Word: caspers
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William Earl Casper Jr., 35, used to be a fat, sick Congregationalist, who won a lot of money playing golf. He is now a slim, healthy Mormon. Nothing else has changed. Last week, at San Francisco's Olympic Country Club golf course, Billy won the U.S. Open for the second time-without even trying...
...words, he was "just trying to finish second." By the time the fourth round was half over, Arnold Palmer had a seven-stroke lead, and seemed certain to break Ben Hogan's 18-year-old Open record of 276 for 72 holes. Casper, Dave Marr, Tony Lema and Jack Nicklaus were battling for the runner-up purse of $12,500. Then, in one of the most shocking turnabouts in sports history, Palmer blew 1) his lead, 2) his cool and 3) the tournament...
Nobody got particularly excited when Palmer bogeyed Olympic's par-four tenth hole, cutting his lead over Casper to six strokes-especially after both golfers parred the eleventh hole and birdied the twelfth. Nobody got alarmed when Arnie lost a second stroke at the par-three 13th. After the 14th, with four holes to go, he still had a five-stroke lead. Then, with incredible swiftness, disaster struck. On the par-three, 150-yd. 15th hole, Palmer's No. 7 iron shot strayed off line and caught a yawning sand trap to the right of the green...
...just to get the ball back on the fairway. A stray No. 3 wood left Arnie trapped just off the green; he had to explode to within 4 ft. of the rim and sink the putt to salvage a six-"the greatest six I ever made." Another birdie by Casper cut Palmer's lead to one stroke, and that stroke vanished when Arnie missed a 10-ft. putt on the 17th hole. Both golfers parred the 18th, and for the 24th time in 72 years the U.S. Open went into a playoff...
...course, was high up, fighting for his second P.G.A. victory. Jack was grousing about his drives, then his approaches went a trifle sour. Even so, going into the final hole, he was still two under par for the tournament, tied with Billy Casper and barely two strokes behind his playing partner, Dave Marr, a journeyman golfer who had not won a tournament since 1962. A birdie for Nicklaus and a bogie for Marr would mean a playoff. Teeing off for the 470 yd. par-four, Marr hooked his drive into a fairway trap, while Nicklaus slammed one 300 yds deadcenter...