|
Venturi's life altered more by loss
Posted: Monday April 08, 2002 6:41 PM
| |
Ken Venturi hits from trap on No. 18 at the 1956 Masters. The Augusta Chronicle |
By Scott Michaux
The Augusta Chronicle
Golfers talk all the time about how winning a major championship changes their lives. Losing the 1956 Masters had an even more profound effect on amateur Ken Venturi.
"At the time, it was devastating," Venturi said of his final-round 80 that enabled Jackie Burke to come from eight back and win by a stroke. "But if I had won, it would have changed my whole life."
It would have changed Venturi's life more profoundly than any other major champion in history. If he had won that Masters, Venturi had already decided to remain an amateur for life and attempt to carry on the legacy of Augusta National co-founder Bobby Jones.
"I had already talked to Bobby Jones about it," Venturi said, adding that plans were in the works for him to take Jones' place as president of the Masters Tournament while making a living with the Ford Motor Co. "I would have stayed an amateur and honored the title."
|
In this series of articles, The Augusta Chronicle looks at some of the 'disasters' throughout Masters history. Use the pull-down menu to get from story to story.
|
It would have altered Venturi's history in ways that 45 years later seem unimaginable. He would probably never have won the U.S. Open in 1964 at Congressional Country Club. He would never have become the longest-tenured golf television analyst in history.
Worse for him, he would never have met his soul mate, Beau, his wife of xxx years before she died of cancer in 1997.
"Fate has a way of bending a twig and fashioning a man to his better instincts," Venturi said.
That Sunday afternoon in 1956 after six three-putts had doomed him to runner-up, Venturi wasn't thanking his fate. He had a four-shot lead over Cary Middlecoff before the final round, and he started to believe everyone else who said victory was assured.
But despite hitting 15 of 18 greens Sunday, Venturi three-putted six times en route to a devastating 80. If only that had been the end of it. The aftermath proved worse.
In those days, the final-round leader was usually paired with former champion Byron Nelson. Considering Nelson was Venturi's dear friend and mentor, Masters Committee chairman Clifford Roberts approached Venturi about switching the pairings to spare the first amateur champion from having his victory considered "hollow" by the perception that he was guided home by his tutor.
Venturi agreed, and given the opportunity to choose anyone in the field to play with, he picked Sam Snead. Recognizing Venturi's nervousness, Snead generally left the young amateur alone during the round.
"Sam Snead could not have been better to play with," Venturi said. "Absolute gentleman."
| |
| HOLE LEADERS |
|---|
|
Ken Venturi set a record for leading the most holes without winning the Masters.
|
Holes
Led |
Player |
Year |
| 70 |
Herman Keiser |
1946 |
| 68 |
Ken Venturi |
1956 |
| 64 |
Raymond Floyd |
1976 |
| 61 |
Fred Couples |
1998 |
| 58 |
Arnold Palmer |
1964 |
| 57 |
Jack Nicklaus |
1972 |
| 56 |
Seve Ballesteros |
1980 |
| 53 |
Ben Hogan |
1953 |
| 49 |
Jack Nicklaus |
1965 |
| |
|
When it was all over, Venturi mustered a smile for the cameras but consoled his crying mother.
"Mom, forget it," he told her. "We'll show 'em. We'll win the Open."
Everything was fine until Venturi landed back home in San Francisco. An Examiner columnist interviewed the crestfallen golfer and botched the translation with truncated quotes.
"He writes, 'They changed the pairings at the Masters because they didn't want an amateur to win. Sam Snead gave Ken the silent treatment, but Venturi vows revenge, swears he will win the Open to show 'em."
When Venturi returned to Augusta as a professional for the 1957 Masters, he was booed.
"It was very difficult," he said. "My dad always told me, 'When you're right, you don't have to explain yourself.' I let my clubs do the talking."
Venturi says the main reason why he turned pro in November 1956 was to get rid of the "choker" label given to him after the Masters. He had two other strong runs at the Masters title, including 1960 when Arnold Palmer birdied Nos. 17 and 18 in the final round to clip him by a stroke.
| Related information |
| Multimedia |
 Visit Video Plus for the latest audio and video
|
| Search our site |
Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day |
|
|
Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call your cable operator or DirecTV. |
| 
