Oxford University

by Ed Nelson

  Number 15 is a 196-yard par 3. This plays slightly downhill to a very small green guarded by bunkers on both sides. Shots moving too far left could end up in Little Dry Creek, which is closer than it looks from the tee. The green has a subtle movement from back to front.

  Hole 16 is 402 yards and a par 4. A fairway wood off the tee is needed to stay out of Little Dry Creek, which works its way through the right side of the fairway and then cuts across the middle of the fairway. The second shot is played with the ball below the players’ feet to a green that slopes the opposite way. A severe green is guarded with bunkers on the front left and the right half.

  The 17th is a 548-yard par 5 with water short of the green. There are also two sets of cross bunkers protecting the green. An accurate tee shot is needed to allow a chance to go for the island green in two. This is a moderate risk for me. The green looks easy but has mild ridges.

  On 18, a 468-yard par 4 water runs down the left side of the fairway and high rough guards the right side. The second shot plays uphill with the clubhouse in the background. The challenging green is protected by large bunkers on both sides.

  The back nine is 3688 yards and a par 36. The course is a par 71.

  John had been around this course many times and knew it well. I was in a threesome just like the tournament would be. We didn’t really talk to each other as we all were intensely quizzing our caddies about the course.

  Everyone was polite but not much on the chit chat. The tension was already building.

  There was a dinner for all the players that evening which was required attendance. It was a chance for the organizers to be recognized for their hard work. I arrived late enough to avoid the cocktail hour. It was your typical rubber chicken meal. I sat next to another amateur and a Club Pro. The amateur, Robert somebody and the Pro Bill someone came from the east coast and exchanged mutual acquaintances throughout the meal. I was pretty much left out of it. I was asked where I was from and I was torn between Hollywood and Oxford. Using my British accent I went with Oxford.

  They wanted to know if I played for the University and when I told them no, it ended my role for the meal. After the speeches and awards, I skipped the after-dinner cocktails and cut out to my hotel. I wonder how many golfers would fail because of the cocktail hours and the many parties that were being held.

  I had received several written invitations from people I didn’t even know for parties at their houses. I supposed they had looked me up and associated me with my movies and wanted a Hollywood star at their party. I declined all of them. I was here for one reason.

  Tuesday my tee time was scheduled at 11:00 so I had time for my entire exercise routine, the driving range and the practice putting green.

  John and I agreed that today I should be working on all the risky shots to see how I would do.

  On the first hole, a 346-yard par 4 with its slight dogleg left I was able to drive the green setting up a possible Eagle. I Birdied which was a good start.

  I stayed in the middle of the second fairway with a 340-yard drive on this 410 yards par 4 leaving an easy wedge to the fairly flat green making another Birdie. This isn’t a tough course at all! I made that comment to John and he set me straight real quick.

  I drove the green on number 3 and had it promptly roll back off the green. Fortunately, it didn’t go long so I ended up with a par. Maybe John was right about the course

  On the fourth hole, a 426-yard par 4. I had a well-placed tee shot to the right side of the fairway and avoided the overhanging trees on the left half of the fairway. My short-iron second shot ended up on the wrong tier of the two-tiered green so I had a Bogey.

  The 5th fairway is 538 yards and a par 5. My tee shot ended up dead center of the 26-yard wide fairway so it was accurate enough to go for the green in two. Getting on the green in two was my last good thing on the hole. I four-putted as I landed upslope from the hole. My first putt went way past. My second came up short then I left it on the lip. Not what I needed to win.

  On the next fairway which is a 174-yard par 3 I nailed the green and made the Bird.

  Hole 7 is a 411-yard par 4. I cut the dogleg which went okay. I even hit the green but hit the slope wrong and fell off to the right leaving me with a Bogey. John and I agreed that we would play the hole without the shortcutting the dogleg unless I was in trouble.

  I came back on the eighth hole, landing on the green of the 233-yard par 3 ending up with another Bird.

  On the 430 yard 9th hole my tee shot was good staying in the middle of the crowned fairway. Even at 345 yards after its roll, I could only see the top of the flag. This is where John’s knowledge really came into play as he could tell me where to aim to land correctly on the severely sloped green. Today I had to aim it at 10:30 as pilots described the direction. My aim and distance were good but I ended up two-putting for par.

  I ended up even for the front nine. We grabbed a sandwich and a coke from the table which was set up for the players. I bet half the field ended up with indigestion from the way we had to scarf our food.

  On Number 10 is a 444yard par 4 I almost fell apart when my tee shot drifted and ended up in a bunker. I came out okay but well short of the green. My third shot got me on where I two-putted for a Bogey. This was with the pin in the center of the green if it had been on the right side I would have been in real trouble.

  The 11th hole, a 563-yard par 5 gave me a chance to redeem myself as I made the green in two. I was below the hole so actually put it for an Eagle.

  On 12 after landing on the green I needed three putts for a Bogey.

  13 was a no brainer for me, up the middle, shot iron to the green and two-putted in for par. This is a good candidate for a Bird if I could get my putting under control.

  The 14th hole, a 470-yard par 4, the toughest hole on the course gave me no problems at all. I was on in two and just missed a Bird.

  Number 15 is a 196-yard par 3 it went well with a Bird.

  I used a fairway wood on the 16th to stay short of Little Dry Creek. The hole is 402 yards and a par 4. I didn’t have a problem with having the ball below my feet, that may have something to do with my height, I’m just guessing. My shot clung to the green and I two-putted for a par.

  I Birdied 17 a 548-yard par 5 making the island green in two leaving a five-foot putt which I drained, my best putt of the day.

  18 was a par, getting on in two and two-putting. This left me two under for the day. John told me that probably would not win the tournament. He thought it would have to be at least four under to win.

  I wasn’t discouraged because I had taken some risky shots if avoided would have left me four under.

  I watched TV that night and to this day I couldn’t tell you what was on. I had no trouble falling asleep and waking up early. After my morning routine, I went to the course where John had me on the practice green using the same techniques as he did at Calabasas. It helped.

  We went out later in the afternoon for my Wednesday practice round. I had just thought the other players weren’t talkative. They all appeared to be wound tight as a drum. Of course, I was relaxed and at ease. Yeah of course I was.

  Wednesday’s round was a repeat of Tuesdays except I played with reduced risk to see what score I would get. I turned 5 and 10 from bogeys to pars. This gave me four-under for the day. I was ready to play.

  Chapter 38

  On Thursday morning the 65th playing of the US Open started with a field of 150 players. I had been assigned to the morning wave. That meant I would tee off this morning and tomorrow in the afternoon wave. I don’t know if this was good or bad. I wouldn’t have time to get a case of the nerves this morning but would have plenty of time tomorrow especially if I performed poorly today.

  We teed off every eleven minutes. I was in line for the tee half an hour in advance after leaving the officials tent where we had to obtain our cards and find out who was in our threesome.

  The way they assigned threesomes was strange. John who had time to find th
ese things out explained it was entirely at the whim of the tournament organizers. Usually, it was a small committee but could be just a single person. There was nothing prim and proper about it. They would put three highly rated pros in a group because people wanted to see them head to head and TV people liked it.

  They were just as likely to put the three shortest players in a group and the three tallest in another or mix and match. Koreans might go together to satisfy their home audience. Then there was the group that wasn’t acknowledged, they would place the three most obnoxious golfers together. They were known as the three Ps. It was a game to guess which group they were.

  My group was three amateur college kids who probably had no business being on the course. Shortly after I was in place one of my group showed up. He was a good looking guy and could prove it as he had a model type woman hanging all over him. They weren’t in line for five minutes and an official gave him a warning about conduct unbecoming.

  At the very last minute, our third player showed up. He came in walking like he owned the place. The officials had been getting nervous about him appearing. The TV cameras were turned onto us waiting to see what happened.

  Showboat told us that he was working to plan to get as much publicity as he could so when he won the tournament and turned pro on the spot to collect his first winnings he would be in line for sponsors.

  His plan only had one flaw. It was a big one. By the draw, he was first up where he promptly shanked his shot so far out that he had a lost ball penalty. That was the end of Showboat. He finished up ten over.

  Loverboy was next and had a solid drive that almost made the green. It should be an easy up and out for him. My drive made the green and stuck to leave me a three-foot putt.

  Loverboy made the green but ended up two-putting for par. I made my birdie putt.

  I had to hand it to Showboat he never gave up or showed a temper. If he settled down I bet he could actually play golf or how would he have got here in the first place.

  The only hole on the front nine that gave me a scare was the fifth. On my drive, I missed the fairway and ended up in a bunker to the right. That left me getting on in three, where I promptly three-putted. This gave me my first and only Bogey for the day.

  From there, my day was a repeat of my last practice round. I ended up one under for the day which left me in a good position for tomorrow’s round. If I could hold it together I would make the cut. John helped keep me centered all day.

  Friday was nerve-racking all morning. I didn’t tee off until 1:22. I tried to sleep in but woke up at daybreak. I had my exercise, a five-mile run, cleaned up and breakfast by nine o’clock. All I had to do was worry until John caught up with me.

  He took me to the driving range where I worked through my clubs then to the practice green. I saw Mr. Palmer there and got up the nerve to say, “Hello,” he looked blankly at me for a moment and then said, I don’t remember your name but we have met before, I think it was in Ohio at a high school tournament. I was amazed that he remembered that much.

  “Yes, you told me how the grass will change its direction due to the sunlight.”

  He laughed and told me, “I hope I don’t live to regret that.”

  We then went our own ways. I saw Ben Hogan but wasn’t brave enough to introduce myself. Jack Nicklaus was there but he had so many people following him you couldn’t get near. He was the favorite of all the amateurs entered.

  After that John drove me to a quiet restaurant away from the course. We ate a leisurely lunch while I answered his questions about Oxford. By the time we got back to the course, I was relaxed. Whatever I paid John wasn’t enough. That thought reminded me that if I would do well that we needed a plan going forth.

  We had talked about it with his wife but no firm decisions had been made. I guess it could wait until after tomorrow or even longer as I would be high on adrenalin. I certainly had enough of them to know it was not a good time to make long term plans. High like that, you could take on the world.

  When it was time to tee off Loverboy was there sans girl and Showboat fifteen minutes early. Today would be serious if we were to make the cut. Showboat was in trouble at ten over he had his work cut out for him. We talked a little before our turn and he seemed like a nice guy who had thought too much.

  Today we all had decent drives with mine the only one sticking on the green.

  For me, the round was a replay of yesterday without the Bogey on five. I made a clean and easy par there. That left me two under for the day and three under for the tournament.

  The cut ended up at five over so sixty of us would be advancing to the final rounds. Showboat wasn’t one of them. He made a valent effort recovering four strokes but at six over he missed it.

  Loverboy would be there at a plus-four. His girl was waiting at the eighteen and they took off, I hoped for his sake that their night wasn’t too good. Showboat whose name really was Bob Means and I shook hands and he wished me luck. I told him there was always next year.

  He replied he had a plan already it involved tan shoes with pink shoelaces, polka dot vest, and a Panama with a purple hatband. My look must have been priceless as he laughed and walked away. At least the guy has a sense of humor.

  The press had finally figured out that I was Sir Richard Jackson the actor. At the tournaments organizer’s request, I gave a brief interview. Yes, I was proud to be part of this fine event. I had hope’s but this was truly a world-class field and I would make no rash projections when people like Arnold Palmer and Ben Hogan were in the hunt. I appreciated the effort put in by the fine people who put this tournament on. I also believed in God, the American Way, and apple pie.

  I really didn’t say any of the last but it would have fit in.

  At the end of the three rounds, Mike Souchak led at seven under. This was going to be hard to beat if he could maintain his lead.

  I was paired with Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus, and that was frightening. All of a sudden this was very real. We teed off later in the day.

  Jack remembered me from the Ohio Junior Championship. That seemed like forever ago but really was only two full years. Mr. Hogan was polite but a little reserved. I think playing with two young golfers was strange to him maybe it made him feel old. Yeah, and I have a bridge in Brooklyn.

  We teed off at 10:38. There were only two groups after us. I would like to say I tore up the course but was able to go from three under to four under which was very much in the hunt. Mike Souchak had a bad round giving back two of the seven strokes. He was still in the lead.

  At the eighteenth, I recognized first Mum and then Dad in the crowd. Mum stood out as she chose to wear her complete kilt ensemble. If you looked close she even had the dagger in her right sock.

  Dad was with her in a more conservative golf shirt. They greeted me with hugs as I came off the green. Mum looked around saying, “Now where did she get to?”

  Mary had accompanied them but had wandered off. It isn’t good when you can’t find your six-year-old daughter. It didn’t take long to find her. All I had to do was look where the press was. There as the center of attention was my sister all smiles being interviewed on TV.

  We pushed up front to hear her answer a question.

  “I’m rooting for my brother Ricky but you know he is playing against some of the best golfers in the world. Jack Nicklaus is great and Mr. Hogan and Mr. Palmer are just plain scary as golfers. To help Ricky I wore a new frock from my latest collection, don’t you like it.”

  As she said that she gave a little model spin to show it off.

  The lady TV person asked Mary, “Who told you to say that?”

  “Miss Wallace my publicity agent.”

  “What would you say if you used your own words?”

  “Go Ricky beat their butts!”

  And that ended that interview. Mum took charge of her wayward daughter. The press started to approach her with questions but her glare told them otherwise.

  I ducked back and grabbed a sandw
ich and coke and went back to golf. It is much safer.

  As I approached the final round I realized that I now knew where I wanted every shot to land on this course. Now it was the execution. If I missed a shot I couldn’t let it get to me and had to move on. At least I didn’t have the pressure of a paycheck weighing on me. If I won the person in second place if a pro would get the money so I wasn’t depriving anyone.

  To start the last round I ran a string of four Birdies, a par on five then Birds on six and seven. I then took a par on eight and nine. I was now eight under and leading the tournament.

  I hit into the rough on ten and ended up with a Bogey. I followed that with a Birdie on eleven. I got conservative from there and parred up through sixteen. On seventeen I thought my world was coming to an end. I was on in two as per plan. I then three-putted for a Bogey. The green that was considered easy almost did me in as I misread a slight ridge in the green. What should have been my par putt missed by an inch! It ended up as a tap in but still, it was a Bogey.

  I was now six under. John and I had estimated that it would take a five-under or better to win the tournament.

  It was with great trepidation that I approached eighteen.

  As I was walking up to the tee block John said, “Hey Rick if you screw it up they can’t take away your birthday.”

  I gave a short laugh at that and I felt a weight come off, it wouldn’t be the end of the world, so just do it.

  And that is what I did, a textbook par to end up at six-under.

  Mr. Arnold Palmer who had started the day tied for fifteenth made an incredible charge and ended up five under. Mike Souchak faded at the end.

  Mr. Palmer was very nice when he congratulated me. He said there is always next year. He was wrong it took him two more years before he won the US Open, his first of three times in his career. Jack Nicklaus had shaken my hand and told me he hoped I wasn’t turning pro. I told him that wasn’t the plan.

  That question came up in the news conference afterward. The reporters had expected me to declare myself a pro immediately so I could collect the $14,400.