I led the Masters twice after the first round, both times after being in the first group off. The faster I played, the better I played. One year I was with Jodie Mudd, and on the 11th tee he was gasping. "Lanny, please, let's slow down!" I said, "Jodie, I'm five under par. We're not slowing down, bud." I dragged Jodie around, and as I recall we finished in 2 hours, 40 minutes.
Ben Hogan and I were playing at Shady Oaks one day. We were standing on a tee when a guy drove up in a cart and said, "I think I'll join you guys." Ben looked at the guy — who, by the way, was wearing shorts and had a beard — and then at me and said, "I think it's time to go in, don't you, Lanny?" I answered "Yes sir, Ben," and in we went. Hogan's way of dealing with rude people was to not acknowledge them, while making sure they knew they were not being acknowledged.
Hogan was slow, but in a good way. He played by feel, not off a yardage book, and it was fascinating watching him get ready. You'd see his eyes tracking up to the hole in what looked like 10-yard increments. You'd see him look at the tops of the trees for wind and watch where his cigarette smoke was blowing. Watching him was worth the wait.
- Text Size:
- Small Text
- Medium Text
- Large Text
