The U.S. Open: Golf’s Ultimate Challenge

Sommers, Robert

Sports & Outdoors

Atheneum

Francis Ouimet's playoff win over Vardon and Ray in the 1913 U.S. Open, an upset victory so extraordinary it ignited a golf craze in America. Bobby Jones completing his Grand Slam, defeating Gene Homans at Merion in the 1930 U.S. Amateur. Arnold Palmer's charge from behind at Cherry Hills to take the Open in 1960. These are but a few of golf's many great moments. Now, in Golf Anecdotes, readers can enjoy a sweeping look at this royal and ancient game, in a volume that is both an informal history of the sport as well as a vivid recounting of golf's most notable incidents. Robert Sommers, former editor and publisher of Golf Journal (the USGA's official publication), takes us on a grand tour that stretches from the game's dim origins in the 12th century right up to the modern PGA tour. Indeed, no other anecdote book offers this much historical depth or serves up such fascinating lore. We learn for instance that the first known golf match took place in 1504, between James IV of Scotland and the Earl of Bothwell, and that James Durham's then remarkable 94 at St Andrews in 1767 was a record that stood for 86 years. Sommers likewise paints a colorful portrait of golf in the era of the first professionals--Old Tom Morris, Allan Robertson, and Willie Park--describing the earliest rules, the equipment used, the most memorable events. Of course, much of the book focuses on the 20th century. Here readers will find wonderful tales of Harry Vardon and Francis Ouimet, Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen, Sam Snead and Ben Hogan, Joyce Wethered and Babe Zaharias, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Lee Trevino, and current stars Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, and Greg Norman. We follow Bobby Jones as he captures each leg of his Grand Slam (and learn that in the eight years that Jones dominated world golf, he kept his game in shape mainly playing friendly weekend matches with his father and friends); watch as Gene Sarazen scores his famous double eagle in the 1935 Masters; travel from tournament to tournament as Bryon Nelson notches up a remarkable streak of eleven consecutive victories (including the 1945 PGA and the Canadian Open); witness Ben Hogan's harrowing car accident and miraculous comeback; and walk along with Ken Venturi during his courageous 36 hole performance at Congressional, winning the U.S. Open while on the verge of collapse. There are also some notable miscues as well, such as Hale Irwin's whiff of a two-inch putt in the British Open (he finished second by one shot) and T.C. Chen's catastrophic double-hit while leading the U.S. Open (he also lost by a shot). Sommers also describes some of the most noteworthy course architects, such as George Crump, creator of the great Pine Valley (Crump lived in a tent on the course for two years, supervising construction, then tragically died before the course opened). He recounts many stories we might not have known, such as how a nineteen-year-old black golfer John Shippen nearly won the second U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, Long Island, in 1896. And he captures some of golf's most moving moments, such as when Babe Zaharias, dying of cancer, visited a golf course for the last time. Here then is the wide world of golf, the Arnold Palmers and the Ky Laffoons, the double eagles and the double hits. Informative and highly entertaining, Golf Anecdotes will appeal to anyone who loves the game.

Golf Anecdotes

Golf

Oxford University Press

When the United States Golf Association held the first national championships in October of 1895, at Newport Golf Club, the main event was the US Amateur, won by Charles B. Macdonald, a founder of the USGA. The Open was held the next day. It consisted of thirty-six holes--four times around Newport's nine-hole course. Eleven players entered, and the winner, Horace Rawlins, won $150 and a gold medal. From these modest beginnings the Open has become one of the great sporting events in the world, and the ultimate challenge in golf. In this new edition of The U.S. Open: Golf's Ultimate Challenge, veteran golf writer Robert Sommers provides the definitive history of this glorious event. Sommers follows the Open year by year--and often recounts historic rounds hole by hole--as he captures the drama of golf's greatest championship. Sommers provides memorable portraits of all the great players who have competed. We meet Willie Anderson, who dominated the Open at the turn of the century, winning four times in five years, and Francis Ouimet, the young American amateur who shocked the sports world by defeating the greatest player of the time, Harry Vardon, in a playoff for the 1913 Open. Sommers recounts how Walter Hagen, who had faded in the final round in 1913, almost quit golf for baseball, until a friend paid his way to the 1914 Open, which Hagen won. He describes Bobby Jones's close victory in the 1930 Open (helped by a controversial decision by referee Prescott Bush), the third leg of the famous Grand Slam, and he shows how Ben Hogan--still in pain from a terrible car accident almost 18 months earlier--survived a grueling Open at Merion, with both legs wrapped in bandages, to win in a playoff. Readers will also find vivid accounts of Arnold Palmer's stirring charge from behind at Cherry Hills (as well as his stunning debacle on the final nine at Olympic), Ken Venturi's moving victory at Congressional while fighting heat and severe dehydration, and Jack Nicklaus's face-to-face duel with Isao Aoki at Baltusrol. The new edition brings the book completely up to date, now covering the years 1987 through 1995, including Curtis Strange's triumphs in 1988 and 1989; Tom Kite's blunders at Oak Hill, where he lost a three-stroke lead on one hole, and his scrambling victory at Pebble Beach; and Corey Pavin's gritty performance at Shinnecock Hills. The book also features up-to-date statistics on the Open and a year-by-year summary of the event. Here then is a vivid look at the ultimate golfing event, as Robert Sommers takes us inside the ropes and lets us watch, shot by shot, some of the greatest rounds in Open history. Equally important, he paints insightful portraits of the players themselves--whether Bobby Jones, or Gene Sarazen, or Ben Hogan, or Tom Watson--showing us what they had to overcome to win, both on and off the course, giving us a better sense of what makes a true champion.

The U.S. Open: Golf's Ultimate Challenge

Literature & Fiction

Dramas & Plays

In the ten years since Golf Anecdotes was first published, the game and its players have changed dramatically. This new edition, now with a foreword by Arnold Palmer and a new chapter covering the latest and greatest golf stars like Annika Sorenstam and Tiger Woods, reflects those changes. Readers can enjoy a sweeping look at this royal and ancient game, in a volume that is both an informal history as well as a vivid recounting of golf's most striking incidents and personalities. Robert Sommers takes us on a grand tour that stretches from the game's dim origins in the 12th century right up to the modern P.G.A. tour. Indeed, no other anecdote book offers this much historical depth or serves up such fascinating lore. We learn for instance that the first known golf match took place in 1504, between James IV of Scotland and the Earl of Bothwell. Sommers likewise paints a colorful portrait of golf in the era of the first professionals-Old Tom Morris, Allan Robertson, and Willie Park-describing the earliest rules, the equipment used, the most memorable events. Much of the book focuses on the 20th century. Here readers will find wonderful tales of Harry Vardon and Francis Ouimet, Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen, Sam Snead and Ben Hogan, Joyce Wethered and Babe Zaharias, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Lee Trevino, Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam, Nick Faldo and Greg Norman, and of course, the amazing Tiger Woods. Thus the wide world of golf is presented, the first professionals and the latest stars, the double eagles and the double hits. Informative and highly entertaining, Golf Anecdotes will appeal to anyone who loves the game.

Golf Anecdotes: From the Links of Scotland to Tiger Woods

In the ten years since Golf Anecdotes was first published, the game and its players have changed dramatically. This new edition, now with a foreword by Arnold Palmer and a new chapter covering the latest and greatest golf stars like Annika Sorenstam and Tiger Woods, reflects those changes. Readers can enjoy a sweeping look at this royal and ancient game, in a volume that is both an informal history as well as a vivid recounting of golf's most striking incidents and personalities. Robert Sommers takes us on a grand tour that stretches from the game's dim origins in the 12th century right up to the modern PGA tour. Indeed, no other anecdote book offers this much historical depth or serves up such fascinating lore. We learn for instance that the first known golf match took place in 1504, between James IV of Scotland and the Earl of Bothwell. Sommers likewise paints a colorful portrait of golf in the era of the first professionals--Old Tom Morris, Allan Robertson, and Willie Park--describing the earliest rules, the equipment used, the most memorable events. Much of the book focuses on the 20th century. Here readers will find wonderful tales of Harry Vardon and Francis Ouimet, Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen, Sam Snead and Ben Hogan, Joyce Wethered and Babe Zaharias, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Lee Trevino, Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam, Nick Faldo and Greg Norman, and of course, the amazing Tiger Woods. Thus the wide world of golf is presented, the first professionals and the latest stars, the double eagles and the double hits. Informative and highly entertaining, Golf Anecdotes will appeal to anyone who loves the game.

Humor & Entertainment

Humor

Traces the history of the U.S. Open, explains how its golfers and courses are chosen, and describes the careers of the participating golfers

The U.S. Open Golf's Ultimate Challenge

The U.S. Open: Golf's Ultimate Challenge (The Classics of Golf)

Classics of Golf

Great Shots

Reference

Foreign Language Study & Reference

Book Sales Inc Remainder

Brown, Cal

Anaya Publishers Ltd

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