Never THE WANDERING GOLFER BY BRENDAN MOLONEY GOLF AUSTRALIA columnist lose count MARGIE MASTERS – CELEBRATING A PIONEER again When Woodlands Golf Club in Melbourne Masters was not overawed by the big time. well. He was teaching me the swing but the honoured 63-year member Margie Masters “I used to read the magazines and see the nice thing about it was that he let you swing recently with a high tea, the clubhouse scores they were shooting,” she said. “I thought, with what you had. That’s how you learn, with was packed. ‘Hell, I can shoot those scores too.’ Harry Young someone coming along and fixing little faults Ten days shy of her 80th birthday, she was (a mentor of Peter Thomson) helped me and here and there. Let me tell you about David feted by family, life-long friends and admirers introduced me to (tour pro) Stan Leonard in Leadbetter and the others (coaches). What who remembered her winning nine club Canada who took me under his wing for a they talk about and are teaching now is what championships between 1952 and 1963, just while. I won the Canadian Amateur in 1965 and George Naismith taught me all those years ago. about every amateur event in the country and turned pro after that. He would make a fortune today. The modern the national titles of Australia, South Africa, New “It was nice being the first Aussie on their tour. guys think they have only just discovered it.” Zealand and Canada. They kept asking me about kangaroos. I got so Masters did not make her fortune out of the She was astonished by all the attention sick of it I told them they used to deliver the game but played well enough to win twice in Margie poses in front of the Woodlands and the arrival of a cousin she had not seen mail which they carried in their pouches. But 1967, stay on Tour for 25 years and then teach. honour board where for 40 years but immediately recognised and people were so good to me and I made some Her first win was the Quality Chek’d Classic at her name dominates. embraced. The function, part of the club’s fabulous friends.” Lake Waco in Texas and the winner’s cheque centenary celebrations, included being Masters got into golf in her early teens of $1,725 helped take her earnings for the year anywhere near her. She played with persimmon Masters’ Australian sense of humour welcomed into the Victorian Golf Industry Hall of because her parents played and her talent was to $10,925. It does not seem much by today’s heads and balata balls that went nowhere.” and accent remain strong despite living Fame and the announcement that Woodlands spotted by George Naismith, the 1937 Australian standards but she recalls paying $10 a night Wright was a member at Colonial Country in America since 1965. Andrew Kloprogge, S C ORE women’s championship trophy had been Open champion who later had Thomson and for hotel accommodation when she was on Club in Texas where she used to practise with a former Woodlands professional, met her renamed in her honour. David Graham as trainees in his pro shop at the road. “You could live on it. Everything was fellow member Ben Hogan. Not noted for his through working with Randy Henry, one half ® Masters decided to turn pro at the age of 31 Riversdale Golf Club. cheaper then. Today, the money is amazing. conviviality, Hogan is reputed to have told Gary of Henry-Griffiths clubs. Henry, a tour pro, was BAND and became a trailblazer for Australian women “I played in a junior championship there and They’ve just announced the prize money for the Player, who phoned for some advice, to go and injured even more horribly than Hogan in a on the US LPGA Tour. She hit the ground running the pro came up to my mother and said he’d Australian Open tennis this year at $33 million. ask Mr Dunlop. Masters, who used Hogan clubs, road accident. With his spine broken in nine NOW IN AUSTRALIA over there, winning the rookie of the year title in like to teach me. That’s where it all started. His You wonder where they get it.” The other victory found him a charmer. places, he was not expected to live but he 1965, and paved the way for Jan Stephenson in assistant in the pro shop was David Graham. was with Clifford Ann Creed in the Yankee Ladies “Ben Hogan, who never passed remarks defied the odds and bewildered the medicos ScoreBand is a sleek and 1974 and Karrie Webb in 1996. Mr Naismith – I always called him that – was a Team Championship. about anybody, said Mickey had the best swing by learning to walk and playing again. stylish wristband watch which The Americans were surprised that the girl, lovely man. Two remarkable things about the win at he’d ever seen, man or woman. I had dinner Kloprogge smiles at the memory of helps you keep track of your born in Swan Hill but raised in the Melbourne “It is a long time ago but I remember I was Lake Waco were the sponsor and her playing with him once when we were playing a senior caddying for Masters in the first LPGA seniors stroke or stableford score. bayside suburb of Frankston, could play but not too bad as a kid. I could hit the ball pretty partners in the final round. Quality Chek’d tournament in Texas. He liked women. I sat and event in Dallas in 1987. Although she barely Infused with negative ion made ice-cream and her father, James, was an chatted with him for a long time at another came up to his shoulder, and never married, minerals, ScoreBand is inspector of dairies. The other two in the group tournament and he told me his life story. It was she told the other players straight-faced that simple to use, water resistant were Mickey Wright and Kathy Whitworth. It is just like seeing the movie, Follow the Sun, which he was her long-lost son and the reason she and will have you focusing on hard to imagine a more intimidating duo, male they made about him. It was wonderful just disappeared from the circuit for a while all your game, not the score! or female. Being hunted down on the last day listening to this great player. It started by talking those years ago. “It was a great experience by Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods at their peak about dogs and it turned out that we both had and she also introduced me to Ben Hogan. It Also includes dedicated seems a reasonable approximation. poodles. Then we got into the golf. He was such does not get much better than that,” he said. scoring settings for sports such To get some perspective on these two, Wright a lovely man and so charming.” In recent years Masters has had a knee as tennis and cricket. won 13 majors in a total of 82 LPGA victories and After using Hogan’s clubs, she had a chance replacement and broke her leg when she Now available in Australia Whitworth, the first woman to make $1 million in to get in on the ground floor with Ping. “I missed slipped and fell at home. “I hit my head and for only $39. golf, still holds the record of 88 tour wins. Wright is out on a big opportunity there,” she said “We was lucky not to be knocked out, otherwise second with 82, Annika Sorenstam is third on 72 knew Karsten Solheim, who made the first Ping I would not be here today,” she said. “I could COUNT ON IT! and Webb comes in at 11th with 39. putters in his garage at home. Ping was nothing see the bone. I was eventually able to slide Despite their formidable reputations, both when I started out. He used to be at the practice to the phone and call for help. I was in a players “were lovely to me and encouraging. green at tournaments and ask us to try his wheelchair for six weeks. It has affected my If Mickey Wright was playing today with the putters. We thought they would never succeed golf because I can’t work my legs like I used to modern equipment, none of the girls would get because of the noise they made. Karsten asked and I have to use a cart.” me to be the Ping rep on the Tour and I knocked Even so, she still plays in the Friday skins Margie (far left) represented Australia many times as him back. Then he only had clubs with a stiff game against the men at the Rolling Hills brendan moloney; getty images (left) Buy online or ask for ScoreBand an amateur, including as part of a Commonwealth shaft and a light head and I did not think I’d course near her home in Tucson, Arizona, and team aaginst England at The Wentworth Club in 1959. at your local golf store

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