Thursday, July 28, 2022

OUR COLLECTIVE PAST

 


Ken Venturi and Ben Hogan

“Some green untested souls might be tempted to wonder why one should still care, but none of us are here forever, we’re not even here for long; and if it’s true that our collective past exists inside all of us, unless we take time to bear witness to the best of those who strived before us, our chance to learn from their lives will be lost forever, and we will be the poorer for it.”  --Mark Frost, The Match

The Mark Frost quote above is worth rereading.  It’s the final words from the book, The Match, summarizing what has been called one of the greatest golf matches ever played.  It was arranged by two millionaires during the infamous Pro-Am Clambake on the Monterey Peninsula in California, hosted by Bing Crosby.  The essence of the bet was that two young rising amateurs were now capable of beating two of the best professionals of the time. 

The best-ball match was arranged between Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson versus Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward.  They agreed to quietly meet at Cyprus Point on the morning of January 10, 1956 so they would not be distracted by the players and fans, but an estimated 5,000 had gathered by the time word spread as they finished the round.  The contest was so close with both teams fully engaged in the competition that the pros ended up winning by only one up with a net score of 58, 14 strokes under par.  The margin of victory ended up being the eagle that Ben Hogan scored on the tenth hole.

The immortal foursome would never play another round of golf together as their most relentless opponent, time, would inevitably outlast them all.  But all four of these men in the course of their careers capitalized on their collective past and exploited the best attributes they needed to be the very best they could be in their lifetimes.

And this applies to the game of life as well.



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