AUGUSTA (Ga.) — A long-serving bridesmaid tied the knot at Augusta National fifty years ago.
Tommy Aaron, a Georgian native, overcame 14 runner up finishes in 12 years on PGA Tour to win his biggest tournament.
Aaron said that he was constantly reminded of the tournaments he had lost. He had only won one Tour title, the 1970 AT&T Classic. I think that reputation was overplayed. It’s not a crime to finish second.
Aaron, now 86, is a patient with the early stages of Parkinson’s disease. He returned to the scene of his greatest victory Saturday, and then attended Tuesday’s Champions Dinner. Growing up in Georgia, the Georgian native dreamed of winning the Masters.
Aaron stated that his dad was a player and that he used to talk about the Masters. “I remember listening to him and his friends talk and I thought it would be amazing someday to play at that Masters tournament.” Aaron spoke to Golfweek.
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Aaron finished in the top 10 in four of his six previous Masters starts, but no one expected Aaron to be able to recover from four strokes back heading into 1973 and become the golfer who slips into the green jacket at Butler Cabin.
Aaron opened with a score of 68. However, he dropped back in the middle rounds with scores 73 and 74. Due to poor weather on Saturday, the final round was played Monday. Aaron started the day four strokes behind Peter Oosterhuis. However, he came out firing with birdies on the three first holes and added another at the par-5 eight for good measure. He shot 4-under 32 on the nine.
Aaron recalls, “My attitude was that I just needed to make birdies if my goal is to win.”
Aaron’s moment of truth came at the par-5 15, th. He had made a bad drive that left him more than 230 yards from the green. He took a risky shot, but decided that the reward was well worth it.
Aaron recalls, “As I pulled out my 3-wood, I heard a collective groan from gallery saying, “Oh, God, he’s going after the green,” because they knew how far back he was.” “And I hit a beautiful shot, which landed on the right side and was about 10 yards over the green. Now I had to make a delicate pitch back to my flag stick. If I push that shot too hard it will slide down the slope into the water.
It was almost as difficult to come up short on his chip. Aaron handled the delicate pitch flawlessly, and he left himself a straight, 5-foot, uphill birdie, which he drained. Aaron scored a 68 on a day where the average score was 75. He then had to wait for the last three groups to finish.
“When you beat all the field by six strokes that’s pretty impressive,” stated Ben Crenshaw (the two-time Masters champ) who was an amateur in the field.
J.C. Snead had a poor double at 12, and missed birdie attempts at the last two holes. He finished second. Jack Nicklaus finished in 66, but it was not enough to tie for third. Aaron signed for a total 72-hole score of 5-under 283 but it was only a testy moment.
Aaron, who was the scorekeeper for Roberto DeVicenzo’s 1968 scorecard error and lost out to Bob Goalby in a playoff, noticed that Johnny Miller had given him a par at 13, instead of the birdie he had made.
“I check my scorecard every day to make sure it is correct. Always. It’s very easy. Aaron stated that you can get into serious trouble.
He was joined by Claude Harmon, the only native Georgian to have won the Masters. (Larry Mize was the third winner in 1987, but it has not been done by a Georgian since.
Aaron stated that it was the “dream of a lifetime” Aaron had said. “I’ve always dreamed of winning the Masters as a Georgia boy since I was old enough for a club.”
His greatest achievement was remembered by his hometown 50 years later.
Aaron stated, “They had a few very nice parties to recognize my,” referring to one at Cherokee Run Golf Club in Atlanta and another at Chattahoochee Golf Club.
The Georgia boy was a good boy and never left Gainesville.
Aaron stated that he made enough money to live anywhere he wanted, but the Masters did not change his life. Being a major winner makes you stand out from the rest and makes you an icon as a Masters champion. It’s a great feeling. I think my name will always be on the trophy with all those great players, from Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods. It’s an amazing feeling.
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By: Adam Schupak
Title: Bridesmaid no more: Remembering when Tommy Aaron won the 1973 Masters
Sourced From: golfweek.usatoday.com/2023/04/06/remembering-tommy-aaron-1973-masters/
Published Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2023 17:31:10 +0000
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