112 golfdigest.com | may 2019consecutive birdies to go 2 up.
At the tee of the 229-yard, par-3
15th, Sam noted that over the
years he had made holes-in-one
with every club in the bag except
the putter. Using a 2-hybrid, his
shot caromed off the flagstick
and stopped a foot from the
hole. Snead doffed his Stetson
straw hat and said, “I reckon I
pulled that one a bit.” Watson
birdied the 16th hole to return
Snead’s margin to 2 up, but an-
other birdie by Sam at the 17th
completed a 3-and-1 victory.
quarterfinals
BEN HOGAN
vs. ARNOLD PALMER
cherry hills (colo). c.c.
▶ hogan’s style was to ex-
press graciousness on the first
tee and then proceed to coldly
tear his opponent apart. At
Cherry Hills, site of Hogan’s
heartbreaking loss at the 1960
U.S. Open—and the venue
where Arnold won his only U.S.
Open title—Hogan showed no
deference to Palmer.
“Good luck, fella,” the Hawk
said, knowing Arnold loathed
being addressed by anything
other than his name. “Same
to you,” Palmer said, gripping
Hogan’s hand in a grasp so firm
the blood drained from Ben’s
fingernails.
The tees on the first hole
were moved forward slightly, an
invitation for Arnie to drive the
first green, as he had in the final
round of the 1960 U.S. Open.
But Arnold lost the hole with a
par to Hogan’s birdie.
With Hogan still 1 up after
13, Palmer blasted his longest
drive of the day, outdriving Ho-
gan by 35 yards. “I think you’re
away,” Arnold said as he strode
by Hogan’s ball. The Hawk bore
down and hit a 5-iron to 10 feet,
but Arnold had only a 9-iron
left, and another birdie drew
the match to even. Three gritty
pars followed by each player,and they came to the 18th all
square. With water down the
left side, an accurate tee shot
was crucial. Palmer, holding
the honor, creased the fairway
with his driver yet again. Ho-
gan, attempting to hit a draw,
curved the ball too much, his
ball stopping just inches from
the water. Hogan had to pitch
left-handed back to the fairway,
and when Palmer won the hole,
Arnold scaled his visor into the
air, just as he did in 1960.
Of his fateful tee shot on
18, Hogan reiterated his com-
ment from 1955: “I hate a hook.
It nauseates me. I could vomit
when I see one. It’s like having
a rattlesnake in your pocket.”PHIL MICKELSON
vs. TIGER WOODS
torrey pines (south)
la jolla, calif.▶ the sharp-edged banter
that was noticeably absent in
the made-for-TV “The Match”
was in full force. When Phil
chunked a pitch during their
warm-up, Tiger said, “I’ve got a
tip that can cure that.” Replied
Phil, “I’ve heard about your tip-
ping habits—no thanks.” The
mood when they teed off was
chilly, as in days of yesteryear.
With a 1-up lead at the par-5
18th, Tiger unleashed a gargan-
tuan tee shot, but Phil, his drive
bunkered, was forced to lay
up. After Tiger found the greenwith his second, Phil duplicated
what he’d done on the 72nd
hole of the Farmers Insurance
Open in 2011: He instructed
his caddie, Bones Mackay, to
go forward and attend the flag-
stick. Alas for Phil, his wedge
approach stopped 20 feet above
the hole. When Tiger rolled his
eagle putt to within inches of
the cup, Phil conceded the hole
and the match, 2 up.
At that moment, all animos-
ity, real and imagined, between
the two best players of their era,
disappeared. Said Tiger to Phil,
“You’re the best I ever played
against.”JACK NICKLAUS
vs. BOBBY JONES
winged foot g.c. (west)
mamaroneck, n.y.▶ his entire career, Jack
Nicklaus idolized only one
golfer: Bobby Jones. Even af-
ter Nicklaus surpassed Jones’
majors count of 13, Jack’s rev-
erence for him never abated.
Thus it was no surprise when
Jack, at Winged Foot, appeared
slightly diminished in another
golfer’s presence.
The Emperor Jones was 3 up
after nine, but Nicklaus squared
the match before conceding
the 16th after he inadvertently
caused his ball to move in the
rough while picking away a leaf
just behind it. No one else saw
it happen. “That was sporting
of you, Jack,” Jones said on
the way to the 17th tee. Replied
Jack: “Bob, it’s like you said—
you might as well praise a man
for not robbing a bank.”
Nicklaus birdied the 17th to
even the match. At the par-4
18th, both players were on in
two, Jones 12 feet from the
hole, Nicklaus 10 feet. Jones’
putt was the same distance and
on the same line as the putt
he faced to tie Al Espinosa for
the 1929 U.S. Open. Jones had
holed that one, then won the
36-hole playoff the next day.
Jones missed the putt on
the high side, and it was left
to Nicklaus. As Jack stalked
the putt from all angles, Jones
whispered to his friend, the
great golf writer, O.B. Keeler,
“I hope you have our train tick-ets back to Atlanta ready, be-
cause this putt is as good as in.”
Jack, assuming his low crouch
and as always putting with his
golf glove on, drilled the putt
dead center. He had defeated
his idol, 1 up.
“There’s a new emperor in
town, and his name is Nick-
laus,” said Jones, loosening
his necktie and accepting a
cocktail. “I don’t think two of
me could have handled Jack
to d ay.”SEVE BALLESTEROS
vs. SAM SNEAD
augusta (ga.) national g.c.▶ the decisive moment of
the match came with Seve 2 up
at the par-5 15th. With Snead
on the green in two, Ballesteros
confronted a treacherous lie
similar to the one he faced for
his second shot in the final
round of the 1986 Masters.
On that occasion Seve feebly
dunked a 4-iron into the water.
This time he chose a 5-iron,
and with a swing so aggressive
it unseated his visor from his
head, he struck a magnificent
shot to within five feet of the
hole. When the eagle putt fell,
he was 3 up with three to play.
Snead attempted a diver-
sionary tactic at the 16th tee,
inviting Seve to join him for a
drink of water at the fountain
there. The ploy had worked
on Ben Hogan at the 14th hole
during their famous 1954 Mas-
ters playoff, but Seve steamed
past him like a bull charging
through a matador’s cape.
He swiftly struck a 7-iron to 10
feet and closed out the Slam-
mer, 3 and 2.semifinalsARNOLD PALMER
vs. TIGER WOODS
bay hill club & lodge
orlando▶ the fact that Arnold Palm-
er owned Bay Hill, was royalty
there, and even won there in
1971, was mitigated by one fact:
Tiger Woods won eight times at
Bay Hill, frequently with outra-
geous ease. Arnold liked Tiger
and had worn his hand raw Trevino:geTT
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