Shots Heard ‘Round .The World by HERBERT WARREN WIND
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1948 USGA J OURNAL: Autumn, 194s 19 Shots Heard ‘Round .the World By HERBERT WARREN WIND ,. ., AUTHOR OF “THE S TORY OF A MERICAN G OLF" ' ' I'U~LI~IIED NOVEMBER 19 BY PARRAR, Srnaus & CO., INC., 53 EAST 34~~ ST., NEW YORK 16, N.Y. It is natural for people to wish they were almost as perfectly the’ precise progress of younger, but very often during the re: Rav and Vardon. Mr. Pierce filled in with searching of “The Story of American background on the holes where changes Golf,” I wished I were older, or old enough, had been made, Mr. Jaques added some im- at any rate, to have witnessed many of the pressions of the match which now came historic matches E ‘was trying to recreate vividly to his mind, and Mr. Fowler cleared as graphically as possible. Above all, I up a few points on which Francis had been, regretted that I hadn’t been able to trudge characteristically, too modest. around The Country Club at Brookline, Three hours later when Francis led us off Mass., that wet September day in 1913 the 18th green after canning that final four- when Francis Ouimet fired the shots heard footer, I believe we had come very close to ‘round the world in the play-off of the “seeing” the play-off round. Open Championship. Those 18 holes that Ouimet played Hole by Hole against Harry Vardon and Ted Ray-the American youth against the British masters {EDITOR'S NOTE-BY kind permission of Mr. -constitute perhaps the most momentous Wind and the publishers of “The Story of American:G&f;” the USGA JOURNAL is priv- round in the history of golf, tremendously ileged to p&t below, in a slightly condensed soon dramatic in itself, inordinately crucial in form, the account of the Ouimet-Vardon-Ray Golf the effect Ouimet’s stunning victory. had play-off as colztained in Mr. Wind’s new book. The USGA OU NAL hereby records its thanks Golf upon the future course of golf in this coun- J R try. That was one match that had to be and appreciation for this privilege. This is but a sample of the many historical eve&s re- done absolutely right. ocia- counted in the volume.) Y by As things turned out, I think the chapter After tying with Harry Vardon and Ted have on Francis did come off right, thanks to the Ray, Francis Ouimet went home and took a active interest of. Herbert Jaques and bath. He went to bed at 9:30 and slept until have 8. He,ate a light breakfast, and then walked y out Harold Pierce. I went up to Boston in to The Coyntry Club and hit some practice .ding February, 1947, to talk with them about shots out 30 his lo-year-old caddie, Eddie cient Ouimet and the 1913 Championship. If a Lowery. The shots felt fine. Johnny McDer- isso- detailed shot-by-shot of the play-off was mott, who had watched Francis practice, took what I wanted, then, they suggested, why him by the arm and said, “You are hitting niza- f the ball @ell. Now go out and pay no atteti- have wouldn’t the solution be for them to see tion whatsoever to Vardon and Ray. Play if they could prevail upon Francis to walk your owT;game.” I around the course and ‘Ye-play” that round ? L the In the’“tent beside the first tee, the three ,hich A week later I heard from Mr. Pierce. contestants drew straws to determine who He had been able to arrange the walk. would have the honor of hitting first. Francis non- drew the longest straw, and teed up. He was Five of us met at The Country Club at nervous but got off well. Vardon and Ray s the lo:30 on the morning of March 30-Fran- also hit good drives. As the players walked cis, Mr. Pierce,‘Mr: Jaques, Linde Fowler, down the first fairway, they were followed 1 in by a gallery that swelled to 3,500 as the match resi- the pioneer golf reporter (who had car- progressed. Thirty hours of continuous rain ried his 1913 notes along), and myself. We 1 by had turned the low stretches of the course but, started down the first fairway. into a quagmire, and a drizzle was still com- ing down, but this was a match that even the was Francis, with his astonishing memory, old and the gouty had to see for themselves. next was able to walk to the exact spot from The first hole at The Country Club was a 1y” ; which he had played each shot, to remem- lengthy 430-yard par 4, and under the sopping put ber the clubs- he had used, how the shots conditions only Ray had a chance of reaching had felt, how he had felt, and to remember it1 2. Ray, however, pushed his second into USGA JOURNAL: Autumn, 1948 USGA J OURNAL: Autumn, 19~ the mounds off to right of the green. and had He worried about the green slanting from Ouimet Linec to be satisfied with‘8 5 when’ihe &et grass right to left, when he got there. All in all. a held up his chip. Vardon took a 5. and Francis very tough par -20 yards long. got his when he holed a three-footer. That Ouimet, still up, continued his steady driv- putt was very important. The instant it icg. Vardon was a little behind the amateur dropped, Francis lost all sense of “awe and but down the middle, too. Ray was off to the excitement.” left in the high grass. His second was short On the second, all three played orthodox of the green. Vardon cut his brassie a shade pitches to the green, and all got their 4s. On too much and was off on the right. Ouimet the third, a testing two-shotter measuring 435 also elected to play a brassie. The‘hall streaked yards, Ouimet and Vardon made their 4s crazily off to the right and crashed into the after getting home in 2. Ray three-putted overhanging branches of the trees-out of from 40 feet and took a 5. All three played bounds. tidy pitches to the fourth green and went It was the first error the young amateur down in two putts for their 4s. had made. Had the shot been just a little The fifth nroved to be a verv interestinn awry, Francis might have start&d to worry hole. On &is long par 4, a Glayer drove about what he had done wrong. Fortunately, from an elevated tee and tried to keer, well it was such a totally bad shot that Francis away from the woods hugging the righi-hand was able to dismiss it immediately. He didn’t side of the fairway. On his second shot, alibi to himself that his hands had slipped on which on wet turf was a brassie or spoon for the wet shaft, nor did he change his club. even the good golfer, he avoided the pot While the gallery was speculating on the effect In this rare old photograph, Fr bunker to the right of the green, if he could. his loose shot would have on Ouimet, he left, crouching behind his ball dropped another ball quickly over his shoulder Mass. The putt he holed mom and played his third without the briefest and Ted Ray (leaning on putter hesitation. The popularity of golf as a spo It was a ringing brassie that ended up on The Winner the edge of the green. Ouimet rrot down in 2 from There, and-came out of t& hole with a 5. When Vardon and Ray both needed a chip and two nutts. Ouimet had gained a half shot was near the cup. Absolutel) and a valuable psychological boost. His op- Eddie Lowery, his caddie, thou1 ponents had failed to capitalize on the open- wanted to think so too, but as ir,g, and this reinforced Ouimet’s confidence up the hill, he guarded against in his ability to keep pace with them. Vardon ment by reminding himself that and Ray were not infallible. Then, too, he which looked stony from a di! felt that he had been lucky when that second turned out to be 10 or 15 feet aw shot had ended up out of bounds, for if he It was dead, 18 inches from the h had been forced to play it out of the brush, got his birdie, but Ray matched he might have dropped several strokes to par ing in a curving 35-footer. Vardc instead of just the one. Now, after eight holes of play, \ The sixth was a shortish 4 uphill, the sort and Ouimet were tied at 33 strok of a hole on which a player might well pick Ray was feeling better now. Hq uu a birdie. All three were down the middle. up two strokes on Vardon and on with Ray, straight for the first time, the long: on the last two holes. and his est. Vardon played first and sent an elegant him the best chance of snagging little pitch close to the cup. Ouimet and the ninth, a 520-yard par 5 wh Ray could not match it. They two-putted for from an elevated tee into a flat their 4s, and when Vardon sank his putt for by a brook 350 yards out and a birdie 3, he went into the lead, one stroke sharply up to a well-trapped in front of O&net, two in front of Ray.