Southern California's No. 1 Golf Source
SITE
SEARCH
GOLF RESOURCE GUIDE:
People
|
||||
 Billy Casper and Gene Littler became chummy playing junior golf in San Diego, but on April 13, 1970, they found themselves going one-on-one for the Masters title. Littler trailed Casper by a stroke entering Sunday’s final round, with ’61 champion Gary Player and Bert Yancey also in contention. Littler got off to a solid start on the back nine and had a one-shot lead coming to the par-3 16th, but pushed his tee shot and made a bogey to fall into a tie with Casper. “For some reason, we had to wait forever to hit our tee shots there,” Littler recalled. “That sort of cost me the tournament.” The pair finished at 9-under par after regulation and were set to embark on the last 18-hole Monday playoff in Masters history. Casper drew first blood, making a birdie on No. 1, but found trouble on the second after hooking his drive into a hazard. But he got lucky — spectators gradually trampled down tall grass as the week progressed, and Casper had a chance to play without incurring a penalty. He just had to avoid the trees and a branch two inches behind his ball. “The only shot I had was to fit a 9-iron over the branch, hit it high up in the air and carry it about 130 yards back out in the fairway,” Casper said. “It was the most perfect shot I ever played, given the circumstances.” What could have been a bogey or worse proved to be a par, and Littler’s unexpected bogey on the same hole led to a two-shot margin. Casper eventually stretched his lead to seven after 11 holes, but Littler went 2-under over the next four holes while Casper went 2-over. Casper slammed the door on the 16th hole with a birdie and essentially seal the victory and his first Green Jacket. “I always felt I could win at Augusta,” said Casper, who lost by a stroke to George Archer in 1969. “I think it’s the greatest tournament there is.” |
||||
RSS Subscribe
