The "ultimate" golf trivia test - the major winners

[LarryKu]

#5: Zach Johnson in 2007

#7 John McDermott - Two time winner of the US Open (1911 and 1912) and still the youngest player to win the US Open.

#10 Tiger Woods - if you define a calendar year as being from June to May. You did not specify IN a calendar year. He is the only golfer to win all four majors consecutively (2000 - US Open, British Open, PGA :: 2001 - Masters).

[AX17609]

"5. Lays up on a par three all four rounds, makes four pars, wins major by one stroke."

Originally Posted by LarryKu

#5: Zach Johnson in 2007.

Zach didn't lay up on par-3s; he laid up on par-5s.

[Rondoraymundo]

Originally Posted by LarryKu

#10 Tiger Woods - if you define a calendar year as being from June to May. You did not specify IN a calendar year. He is the only golfer to win all four majors consecutively (2000 - US Open, British Open, PGA :: 2001 - Masters).

The exact wording of the question, which is vital to the answer, does indeed include the word "in":


10. The only golfer to ever complete the "grand slam" of professional majors in a calendar year.

[reeve21]

Originally Posted by Rondoraymundo

The exact wording of the question, which is vital to the answer, does indeed include the word "in":


10. The only golfer to ever complete the "grand slam" of professional majors in a calendar year.

If it's not Tiger I'm dying to know the answer. My recollection (staying away from Google) is that the Jones slam included the British and/or U.S. amateurs, which are not "professional" majors...so I'm guessing the professional in question was a female.

[Gitfiddlemann]

Originally Posted by reeve21

If it's not Tiger I'm dying to know the answer. My recollection (staying away from Google) is that the Jones slam included the British and/or U.S. amateurs, which are not "professional" majors...so I'm guessing the professional in question was a female.

You're right about the Jones slam. And you might be on to something Bob. I thought about the women too, but I don't know of any that won more than three in a year. But perhaps that is the answer. If you count a calendar year that included only 3 contested majors, than Babe Zaharias could be the answer.
That would fulfill the criteria as written!
Otherwise, the calendar year rules out Tiger. And professional rules out Jones.
This is a very worthy trivia test! I like it.

[Rondoraymundo]

O'Number 3, Harry Vardon, and AndreF is correct again.

Now here's the back story that most golfers, especially American ones don't know:

Vardon contracted tuberculosis in 1903 at the height of his powers. He was the Tiger Woods/ Jack Nicklaus of his day. Like those two legendary players he: was one of the longest and straightest drivers; hit his irons higher than other players, and was an extraordinarily great putter........until the tuberculosis bacterium infected his lungs.

In 1903 there was no known cure for tuberculosis. If one could afford it, you could check into a santorium and try to isolate yourself from further germs. Morality rates for sanatorium' s were 50%.

Vardon "beat" the disease, but it ravaged his body in a particularly cruel way. In 15-20% of tuberculosis infections the bacterium also attacks other parts of the body. Harry had osseous tuberculosis where the disease takes up shop in the bones, especially any weak bones. Harry had broken his right wrist as a boy and the disease attacked him there, giving him the dreaded yips for the rest of his life.

How good was Vardon? Well, in 1898, he enterered 21 tournaments placing 2nd in four of them. The other 17 he won often dominating like Tiger and Jack did.

It's hard to second guess history, but if streptomycin had only been discovered 40 some years prior then Vardon doesn't three-Jack his way around Inverness in 1920, and he would be the oldest man to win a US Open.

[Rondoraymundo]

I've always thought that people who don't get the game, or tried it and gave it up because it was too hard, think the game is just one game. But it's not. Golf is actually five games and trying to be good at all of them is the goal.

There are three physical games. The full shot, which a lot of folks think is the most important judging from what folks practice at the range; the short game-chips and sand play and pitches; and putting.

The two mental games are attitude and course management. Course management is what I want to mention here, knowing what your game is and where the golf course may give you trouble. And that brings me to question five...the pro who layed up on a par three. Why? Why not go for the green, it's a par three, you should be on the green with your tee shot right? The answer is course management.

The third hole of the famed course called Winged Foot in Mamaroneck, NY is a monster. The par 3 is 217 yards up hill it plays more like 230-240. It's heavily trapped on the left and right of the green and those traps are deep.

During practice rounds for the 1959 US Open, Billy Casper looked at the hole and decided that the reward for hitting the green and a try at birdie was far less than the risk of making bogey or double if you missed the green. Casper was probably the best putter of his day, yeah even better than Nicklaus. From 1964-1970, when Jack was in his prime years of 24-30 years old, Casper actually won more tournaments on tour than Jack did. As Stengel used to say, "fellas, you can look it up."

Casper found a flat landing spot to the left of the green about 150 yards out. He hit a mid iron there every day and then chipped and putted for par, removing the possibility of bogey. Snead came along in contention and doubled the third hole on the last day, ending his hopes for a title once again...going for the green. Billy Casper won the 1959 US Open by laying up on a par three all four rounds and beating Bob Rosberg by one stroke. That's course management folks.

[Rondoraymundo]

I have a tip that will make you a better golfer. No, wait, seriously folks it works. You'll be a better golfer although whether you score lower is subject to other factors.

Here's what you should do prior to going to the range or playing a round: Get out whatever internet connecting device you use and bring up the ole utube. Search for "Ben Hogan" and select any offering that has both real time and slow motion sequences....and.......sit back and watch for 10-20 minutes. Then go play golf.

Try it. You'll be amazed. The brain is a powerful visual learner.

I suppose this effect might work with the swing of almost any of the great golfers, but I use Hogan because I'm not sure there is a more perfect swing out there......it has the quality of Zen. And, as Claude Debussy once stated, "To explain something is to destroy 90% of what it is." So just look.

Stop trying to figure out Hogan' s "secret" and just look at the swing. It's a swing that was dug out of the dirt, figured out layer upon layer through years of hard work and economic desperation. When that swing got perfect enough to win three majors, fate took the swinger and crumpled him behind the engine firewall of a Cadillac breaking his pelvis, his left ankle, his left collarbone and damaging the optic nerve in his left eye. Then, two weeks later while in recovery, blood clots threatened to travel up from the legs to the lungs or brain meaning certain death. A decision to close off the vena cava - the vein that brings the blood from the legs back to the lungs and heart - saved the life of the swinger of that perfect swing. But he probably never walked any distance without pain for the rest of his life.

And yet Hogan came back. He came back from a Greyhound bus smashing into his car head-on and he dug that swing out of the dirt again. That's why its so amazing to watch it. Its a twice grooved swing. When life almost kills you and leaves you in pain for the rest of your life what do you do? Well if you're Ben Hogan you go out and win another six majors using that perfect swing. It's a swing that was once so good that Hogan only missed one fairway in the 1953 Open Championship at Carnoustie.

[jseth]

Not sure I would recommend watching Hogan's swing as a visual/kinesthetic learning tool, although it certainly couldn't hurt... I would think that Sam Snead would be more useful for most players...

Someone asked Sam what his swing thoughts were... and he replied, famously, "I just think...'Oily'..." imagine hydraulic fluids moving, slowly and evenly and you get the idea...

Whether we agree on THAT point or not, it is so good to see someone on this Forum who REALLY loves the Grand Green Game like you do! Seems that you "grok it" more than most, seeing all the various layers of the game that can be reached as you peel away the exterior, the obvious...

I have always thought that one of the best aspects of the game is that it WORKS, no matter how you approach it! For many, it's just "whack the ball with the stick", and they have a gas playing... and, of course, the deeper you go into the game, it becomes much, much more... pretty much as much as you want it to be!

Golf is an amazing yoga and mental discipline for me... I love it, truly, whether my body will allow me to play or not.

Is there another game that actually gets HARDER the better one gets at it? I frequently tell my beginning friends to really have a ball; to enjoy each shot and have fun with the walk... because THAT gets much harder to do as one begins to approach any sort of mastery of the game. Anyone who has played at a par/sub-par level will tell you that it isn't much that separates a score of 75 or 65...

Do you play much? How adept are you with the ball, stick and hole?

[Rondoraymundo]

LarryKu has aced question 7. The old shabbily dressed man wandering around Merion in 1971 was indeed John McDermott, the first American born, and still to this day the youngest player ever (at 19) to win the US Open. That was in 1911. In 1912 he won it again becoming the first American born player to defend his title. After that, McDermott' s career spiraled downward.

He finished 8th in the US Open in 1913, when the amateur Ouimet not only won the US Open in Brookline outside of Boston, but went McDermott one better by beating what could easily be argued as the two best players in the world at that time in Ted Ray and Harry Vardon. And he did so in a thrilling playoff. McDermott finished 9th in the 1914 US Open then traveled to England to try a hand at winning the Claret Jug. He arrived too late and missed qualifying. He then set sail back for the US when his ship was struck by another vessel in the Atlantic. This event may have caused the high strung type A personality to crack. Later in the year he would suffer a blackout after which he was never mentally stable again. He competed in a few regional golf tournaments in the 1920's with no success. His career was effectively over by the age of 24.

Can't you see it in your minds eye? The moment when Arnie recognized poor ole McDermott at Merion in 1971 and made Johnny his official guest for the rest of tournament. If you know no other story of Arnie' s kindness, then take that one. It was McDermott' s last Open, he died six weeks later.

[Rondoraymundo]

How many wedges do you carry in your set? 40 years ago the "standard set" consisted of a Sand Wedge and a Pitching Wedge. Then Dave Pelz, using statistical evidence, found out a strange phenomenon - misses on the tour with a wedge in the hand were far more apt to be long or short than left or right. In other words, distance control is THE most important factor in wedge play. Pelz taught players like Phil Michelson and Annika Sorenstam and the idea quickly caught on. Now, most pros use between three and four wedges.

I'd argue that the amateur needs an extra edge or two because they miss a lot of greens. I carry four and am considering another one. If you use the Pelz Distance wedge concept, 3 swing lengths times 4 wedges guess what you get? 12 known distances to hit to. Grip down an inch or two and now you've got 24 distances....like Jan Stephenson (another Pelz student) did in the early 80's when she was winning her majors.

The work of Pelz was the second great "wedge revolution" in golf history. The first came in 1932. That was the year Gene Sarazen invented the Sand Wedge. Sand play up until that time was frought with great difficulty and was partially responsible for the high scores shot in British Opens. The pot bunkers on a links course can be soul crushing to a round of golf. (A couple of weeks ago I walked Royal Portbush, not to play, just snapping pics. I ran into Big Nellie. She's a fairway bunker well over 20 feet high!!!!!)

Prior to Sarazen' s invention the standard method to get out of a bunker was to use your most lofted club and try to blast it out. The trouble was that wedges of the day were made to play off grass - the leading edge is sharp and the bottom of that edge is flat. Sarazen took a standard wedge and added solder to the bottom of the club until he built up a big glob. Then he filed that down and rounded the bottom edge. Now instead of the flat edge of a wedge digging into the sand, the round edge allowed the sand to be scooped out and the ball with it.

It was such a revolutionary idea that Sarazen didn't think the Royal and Ancient officials at the British Open would allow him to use it in the Open Championship at Prince's Golf Club in 1932. So he took it out of his bag and smuggled it into the tournament in his top coat.

Next time you reach for the club in your bag that has a big "S" on the bottom, remember that the "S" stands for Sarazen and not sand. Gene won the British Open that year and officials had to accept the club. It was met with immediate enthusiasm by both pros and amateurs alike. Think about it....Vardon, Braid, Taylor, Jones and Hagen, never won a major with a sand wedge. A similar effect happens when you realize that Palmer, Nicklaus and Player never won a non Senior major by hitting a flop shot in any round. That's because Pelz hadn't developed the lob wedge yet. And so it goes.

[reeve21]

Hi Rondo,

I'm enjoying the thread and your insights on the game.

I spent many years caddying and picking up balls at a driving range, as well as trying to perfect my own game, so I can really relate to a lot of what you say.

I ever saw Hogan or any of the earlier players you mention, but I did get to see Nicklaus, Palmer, Casper, Snead, Player, Trevino, Miller, Watson and lots of others "up close," and got to meet several of them.

Nicklaus may not have been the most gifted player in any one aspect of the game, but he excelled in the mental aspect and brought course management to the forefront. In my book those contributions and his record in the majors makes him the best ever.

I don't think Gary Player gets the credit he deserves here in the US. His emphasis on conditioning advanced the game greatly.

I also think Billy Casper was overshadowed by the others. In his prime he was the best putter I ever saw.

If I could have any swing it would be Sam Snead's, not for the technical proficiency (which is considerable) but for the pure poetry in motion. You could dance to that rhythm.

Most of my golf was played with real woods and balata covered balls, when 250 was a long drive, a 400 yard par 4 was a long hole and 6,500 yards was a real test. I don't play any longer, so it is hard for me to relate to how today's players seem to brutalize the course. I never enjoyed putting as much as the other aspects of the game, but in some ways it is the one part of the game that technology and advances in physical conditioning haven't changed all that much.

Thanks for your comments, keep them coming!

[Rondoraymundo]

The answer to #9 is Bobby Jones.

In the 1926 Open Championship at Lytham and St Annes Bobby Jones was paired with Al Watrous on the final day. That was back in the days when the last 36 holes were played on the final day. After the morning round Watrous led the tournament with Jones 2 strokes back. They then broke for lunch and went to their hotel prior to the final round. When they returned to the course, Jones was denied entrance. Seems that he had left his players badge back in his hotel room and the young guard at the players gate did not recognize him.

Jones risked missing his tee time and being disqualified, so he ran around to the front entrance, stood in line with the fans, and paid 7 shillings to get on the premise. He made his tee time and by the 71st hole he had drawn even with Watrous.

That hole is where Jones unleashed one of those "are you kidding me" once in a lifetimes shots; Watson chipping in out of the rough to beat Jack, Tigers' s flopper on 16 at Augusta, Hogan' s 1 iron at Merion, Leonard's putt at Brookline. Wartrous was on the par four in two, while Jones was in a fairway bunker 180 yards away. Jones then hit a remarkable sand shot that landed inside of his opponent's ball. Shaken, Wateous three putted while Jones made his par leading to his first Open victory.

By 1926 Jones had already won the US Amateur twice and the US Open. With his notoriety he easily could have made a scene with the guard at the players entrance. Instead, he choose a gentleman's way out. There are few universal truths I've learned in life but one of them is: if you're a gashole at the beginning of the last round of the British Open, you probably won't be kissing the Claret Jug at the end.

[Rondoraymundo]

Before we get to the answer to question 10 I wanted to digress here for a moment to make another point. But let's first look at the wording to the question.

10. The only golfer to ever complete the "grand slam" of professional majors in a calendar year.

A calendar year is defined as occurring between January and December of that year. Thus, that excludes the Tiger Slam since that was accomplished at the end of one year and the beginning of the next. While it is the greatest 365 days that any professional golfer has ever had, it's not the answer to the question.

Since the question only dealt with professional majors, that excludes Bobby Jones' 1930 season where two of his "majors" were amateur tournaments, and thus closed to the professionals of the day.

The definition of "grand slam" is to win all of the professional majors that one has available to them in a year. So that would also exclude Hogan' s 1953 campaign which saw him win the Masters, US Open, and British Open. He didn't compete in the PGA since it was scheduled on the heels of the British Open. Besides, the PGA was match play format back then with each match being 36 holes - a far too grueling test for a man who would always have pain walking due to his car accident.

And here is where I wanted to digress: Hogan' s 1953 season. (Hold on, I'll get to the answer to question 10, it's all connected in a way.) Bill James, the baseball sabrematician, historian and hardball guru talks about the careers of baseball players by dividing them into "Career Value" and "Peak Value". Peak Value is the players best season and Career Value is the sum of seasons. Hogan's 53 season is one of the greatest Peak Value seasons in golf history. He enters six tournaments, wins five, three of which are majors. If a "normal" or "healthy" pro golfer had accomplished this feat it would indeed be truly special. But it's even greater than that considering the punishment his body received in the car wreck.

All of which leads me back to question 6 and what may appear to be another digression, but just hold on. In the 1953 Open Champinship at Carnoustie Hogan played 108 holes, 36 in the qualifier and 72 in the tournament, and only missed one fairway. To do that, to be able to control your ball flight with the hardest club in the bag to hit, is a product of playing in the wind. Carnoustie, being a true links course by the sea, almost always has a steady wind. A player must be able to "work the ball" moving it right to left, or left to right at will to successfully navigate a links course. Your landing areas for tee shots can be very small; miss a little right and you've dropped a shot to a pot bunker. Miss a little left and you're in the gorse with a lost ball.

Hogan was a great wind player because he grew up playing in the winds of Texas. In fact, for a while on the PGA Tour, there was a whole slew of great "wind players" all from state of Texas...all major winners; besides Hogan there was Byron Nelson, Lloyd Mangrum, Ralph Guldahl, Jimmy Demaret, and Jack Burke Jr. A later list would include Lee Trevino, Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite. In fact, the answer to the question of which state of the union has produced golfers who have won the most professional men's majors is Texas. And of course, lets not forget the abbreviated swing of Roy McAvoy (abbreviated due to playing in the winds of west Texas).

I think there's something to this wind effect. I think the wind forces the better player to be more consistent in working the ball. You either learn to do this with a modicum of skill, or you learn how to sell insurance. (Six Jacket Jack is on record many times for saying that he, a natural fader of the ball, worked hard on his draw at the beginning of each year. Why? Because he was getting ready for Augusta where the right to left ball flight rewards the golfer with position off the tee...and position is everything at Augusta.)

So now we can get to the answer to question 10. Because the answer is a golfer from Texas who knew how to play the wind, Babe Didrikson Zaharais. Yeah, I threw a curve ball at the end since all the other questions related to men and not women winning majors. But I never stated that the trivia test was just about the guys.

Zaharais was one of the best female athletes of the 20th century. The other "Babe" won three medals at the 1932 Olympics, a gold in hurdles, a gold in javelin, and a silver in high jump. It wasn't until 1935 that she started to take playing golf seriously. Then she became the Annika Sorenstam of her day, dominating the game. She won 17 straight amateur titles in a row. She was the first woman who competed in a men's tournament and the first woman to try to qualify for the men's US Open.

In 1950, Zaharais had the best Peak Value ever for a woman golfer when she won all three women's majors, winning the Western Open, The Titleholders Championship, and the Women's US Open, thus completing the "grand slam" of professional majors in calendar year. She would go on to win 10 women's majors before cancer cut her career and life short at age 45.

[LarryKu]

If you apply your definition of what a Grand Slam is, you missed Sandra Haynie in 1974. She won both majors that were available to her in that year.