been different (had Nicklaus not been from Ohio and gone to OSU),” admits Weiskopf. “You just get tired of reading that stuff all the time. Of being reminded.”
With Weiskopf’s resurgent play, he would hear it again this week.
On Monday, Weiskopf played a practice round with Ed Sneed, Tony Jacklin, and Maurice Bembridge. On Tuesday, he joined Arnold Palmer. On Wednesday, there was another round. “I played a lot of holes when I played practice rounds. I was a 36- or 45-hole guy a lot. There wasn’t enough time in the day,” says Weiskopf. “It never bothered me. I was in shape.”
Even with his renewed game, Weiskopf admitted who the favorite was. “If I was a betting man and I was told I could pick only one man out of the field that man would be Jack Nicklaus,” he said. “Jack is just a phenomenal man.”
The day before the tournament’s start, Nevada oddsmakers listed Nicklaus as the favorite at 3/1. Weiskopf was next at 6/1, followed at 8/1 by Miller along with Player and Hale Irwin, the reigning U.S. Open champion. “I would say Weiskopf’s odds are as good as anybody’s,” said Miller, who on Monday played Jimmy “the Greek” Snyder and rated himself at 6/1.
No matter the order or the odds, Nicklaus, Miller, and Weiskopf were definitely the three overwhelming favorites. Not only were they the three most gifted players, they were the three hottest. But with so many variables and other talented players on Tour, pre-tournament storylines didn’t always pan out. Golf isn’t like the Miss America contest. The prettiest swings and best players rarely play well the same week. Even Nicklaus had won only 20 percent of the time he teed it up in his career as a professional on Tour. The likelihood of that trio all playing well and in contention late Sunday afternoon was very remote.
THE BUILD UP to the Masters Tournament ended Wednesday afternoon with the Par Three Contest, another Roberts creation. In the very first Masters of 1934, a driving contest and iron contest had been staged during the tournament, and such extra-curricular activities became an annual staple. In 1958, the club hired George Cobb to design a nine-hole par-three course on the east side of the property. In 1960, they inaugurated a par three competition to be played the day before the start of the tournament, replacing another driving and putting contest. Any player could participate, and non-competing invitees joined in as well. Miller and Weiskopf chose to play, Nicklaus did not.
The competition began at 1:00 p.m. Twelve holes-in-one had been made in the contest’s history, but none would be added on this day. Lee Elder took home one of the nine closest-to-the-pin trophies after hitting it to nineteen inches on the 2nd. For the first time, a four-way sudden-death playoff took place with Isao Aoki,Bobby Cole, Peter Oosterhuis, and Sam Snead, the defending champion, after they tied with scores of 23, which was four under par. Aoki won on the second playoff hole. The thirty-four-year-old Japanese star, who played almost exclusively in his home country, was appearing in his second Masters and only event of the year on the U.S. mainland. No player had won the Par Three Contest and Masters Tournament in the same year.
The weather had been delightful for the three practice days: clear and temperate with highs reaching 70 every day. Thanks to a mild winter, course conditions had been pristine. “It’s as good as it has been in some time,” said Nicklaus. Weiskopf agreed: “Just perfect. It’s in the best shape I’ve seen it.” But change was on the way overnight with rain forecasted Thursday. “If it rains, then they’ll eat it up, and I’m talking about players like Weiskopf and Nicklaus,” said Lee Trevino.
“Jack Nicklaus against Johnny Miller, Lee Elder’s debut as the first black in the Masters, the resurgence of Tom Weiskopf, Lee Trevino’s return, and the title defense of Gary Player have made this one of the most
With Weiskopf’s resurgent play, he would hear it again this week.
On Monday, Weiskopf played a practice round with Ed Sneed, Tony Jacklin, and Maurice Bembridge. On Tuesday, he joined Arnold Palmer. On Wednesday, there was another round. “I played a lot of holes when I played practice rounds. I was a 36- or 45-hole guy a lot. There wasn’t enough time in the day,” says Weiskopf. “It never bothered me. I was in shape.”
Even with his renewed game, Weiskopf admitted who the favorite was. “If I was a betting man and I was told I could pick only one man out of the field that man would be Jack Nicklaus,” he said. “Jack is just a phenomenal man.”
The day before the tournament’s start, Nevada oddsmakers listed Nicklaus as the favorite at 3/1. Weiskopf was next at 6/1, followed at 8/1 by Miller along with Player and Hale Irwin, the reigning U.S. Open champion. “I would say Weiskopf’s odds are as good as anybody’s,” said Miller, who on Monday played Jimmy “the Greek” Snyder and rated himself at 6/1.
No matter the order or the odds, Nicklaus, Miller, and Weiskopf were definitely the three overwhelming favorites. Not only were they the three most gifted players, they were the three hottest. But with so many variables and other talented players on Tour, pre-tournament storylines didn’t always pan out. Golf isn’t like the Miss America contest. The prettiest swings and best players rarely play well the same week. Even Nicklaus had won only 20 percent of the time he teed it up in his career as a professional on Tour. The likelihood of that trio all playing well and in contention late Sunday afternoon was very remote.
THE BUILD UP to the Masters Tournament ended Wednesday afternoon with the Par Three Contest, another Roberts creation. In the very first Masters of 1934, a driving contest and iron contest had been staged during the tournament, and such extra-curricular activities became an annual staple. In 1958, the club hired George Cobb to design a nine-hole par-three course on the east side of the property. In 1960, they inaugurated a par three competition to be played the day before the start of the tournament, replacing another driving and putting contest. Any player could participate, and non-competing invitees joined in as well. Miller and Weiskopf chose to play, Nicklaus did not.
The competition began at 1:00 p.m. Twelve holes-in-one had been made in the contest’s history, but none would be added on this day. Lee Elder took home one of the nine closest-to-the-pin trophies after hitting it to nineteen inches on the 2nd. For the first time, a four-way sudden-death playoff took place with Isao Aoki,Bobby Cole, Peter Oosterhuis, and Sam Snead, the defending champion, after they tied with scores of 23, which was four under par. Aoki won on the second playoff hole. The thirty-four-year-old Japanese star, who played almost exclusively in his home country, was appearing in his second Masters and only event of the year on the U.S. mainland. No player had won the Par Three Contest and Masters Tournament in the same year.
The weather had been delightful for the three practice days: clear and temperate with highs reaching 70 every day. Thanks to a mild winter, course conditions had been pristine. “It’s as good as it has been in some time,” said Nicklaus. Weiskopf agreed: “Just perfect. It’s in the best shape I’ve seen it.” But change was on the way overnight with rain forecasted Thursday. “If it rains, then they’ll eat it up, and I’m talking about players like Weiskopf and Nicklaus,” said Lee Trevino.
“Jack Nicklaus against Johnny Miller, Lee Elder’s debut as the first black in the Masters, the resurgence of Tom Weiskopf, Lee Trevino’s return, and the title defense of Gary Player have made this one of the most
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