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Certainly it was a course that did not appeal to me greatly, but
Carnoustie seems to be an acquired taste and maybe I would have
grown to love it – as so many others have. The Scottish born American Tommy Armour, had won the first Carnoustie Open in 1931, finishing two shots ahead of third placed Percy Alliss - Percy’s best finish in an Open. [Bert’s brothers George, Charles and Jack played in 1931, but only Charles made the cut]The US contingent were hoping to emulate Armour and stop the British run and the entire American Ryder Cup team assembled, fresh from their 8-4 victory at Southport and Ainsdale. Walter Hagen, the US captain, hired a bus for the journey to Scotland, after which Denny Shute said: “We left no pub un-stoned on that ride”. Two young team members who were making the news were Byron Nelson, that year’s Masters champion, and Sam Snead, who was runner-up on his debut in the US Open at Oakland Hills, Michigan, the first of four second-place finishes in the only major he never won. One of the longest drivers in the game, he won a long-driving contest held that year in America with a distance of 307 yards. The golfing press were describing the Americans who descended on Carnoustie as “the greatest golfing force which has ever come to this country --- a splendid spectacle of athletic youth”. Nevertheless, there was a mood of optimism in the air for another home win, but the feeling was not shared by L.G.Crawley, who was staying with a group of friends, including Henry Cotton, in a Carnoustie boarding house. After a week’s practise with the Americans and having watched them win the Ryder Cup for the first time on British soil, he was pessimistic. L. G. failed to qualify and Henry wrote that he “--- returned to London feeling very disappointed and anxious to get away from the sight of the inevitable American victory”. In the practise rounds the British players were playing for six-penny ‘accumulators’ and when Cotton won 16 holes he took the princely sum of 8s 6d from his partners. In contrast the more affluent Americans were playing for one-pound stakes. The qualifying rounds took place on the Championship course and neighbouring Burnside, where Joe Kirkwood shot a course record 67. My form did not return and, although I managed to qualify, I remember that I was a regular visitor to the cross-bunkers in my rounds of 79, 75 for 154, which missed the cut by one shot. The winding Barry burn threatens at several holes, particularly the 18th, where it is a good 20ft wide. Gene Sarazen, who was playing in his last pre-war Open and would not return until 15 years later, told a tale about the time that Open competitors at dinner struck bets on the possibility of jumping the burn and a famous amateur wagered heavily on himself, but he, and his dinner jacket, got a thorough soaking. He was not named but L. G. must be a prime suspect. I decided to stay on to watch the final day’s play and, despite myself being soaked by a torrential downpour, I am glad that I did. Some 4-5000 spectators braved the weather and, it is said, cleared every shop in the town of waterproofs. “It rained so hard”, said Henry Longhurst, “that you could not hear the clatter of typewriters in the Press Tent”. Play would undoubtedly have been suspended today and Bernard Darwin wrote that: “—if anybody had lodged a formal appeal against the conditions, I think it must have been upheld”, but in those days most players had to be back at their clubs on the Saturday, so they toughed it out. Fortunately the committee had the holes cut on high ground and an army of volunteers with squeegees were able to keep the greens playable – just. They - and we saturated spectators, were to be rewarded by one of the greatest rounds of golf that ever won a major championship. Reg Whitcombe led after two rounds and retained his lead after his 74 in the first round of the final day. This gave him a total of 216, two shots ahead of his brother Charles, and Byron Nelson. A stroke further back was Henry Cotton and fellow Englishman; the US based Charles Lacey (brother of Ryder Cup player Arthur Lacey, who came sixth). In the final round Lacey finished with a fine 72 to be third on 293, while Charles Whitcombe fell away with a 76 and Nelson took 74 to be the leading American in fifth place. His prize was $187 – the trip had cost him $3000! It was little wonder that the leading Americans were reluctant to come over. Reg Whitcombe, who had been passed over for the Ryder Cup, matched his brother’s 76 to finish second. His best years were now beginning and he would go on to greater things next year and to take the Vardon Trophy in 1939. Considering the horrendous weather conditions the golf was of a high quality, but the best was yet to come. Henry Cotton, playing some distance behind the others, produced some of the finest golf I ever witnessed. Henry was always well prepared for any conditions, with his caddie, Butler and forecaddie Hargreaves doing everything possible to ease his passage – at times they even had a hot water bottle suspended inside the brolly to keep his hands warm. His redoubtable wife to be, ‘Toots’, walked at his side as always encouraging him and willing him to win. He improved each round by one - 74,73,72,71 - en route to a total of 290 and a two-shot victory. His final 18 included just 26 putts and contained nothing more than a five. The crowd surged onto the eighteenth green and sang ‘For he’s a jolly good fellow’. I had been fortunate to be there to witness one of golf’s greatest ever |
