Golf's Greatest Championship: The 1960 U.S. Open - Hardcover

Graubart, Julian

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1556114893 ISBN 13: 9781556114892

Publisher: Dutton, 1997

Synopsis

In Golf's Greatest Championship, we arrive at Cherry Hills Country Club along with the greatest players of the day - men like Sam Snead (the greatest player never to win the Open), Gary Player, Ken Venturi, "Terrible Tempered" Tommy Bolt, Billy Casper, Julius Boros, Bob Rosburg, Dow Finsterwald, Gene "The Machine" Littler, and Art Wall. From the eight a.m. first-round tee off to the down-to-the-wire finish, the reader sees the Open develop until all that remains of the field are Hogan's grace, Nicklaus's power, and Palmer's leonine courage. Here are three titans of the game - fallible and extraordinary - each caught up in the greatest test of his career.
With photographs, interviews with the players, and observations by reporters covering the tournament - including the reactions of the winner and the losers - Golf's Greatest Championship brings alive a near-mythic moment in modern golf.

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Reviews

This gripping account of the 1960 US Open performs the near-impossible feat of making golf exciting and relevant even to those who have never picked up a club. Golf in 1960 was at an uneasy crossroads, poised between a past featuring great players who toiled in relative anonymity and a future of mass popularity fueled by promotion-savvy professionals. Played at the Cherry Hills course in the thin air of Denver, this Open featured such greats as Ben Hogan and ``Slammin' '' Sammy Snead (said to be the greatest golfer never to win the US Open), as well as near-greats and exciting journeymen, such as Billy Casper, and an unassuming but enormously talented 20-year-old Ohio State student named Jack Nicklaus. Most attention focused on Arnold Palmer, the '58 Open winner and the runner-up in '59, who, at the peak of his career, was accompanied at every move by a traveling gallery of fans the press had dubbed ``Arnie's Army.'' Going into the Open, Palmer was the bettors' favorite, but after the first two rounds, he sat far back in 15th place, eight strokes off the pace. The press, and even the ``Army,'' not yet fully acquainted with Palmer's grit and poise, had all but written off the star. But a furious charge during the third and fourth rounds netted Palmer one of the most satisfying and spectacular victories of his storied career, leaving him two strokes ahead of Nicklaus and four up on Hogan, who faded badly in the heat. Graubart skillfully toes the line between assuming too much or too little about the reader's familiarity with golf--which should be great comfort for readers who don't know what a ``mulligan'' is and are afraid to admit it. A terrific read for golf fanatics, for those just turning to the game, and for fans of all sports. (16 pages photos, not seen) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Yes, Tiger Woods' domination of the 1997 Masters was a watershed moment in golf history, but there have been others, as Graubart makes clear in this exciting re-creation of the 1960 U.S. Open. Not only did Arnold Palmer win that tournament with the most memorable of his classic charges, coming from behind with a closing-round 65, but among those contending for the championship were 47-year-old Ben Hogan and 20-year-old Jack Nicklaus. Thus, coming together for one special moment were the greatest golfer of the immediate postwar era (Hogan), singing his swan song; the heir apparent, Palmer, whose victory would launch golf's modern era; and his eventual successor, Nicklaus, who would go on to become the greatest golfer in history (a label only now challenged by the incumbent Woods). This is terrific stuff if you care about golf history, and Graubart tells it well, mixing shot-by-shot accounts with flashbacks, flash-forwards, and quotes from many of the participants. Bill Ott

At Denver's Cherry Hills golf course, the 1960 U.S. Open attracted thousands on the final day to witness one of history's greatest golf events. The legendary Arnold Palmer made golf the kind of game athletes dream about. Palmer, seven stokes behind leader Mike Souchak with 18 holes remaining, shot a 65 and won by one stroke. Here Graubart, whose articles have appeared in Golf Journal, takes the reader thoughtfully and clearly through the dramatic course of events. By winning this tournament, Palmer succeeded Ben Hogan as golf's hero. Replete with insights and information about golf and its times, this account also touches on the Palmer-Nicklaus rivalry in the Sixties and the Senior PGA tour that Palmer and Sam Snead popularized. Recommended for public libraries.?James A. Paxman, Tennessee State Univ., Nashville
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Dutton
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1556114893
• ISBN 13: 9781556114892
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304