Do we finally have a new golf super star in Rory McIlroy? Heaven knows the sport needs one. Heck, every sport needs one — someone we can root for, look up to, try to follow his or her example. Ever since Tiger Woods went into a tailspin we’ve had a long list of faceless champions on the PGA Tour. My first golf hero was Ben Hogan. I took up golf when I was in my 20s and he was in his glory. I followed his every move, studied his swing, read his book, rooted for him in every tournament. I soared with pleasure when he won, went into despair when he lost. I wept when unknown Jack Fleck beat him out of a record fifth U.S. Open in 1955.
AFTER HOGAN, there always seemed to be a super star. There was manly Arnold Palmer with sledgehammer arms who was so powerful he just naturally hooked the ball. There was nice guy Jack Nicklaus who would fade the ball so gently it seemed to land on the fairway or green like, as someone once said, a butterfly with sore feet. He won more major tournaments than any golfer in history. And, of course, there was our own Lee Trevino, who was loud and funny and a joy to watch. And then came Tiger Woods, young and strong and all but unbeatable. They were all different, but they had one thing in common: They were consistent winners with charisma.
RORY MCILROY is only 22 years old and it’s too early to tell if he’s our latest golfer in shining armor. He won the 2011 U.S. Open with a record 16 under par score last weekend. But one Major does not a super star make. Still, he’s young, he’s fresh, he can hit the ball a mile – and oh, how he can putt. It was sheer pleasure watching him on television make great shot after great shot. And he’s nice looking, friendly, accessible and polite. We can hope.
TRIVIA QUESTION: Who won the very first U. S. Open? Answer at end.
SPEAKING of golf, I wrote about the early history of El Paso Country Club in a recent column but didn’t have room for another little anecdote from my forthcoming book, “The Good, the Bad and the Funny of El Paso Sports.” I thought you might get a kick out of it. It follows:
Fire on the greens, slots in the clubhouse
In 1923, El Paso Country Club’s sand greens were replaced by cottonseed hulls impregnated with crankcase oil. It was considered a great improvement but sometimes when a golfer dropped a lighted cigarette on the green, the oil would catch fire and burn up the entire green. The greens were changed back to sand and eventually grass. Several years later, during the depression, hard times hit the course and enrollment dropped to 200. Club members installed slot machines, which proved to be such a bonanza that club members held a ceremony and burned the club mortgage. Alas, in 1950 the slots had to go. There had been “differences” with the police and after a night raid by the cops the club had to give up its little gold mine. – Source: El Paso Herald-Post.
ANSWER to trivia question: Horace Rawlins of England in 1895 in Newport, Rhode Island. It was a 36-hole competition played on a nine-hole course in a single day. Ten professionals and one amateur entered. Rawlins, a professional only 21 years old and a recent arrival in this country, received $150 out of a prize fund of $335.
Veteran sports journalist and author Ray Sanchez welcomes suggestions for his column.