Any other year, it would have been Masters’ weekend in Georgia this past weekend. Yet it’s a new world order out there. We’re looking at the PGA Championship at Harding Park in early August, the U.S. Open in mid-September at Winged Foot, and the Masters Tournament in mid-November at Augusta National. The British Open has been cancelled for the first time since 1945.
Lacking any immediate Masters memories from the past weekend, perhaps it’s time to look back some 25 years at one of the more iconic tournaments in major championship history.
The year was 1995 and without knowing it, the world of golf was between eras. The golden era of the 1960s was way back in the rear view mirror. Arnold Palmer was 65 years old. Jack Nicklaus was age 55. The European golfing generation of the 1980s was aging as well. Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Sandy Lyle, and Bernhard Langer were pushing age 40. Their best days were behind them. The game’s number one golfer was Australian Greg Norman. He was 40 years old and the closest he ever came to the career grand slam was his forgettable stat of losing a playoff in all four of golf’s majors. Tiger Woods was the U.S. Amateur champ and was a freshman at Stanford University. He would be a Masters rookie.
Thursday, April 6, it was a typically beautiful spring day in Georgia. The dogwoods and the azaleas were in full bloom as the 1995 Masters got under way. The first round leader board featured a heavy dose of the new and the old. Opening with dynamic six under par 66s was the threesome of David Frost of South Africa, newcomer Phil Mickelson, and the defending champ, Jose Maria Olazabal. One stroke back was 55 year old Jack Nicklaus alongside U.S. Open titlist Cory Pavin. Texan Ben Crenshaw, who won the 1984 Masters, shot 70 and was tied for 16th.
Round two weather was just as beautiful as the opening round. Journeyman Jay Haas made a big move up the leader board as he shot a brilliant eight under par 64. He had carded a 71 the day before and his nine under par 135 was good enough for a one stroke lead. Scott Hoch, who missed a short putt in overtime to hand Faldo the 1989 Masters, shot 69-67 to sit in second place at 136. Phil Mickelson shot 71 to find himself tied for fourth place alongside Crenshaw who put together a sold second round 67. One stroke further back was Davis Love III who had returned back to back scores of 69-69.
They call Saturday “moving day” on the PGA Tour and such was the case during third round play at the ’95 Masters. Ben Crenshaw shot 69 and was alone atop the leader board at -10 under par. Brian Henninger was one back after posting a 68. Two strokes out of the lead and tied for third place was the quartet of Phil Mickelson, Scott Hoch, Jay Haas, and 1992 Masters champ Fred Couples. Davis Love III struggled and was sitting just outside the top 10.
Going into Sunday’s final round, it was truly anyone’s tournament to win. Yes, Crenshaw had the lead, but it had been a tough week for him. His mentor, Harvey Pennick had passed away and Crenshaw and another Pennick protégé, Tom Kite, had served as his pall bearers on Masters Wednesday in Austin, Texas. On top of that, Ben was on the downside of his career. He was 43 years old, had won 18 times on tour, and was starting up a golf architecture business with partner Bill Coore. Crenshaw would be only as good as his putter if he were to prevail on Sunday. Couples knew how to win at Augusta. He was a dangerous pursuer. Phil Mickelson was an up and coming star and had already won five times by age 24. Maybe Augusta National still owed Scott Hoch a green jacket. Maybe it was Jay Haas’ moment as well. Henninger? Nah.
Through the first eight holes on Sunday, Crenshaw and Haas shared the top spot on the leader board. Then Crenshaw birdied the difficult ninth hole to go up by one. Another birdie on the par five 13th hole gave Ben a two stroke lead. From back in 11th place, Davis Love III was making a big charge and when he birdied the 14th and 15th holes, he found himself tied with Crenshaw with just three holes to go. The watery par three 16th hole determined the final outcome as Ben hit a solid iron to the green and made the putt for birdie. Love made bogey and suddenly the Crenshaw lead was a safe two strokes. Both men birdied the 17th hole. Crenshaw made a super safe bogey on the 18th to secure the win and his second green jacket. Upon sinking that final one foot putt on the last green, Ben dropped his putter, placed both hands on the side of his head, and broke into tears. The unexpected had happened. Five days after burying Harvey Pennick, Ben Crenshaw was the Masters champion. It was a most memorable moment.
The most eye popping statistic about Crenshaw’s performance at the 1995 Masters was that Ben recorded zero three putts over the course of 72 holes at Augusta National. Acknowledged as the most difficult course on the PGA Tour from the standpoint of ultra dangerous Alister Mackenzie putting surfaces, it is nothing short of a head scratcher that Ben Crenshaw never had a three putt all week. The other unique story behind the 1995 Masters revolved around the long term relationship between Ben Crenshaw and his caddie, Carl Jackson. Late on Wednesday night while struggling on the driving range, Jackson suggested that Crenshaw adjust the ball position in his stance. Ben was desperate, gave it a try, and immediately started striping the ball. Jackson’s mini lesson got Crenshaw through the week with solid ball striking.
It was the 19th and final win of Crenshaw’s career. Four years later he would serve as the winning captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team at The Country Club in Boston. He would enter the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2002. Today, Ben Crenshaw is considered one of the game’s top golf course architects in his partnership with Bill Coore. Coore-Crenshaw is in the process of designing a new course called the Brambles just north of Middletown.
The low amateur at the Masters 25 years ago was that 19 year old kid from Stanford. Tiger Woods finished in a tie for 41st place in his first Masters appearance. Amazingly, Tiger led the tournament that week in the driving distance category. He would go on to win the Masters two years later in 1997. He’d pick up three more green jackets in 2001, 2002, and 2005. After a dark period brought on by multiple surgeries and personal issues, Tiger made a career turn- around and won the 2019 Masters. He will be the defending champ this coming November.
