harry Vardon. It really caught my attention.

Taylor lived until 1963. Having personally watched and evaluated every major player to come on the scene for over seven decades, including Hogan and Nicklaus, he never wavered in his admiration of Harry Vardon.

“Little did I guess when playing him at Ganton,” Taylor later wrote in his excellent autobiography, “that I was playing a man who would develop into -- in my solemn and considered judgement -- the finest and most finished golfer the game has ever produced.”

Granted, the equipment, courses and playing conditions were incredibly different. Still, I couldn’t help but be impressed.

Think about it. Besides playing alongside Vardon, Taylor also saw Walter Hagen, Bobby Jones, Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus (at least early in his career). After witnessing all their games, Vardon was still his man.

For the record, Harry Vardon won 62 tournaments, including six British Opens, which is still a record.

The Armchair Golfer

Down the Middle: Presidents Cup: Mike Weir, Canadian Hero

Jack Nicklaus Had Polio

(Gunnsteinn J/Flickr)

If I knew the Golden Bear had polio as a teen, I had forgotten. I read this over the weekend from a 2004 Golf Digest interview:

I had polio when I was 13. I started feeling stiff, my joints ached, and over a two-week period I lost my coordination and 20 pounds. The doctors thought I had the flu.

I played an exhibition with Patty Berg and shot 53 for nine holes — not very good for a kid with a plus-3 handicap.

My sister, Marilyn, was diagnosed at about the same time; the doctors deduced that she got it from me. Marilyn, who was 10, was unlucky. For a year she was unable to walk but eventually got 95 percent of her movement back.

I recovered after a few weeks, but I still may suffer from post-polio syndrome. My whole career, my joints have gotten awfully sore at times. Polio is just a memory now, but it was a horrible disease. I got it a year or two before Jonas Salk's polio vaccine was distributed.

The great ones seem to overcome all kinds of obstacles.

The Armchair Golfer