The Best Player Who's Been Forgotten....

[tbowles411]

Larry Nelson. Three majors, great RC record and absolute gent.

Agreed. What did he ever do to anyone to be banished by the game, I'll never know.

[dbleag]

Young Tom Morris.

[Soloman1]

How about old what's his name? He was pretty good.

 

:)

[nbg352]

Not too sure how I managed to miss this thread way back in 2014, but I'm damn glad I found it today. A great read, full of history and wonderful anecdotes.

Thanks Richard, thanks Maddie.

There's a reason I hang around this place. It's folks like you two.

[MadGolfer76]

Has Cary Middlecoff been mentioned yet? 3 majors and 40 tournament wins.

 

10th in all time wins and I never hear him discussed.

[nbg352]

When I was a kid, I always thought it funny that a doctor was also a professional golfer........

[MadGolfer76]

When I was a kid, I always thought it funny that a doctor was also a professional golfer........

 

Dentist?

[nbg352]

When I was a kid, I always thought it funny that a doctor was also a professional golfer........

 

Dentist?

Yep

[double_d]

So he's basically Audie Murphy, if Audie Murphy could golf.

 

Clark Gable should have played him in the movie.

[Shilgy]

Has Cary Middlecoff been mentioned yet? 3 majors and 40 tournament wins.

 

10th in all time wins and I never hear him discussed.

From the Weir Monty thread then, Middlecoff Casper Singh or Els. Which had the better career?

[MadGolfer76]

Has Cary Middlecoff been mentioned yet? 3 majors and 40 tournament wins.

 

10th in all time wins and I never hear him discussed.

From the Weir Monty thread then, Middlecoff Casper Singh or Els. Which had the better career?

 

Well, it wouldn't be a bad career teeing it up against Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Byron Nelson...oh, wait. Maybe it would!

[carn9698]

Peter Thompson said Tony Lema was super talented. Lovely guy as well I hear.

[TheFatTick]

Good post.

 

My guess would have been Larry Nelson. Won two majors - US Open and PGA, and several other events. Served in Vietnam. Used "Golf My Way" books by Jack Nicklaus to teach himself how to play at age 22.

 

Never got a sniff at becoming Ryder Cup Captain. Has one of the best winning RC records of all time.

 

Definitely another "forgotten man". It's a shame and the PGA of America should be embarrassed for ignoring his record. Definitely the kind of guy you'd want in your platoon, along with Lloyd Mangrum.

 

This is where I was going as well. One of the truly remarkable sports stories of our time, and it's very rarely told.

 

Guy was a combat infantry platoon leader in Vietnam, one who actually saw combat. Returns and starts playing golf because one of his fellow soldiers talked so favorably about the game.

 

Scratch player within a couple of months, turned pro about two years after he first played the game, and went on to win 10 times, including three majors in which he bested runners-up Tom Watson, Lanny Wadkins and Fuzzy Zoeller respectively.

 

It's a unique American sports story.

[bladehunter]

What I want to know is when is Maddie and Richard going to put pen to paper and start their book series. I've read enough stories here for at least two books . I can't recall a single story that wasn't a gem ! Something to think about guys !

[Sean2]

Maybe someone posted this already, but I always thought Billy Casper was given short shrift. Should have been the big four.

[playa]

Richard, I kid you not...when I read the thread title, I was already thinking Mangrum before I clicked in.

I was thinking that guy that used to post on here. Jones Scott?

[Golf401]

 

Tiger Woods

[ExTrumpet]

OP, one of the greatest posts on this entire site...thanks for posting!!

[Forged4ever]

OP, one of the greatest posts on this entire site...thanks for posting!!

Thank you very much!!

 

If youd like, you can call me RP or Richard :)

 

Thanks for taking the time to read it. My posts can sometimes be a tad tedious :)

 

Have a Great season!!

 

Fairways & Greens My Friend,

Richard

[ebk]

Great story. Thanks.

 

I knew about him, but you put it together in a fantastoic narrative.

 

My dad was in the gallery at that Open at Canterbury. He spoke about Mangrum some over the years (my dad was a few years older than Mr. Mangrum).

 

Yup, the greatest generation - I dobt we'll have another one like it. Ever.

[JD3]

A few years ago, Ben Hogan.

 

Of active players, Retief Goosen

[Forged4ever]

Richard, I kid you not...when I read the thread title, I was already thinking Mangrum before I clicked in.

I was thinking that guy that used to post on here. Jones Scott?

Talk about someone who got the short end of the stick~

 

Boy did Jonesy get screwed!

 

All the kid wanted was a chance

 

6250yds/Par 68 from the tips-

 

64.8/118

 

Ya gotta start somewhere.....

 

One night after I was Talkin to him about his PSR, visualization, yada yada yada, and he responds by askin me about visualization and did I ever use it with women, and after I finished LMAO, I responded and it said he was banned, lol

 

Like a shooting star, he flashed before us and was gone far too soon-

 

And yea, if you're reading any of this Bro, visualization works in a social situation!!

 

Larry Nelson

Billy Casper

Jonesy

Lloyd Mamgrum

 

Yep, the list goes on :)

 

Stay well BroMeisters!!

 

My Best,

RP

[Jwin323]

Richard, I kid you not...when I read the thread title, I was already thinking Mangrum before I clicked in.

I was thinking that guy that used to post on here. Jones Scott?

Talk about someone who got the short end of the stick~

 

Boy did Jonesy get screwed!

 

All the kid wanted was a chance

 

6250yds/Par 68 from the tips-

 

64.8/118

 

Ya gotta start somewhere.....

 

One night after I was Talkin to him about his PSR, visualizatiin, yada yada yada, and he responds by askin me about visualization and did I ever use it with women, and after I finished LMAO, I responded and it said he was banned, lol

 

Like a shooting star, he flashed before us and was gone far too soon-

 

And yea, if you're reading any of this Bro, visualization works in a social situation!!

 

Larry Nelson

Billy Casper

Jonesy

Lloyd Mamgrum

 

Yep, the list goes on :)

 

Stay well BroMeisters!!

 

My Best,

RP

 

Mangrum Casper, Nelson, Jonesy sounds like a dream foursome. I'd even make the exception to allow a fivesome if Mr. 61 wants in.

[Sean2]

Patton would have loved LM.

[Shilgy]

OP, one of the greatest posts on this entire site...thanks for posting!!

Thank you very much!!

 

If youd like, you can call me RP or Richard :)

 

Thanks for taking the time to read it. My posts can sometimes be a tad tedious :)

 

Have a Great season!!

 

Fairways & Greens My Friend,

Richard

Tedious?? Tedious?? Never! A bit verbose at times but never ever tedious. :)

Always enlightening and entertaining!

[playa]

OP, one of the greatest posts on this entire site...thanks for posting!!

Thank you very much!!

 

If youd like, you can call me RP or Richard :)

 

Thanks for taking the time to read it. My posts can sometimes be a tad tedious :)

 

Have a Great season!!

 

Fairways & Greens My Friend,

Richard

Tedious?? Tedious?? Never! A bit verbose at times but never ever tedious. :)

Always enlightening and entertaining!

Seconded

[larssonlegend]

Ray Floyd is never spoken about much yet he won 4 majors and twenty odd PGA tour wins. Loved how he got his quirky swing to work so well.

[Shilgy]

Pssshhh, Mangrum and his measly 36 tour wins-just one major- can't compare to Andy North or Lee Janzen and their major wins. :)

 

Great thread Richard. It is wasy to forget some of the guys that had awesome careers but were overshadowed by the play of others. In 50 years VJ will probably be in the discussion.

[Divot License]

I admit when I read the title my mind went to Casper. Reading Forged4Ever's posts about Mangrum is truly inspiring.

 

The club I grew up at was full of vets, ranging from WW2 vets up to first gulf war vets. My dad was a former police officer so I grew up having learnt to respect these guys and what they did for others.

 

It's well know that many profesional athletes from that time were in the War however it's assumed most/all were having cushy jobs on the back lines acting as propoganda pieces. It's incredible to hear what some actually did, how they never considered themselves better than anyone else simply because they had a specific skill others didn't and how in this case they were willing to risk there own lives while practically all others.

 

Thanks for this great little tidbit of history and I'd love a book or more articles written by Maddie and yourself about what you have heard and seen of these legends. These stories need to be shared and not forgotten and lost.

[EKELLY]

I like all the mentioned. For ME, it's Billy Casper, all day long. Even Nicklaus said there should have been a "Big 4 ", with Casper included........The guy won 50 tournaments and 3 majors in a tough era to win, and still holds the record for most Ryder Cup points won by an American.......