Ben Wright: Magic in Monterey
Over the years, hundreds of golf fanatics have asked me which was the greatest shot I ever witnessed. It’s been an easy question to answer, thanks to one man: Jack Nicklaus. The best golfer who ever lived played scores of heroic shots, and nearly always when he needed one most. On occasion they even came […]
Questions: Ray Floyd
The winner of the 1986 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills—and a Hamptons summer resident for over 20 years—recalls the pressure of that week but hasn’t forgotten what it was like to win his first Tour event, 23 years earlier Q. You won 22 times on the PGA Tour. What do you remember about your maiden victory, which […]
Characters: Mary Lopuszynski
Once a year, the U.S. Golf Association erects a pop-up superstore on the grounds of the U.S. Open. This year, the 37,000-square-foot luxury tent is just downhill from the iconic clubhouse at Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, N.Y. In its 11 days of operation, the Merchandise Pavilion will process more transactions, 140,000, and sell more individual […]
Rules of Disorder: 10 Moments That Shouldn’t Have Happened
April of 2018 marked the 50th anniversary of a memorable Masters—but one that made its indelible mark in history for the wrong reasons. A Sunday in Augusta that should have been remembered for Roberto De Vicenzo holing out for an eagle on the first hole on the way to a 65, and for Bob Goalby […]
How Ping Became a Driver Company
At the U.S. Open in June, 13 players in the field put the Ping G400 driver in play during the first week the club was available. Pros tend to be somewhere between picky and “don’t bother asking” about switching equipment during golf’s biggest events, which made this mass switch all the more remarkable. “It was […]
Why are Midwest Golf Courses Overlooked by the USGA?
U.S. Open officials might have needed some extra assistance locating Erin Hills in Wisconsin this year. It’d been a while since they’ve been to the Midwest. In fact, that large swath of the nation’s heartland has been—and with the exception of this year’s blip will continue to be—ignored when it comes to hosting the USGA’s […]
The Unsung Heroes of Golf Course Architecture
Who actually did the work on the World’s great courses?
The Youngest U.S. Open Winner: John McDermott
Giving a long-forgotten U.S. Open Champion his due
Ben Wright: Miller Time
As the golf correspondent for England’s Financial Times from 1963 to 1989, I was lucky to witness some of the best final rounds in U.S. Open history, none greater than Johnny Miller’s 63 at Oakmont in 1973. It was better than Arnold Palmer’s 65 at Cherry Hills in 1960 or Ben Hogan’s 67 at Oakland […]
Letter from St. Andrews: A Rare Herb
Writer, entrepreneur, raconteur, and friend to all—there was only one Herb
Graffis
