Masters Tribute

Augusta, GA - The PCB felt it appropriate to make at least one Master post on the Pineapple Cup blog. It concerns a funny story that has been passed down year after year in Augusta National Golf Club lore. Most will not recognize this story, but the PCB assures you that it is very much true...and happens to be the favorite story of the late Bobby Jones.

Jones would tell it during the Amateur Dinner during Masters week and it always left the crowd in stitches. The story goes:

On one occasion there was a new ANGC member who attended his first members Jamboree. He got involved in a bridge game that deteriorated into poker. To settle his nerves he was drinking pretty steadily, and when they finally poured him into bed, at 3 o'clock in the morning, he was as drunk as a hoot owl. At 8 o'clock the next morning they awakened him and took him out to the first tee. This fellow had a handicap of eighteen, a stroke a hole, and he was paired with a fellow who had a handicap that was much lower. On the first tee, the low-handicap fellow sliced his ball so far that it hasn't been found yet. Now, our hero, who was about to jump out of his skin, stepped up on the tee and topped his drive down the hill. The ground was hard and it rolled to the bottom. When he got to it, his caddie gave him a spoon and he topped it again. But the ball bounced along and bounced along past the trap on the right side of the fairway. He had about 125 yards left to the hole.

He said to his caddie, "What should I use now?" The caddie said "Oh, just go ahead and use the one you've got - it doesn't make any difference." Well, our hero topped the ball a third time. The pin was cut over there on the left, behind the trap. The ball rolled up the front of the green, just missing the trap, and stopped about six feet from the hole.

So, here was our hero with a six-foot putt for par, which would be a net birdie, and his partner was in his pocket. When he stood up to the ball, his hands were shaking on his putter. They kept shaking and he took the putter back. Then, as he stroked the ball, a great big collie dog came running up from somewhere, and it ran right between his legs. Miraculously, though, the ball went into the hole, and the low-handicap fellow rushed up and said, "Partner, that's the greatest display of coolness and calmness under fire I've ever seen. How in the hell did you make that putt when that collie dog was running right between your leg?"

Our hero responded, "My God - was that a real dog?"