American Triumvirate

by James Dodson

  A longtime friend and mentor like John Derr was also an invaluable resource, a front-row seat to golf history at a key moment in its American evolution. Having spent more than a decade casually discussing these three remarkable men, John was good enough to permit me to tape more than nine hours of conversations on the American Triumvirate, all three of whom he knew on a close and personal basis. Needless to say, Derr’s insights were critical to the process of this book.

  Amateur greats Billy Joe Patton, Harvie Ward, and Bill Campbell were also invaluable resources, and Mike Souchak, Ken Venturi, and Arnold Palmer were especially generous with their time and insights at various key intervals during the writing of this book and the Hogan biography. From other corners of the golf world, I would like to thank several individuals for their valuable perspectives on the lives of my subjects: Bob Sommers, Ike Grainger, Barney Adams, Sandy Tatum, Peggy Bell, Jimmy Ballard, Sal Johnson, Robert Deaton, John Gerring, Frank Chirkinian, Ben Wright, Howdy Giles, Rhonda Glenn, Irwin Smallwood, Curt Sampson, Lee Pace, Furman Bisher, Jim Finegan, Dave Anderson, Jack Whitaker, Sid Matthew, Jim Deaton, Jack Vardaman, Bill Gilmore, Julius Mason for the PGA of America, the PGA Tour, and Rand Jerris and Karen Bednarski from the USGA. Once again, a warm thank-you to my good friends John Capers from the Merion Golf Club and Tim Neher, president of the Seminole Golf Club.

  Additionally, I am greatly indebted to Valerie Harriman, Valerie Hogan’s niece, who provided essential perspective and a bounty of personal scrapbooks belonging to Ben, as did her generous children, Lisa Scott and Sean Anderson. I wish to thank Robert Stennett of the Hogan Foundation for his generosity and assistance, plus a host of friends and former employees of Ben Hogan Golf, who contributed greatly to both books. They include: Dee Kelly, Gene Smyers, Gary Laughlin, Pat Martin, Bobby Goodyear, Marty Leonard, Sharon Rae, Elizabeth Hudson, W. A. “Tex” Moncrief Jr., Willie Mae Green, Ben Fortson, Charissa Christopher, Doxie Williams, Tom Stites, and Ronnie McGraw.

  I’m especially indebted to Peggy Nelson and Byron’s longtime friend Jon Bradley and Charlie Summerall, who graciously provided access to Byron’s full and well-lived life. Ditto several members of the Salesmanship Club and officials of the Byron Nelson Classic, which still ranks as one of the tour’s best-run affairs.

  I must express deep gratitude to Jack Snead for helping me gain an intimate understanding of his father’s complex and fascinating life, and to several who knew the Slammer as legend and man: Ann Snead, J. C. Snead, Lewis Keller, Robert Harris, Bob Ross, Don Ryder, Robert Harris, Paul Moran, and several residents of Hot Springs, Virginia, all of whom cherish their colorful stories of Sam.

  A special thank-you to my dear friends Rayburn Tucker and Whitt Powell, a pair of discerning golf historians who read the manuscript and offered critical guidance and insights. I would also like to thank Al Barkow for reading the book in early draft form and offering his greatly appreciated thoughts. Anyone seeking a full understanding of the development of the PGA Tour would do well to read Gettin’ to the Dance Floor as well as his splendid history of the PGA Tour and his engaging photobiography, Sam: The One and Only Sam Snead.

  A quartet of friends provided other crucial resources: Tom Stewart of Pinehurst’s Old Sport Gallery and Books for his classic books on golf and unerring advice; Bill Williamson, who arranged an unforgettable afternoon with Billy Joe Patton; and my colleagues David Woronoff and Andie Rose of The Pilot newspaper and PineStraw and O. Henry magazines. I would also like to thank Kelly Miller of the incomparable Pine Needles Resort in Southern Pines, North Carolina; Audrey Moriarity of the Given Memorial Library in Pinehurst; the members of the Biltmore Forest Country Club in Asheville, the members of the Hope Valley Country Club in Durham, and the members of the Greensboro Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina; and the terrific reference staff at the Central Branch of the Fort Worth Public Library for assisting with research in this project.

  It’s every writer’s ambition to have an opportunity to work with an editor like Gary Fisketjon. If this book succeeds in presenting an important story to a new generation of golf fans, Gary’s formidable skills deserve much of the credit. He knows and loves golf—and can shape sentences—like few others I’ve met on the nonfiction fairways. A similar appreciation goes to my friend and longtime agent, Jay Mandel of William Morris Agency.

  Lastly, a heartfelt thanks to my wife, Wendy, who lived with and encouraged this idea for many years before it found its way to paper, to my good friend Jeep, who never missed a morning of work, and to the ageless Miss Daniels, who is pleased to soon have this book in her shop.

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  Additional Sources and References

  The personal scrapbooks of Ben Hogan, meticulously kept for nearly two decades by his wife, Valerie, were of significant help to this project. I am greatly indebted to the estate of Ben Hogan, in particular to Valerie Harriman and Lisa Scott, for allowing me unprecedented access and use of this invaluable source material. I also possess an extensive newspaper file, accumulated over many years, regarding the life and career of Sam Snead. What follows is a list of the known newspapers and periodicals that provided assistance to the formulation of this story:

  The Arizona Republic, Asheville Citizen-Times, Associated Press, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Augusta Chronicle, The Baltimore Evening Sun, Boston Evening Transcript, Boston Evening Traveler, The Buffalo News, Chicago Daily News, Chicago Tribune, The Christian Science Monitor, Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Columbus Dispatch, The Dallas Morning News, The Denver Post, Denver Free Press, The Detroit News, Durham Morning Herald, Dublin Progress, El Paso Herald-Post, El Paso Times, Fort Worth Press, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Glasgow Herald, Digest, Golf Life, Golf Journal, Golf Magazine, Golfing Magazine, Golf Monthly (United Kingdom), Golf World, Greensboro Daily News, Greensboro News & Record, The Guardian, International News Service, London Daily Express, London Daily Herald, London Daily Mail, London Daily Telegraph, Los Angeles Evening Herald, Los Angeles Times, Louisville Courier-Journal Magazine, The Miami Herald, Newark Star-Ledger, New York Daily News, The New York Herald Tribune, New York Journal American, The New York Times, New York World-Telegram and Sun, Oakland Tribune, PGA Magazine, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Pittsburgh Press, Raleigh News & Observer, Reader’s Digest, Reuters, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Rocky Mountain News, San Antonio Light, San Antonio News, The San Diego Union-Tribune, San Francisco Call-Bulletin, San Francisco Chronicle, The Scotsman on Sunday, Sports Illustrated, St. Louis Star-Times, St. Paul Press, St. Petersburg Independent, Time, The Times (London), Times Record News (Wichita Falls, Texas), United Press International, The Washington Star, and Weekly Scotsman.

  Photographic Credits

  frontispiece: Courtesy of Snead Archives

  facing the prologue: Augusta National/Getty Images

  First Insert

  i1.1 Sam Snead, age seven (Courtesy of Snead Archives)

  i1.2 Sam Snead, Johnny Farrell, Billy Burke, Cascades Open, 1935 (Courtesy of Snead Archives)

  i1.3 Sam and Audrey Snead (Courtesy of Snead Archives)

  i1.4 Sam Snead circa 1930s, Masters Tournament, Augusta National Golf Club (Augusta National/Getty Images)

  i1.5 Sam Snead and Byron Nelson, 1940 PGA Championship (Courtesy of Snead Archives)

  i1.6 Sam Snead, 1939 U.S. Open (Courtesy of Snead Archives)

  i1.7 Sam and Audrey Snead, 1946 Open Championship (Courtesy of Snead Archives)

  i1.8 Sam Snead and Ben Hogan circa late 1940s (Courtesy of Snead Archives)

  i1.9 Sam Snead with dog, Meister, White Sulfur Springs, 1992 (Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)

  i1.10 Sam and Jack Snead, 1995 (Courtesy of Snead Archives)

  i1.11 Opening Ceremony of 1994 Masters Tournament, (from left to right) Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Augusta chairman Jack Stephens, Gene Sarazen (Augusta National/Getty Images)

  i1.12 Sam Snead at Snead Links (Courtesy of Snead Archives)

  Second Insert

  i2.1 Byron Nelson in his early twenties (Courtesy of the Byron Nelson Estate)

  i2.2 Byron Nelson, PGA Tour (Courtesy of the Byron Nelson Estate)

  i2.
3 Byron and Louise Nelson, circa mid-1930s (Courtesy of the Byron Nelson Estate)

  i2.4 Byron Nelson, mid-swing (USGA)

  i2.5 Byron Nelson circa 1937 Masters (Courtesy of the Byron Nelson Estate)

  i2.6 Byron Nelson, 1940 PGA Championship (Courtesy of the Byron Nelson Estate)

  i2.7 Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan, 1942 Masters Tournament, Augusta National Golf Club (Augusta National/Getty Images)

  i2.8 Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan (Courtesy of the Byron Nelson Estate)

  i2.9 Byron Nelson on his farm (Courtesy of the Byron Nelson Estate)

  i2.10 Byron and Peggy Nelson, circa 1984 (Courtesy of the Byron Nelson Estate)

  i2.11 Byron Nelson and Ken Venturi (Courtesy of the Byron Nelson Estate)

  i2.12 Byron Nelson in woodshop (Courtesy of the Byron Nelson Estate)

  i2.13 Byron Nelson tipping hat (Salesmanship Club of Dallas)

  Third Insert

  i3.1 Baby Ben Hogan with father, Chester Hogan, 1913 (Courtesy of the Hogan Estate)

  i3.2 Ben Hogan, age sixteen (Courtesy of the Hogan Estate)

  i3.3 Ben and Valerie Hogan, Hershey Hotel, 1938 (Courtesy of the Hogan Estate)

  i3.4 Jimmy Demaret (left) and Ben Hogan, 1940 Masters (Corbis)

  i3.5 Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson, Augusta National, 1946 (Corbis)

  i3.6 Ben Hogan, Los Angeles Open, 1950 (Corbis)

  i3.7 Ben and Valerie Hogan, two weeks following accident (Courtesy of the Hogan Estate)

  i3.8 Ben Hogan, 72nd hole, Merion Golf Club, 50th United States Open Championship (Time/Life)

  i3.9 Ben Hogan and Sam Snead, 1954 Masters (Corbis)

  i3.10 Ben Hogan Day, New York City, July 1953 (AP/WideWorld)

  i3.11 Jack Fleck and Ben Hogan following play-off, Olympic Golf Club, United States Open Championship, 1955 (Corbis)