Golf Central

On this day in 1906, two-time major champion Henry Picard, a pre-war PGA Tour star and one of the finest teachers in golf history, was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Picard (known as "Pick" to his mates, and he had many due to his courtly manners) had the misfortune hit his competitive prime just before World War II erased most of the majors off the schedule between 1940-45.

But what a run-up it was. Picard outlasted Harry "Lighthorse" Cooper and Ralph Guldahl to win the 1938 Masters at 3-under par, then had his greatest season in 1939, when he won eight times, including the PGA Championship, and topped the PGA Tour money list with $10,303 (that's $142,000 in today's money). He also starred on the '35 and '37 US Ryder Cup teams.

After his competitive career, Picard spent a majority of his time honing the swings of very good players that he thought needed just a tweak or two to become great players... And Pick was right most of the time: He fixed Ben Hogan's persistent hook, and we all know how that turned out. Then he turned his attention to Sam Snead's erratic driving, ironing out a change in Slamming Sammy's club position at the top.

"No lesson cost me more money," Picard later joked after Snead became one of the game's all-time great drivers of the ball.

Before he died in 1997 at age 90, Picard served as head pro of a host of courses, lastly Seminole GC in Florida,  and in his golden years still had time to mentor the future LPGA Hall of Famer Beth Daniel when she was a promising junior in Charleston, S.C. ...

A casual wager with a buddy turned out in a surprising twist for the great John Lennon, when Elton John bet the former Beatle that his single Whatever Gets You Thru the Night (which Elton sang harmonies on) would hit No. 1 on the US pop charts.

Lennon said he would appear live with Elton if it did. Elton was right, the song hit No. 1 on November 11, 1974, and Lennon lived up to his word. Because on this day in '74, a nervous reclusive Lennon joined Elton onstage at Madison Square Garden. The pair bashed through several tunes, finishing off with I Saw Her Standing There. It was to be John Lennon's final concert appearance. ...

It was also on this day in 1990, that Margaret Thatcher emotionally resigned as Prime Minister after more than 11 years, being replaced by John Major.

And a naked maniac with a 3-foot long samurai sword burst into a church in Croydon, critically injuring several people on this day 8 years ago. Eden Strang was charged with seven counts of attempted murder and six of assault but was found not guilty by an Old Bailey jury for reasons of insanity. You don't say ...

So, it's maligayang kaarawan sa iyo!, as they say in the Philippines, to Motown Records founder Berry Gordy (78); tireless good-guy/bad-guy actor Ed Harris (57); and to London-born comic Martin Clunes (45) of Men Behaving Badly infamy.

It's also a good day to be born if you want to be a silly-named rapper, as proven by the punctionally challenged Filipino hip-hopper apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas (33), the former Allan Lindo; and Chamillionaire (28), the former Hakeem Seriki who likes silly names so much he also goes by the tags of Chamillion, Chamil, Cham, King Koopa, The Mixtape Messiah, The Truth From Texas, Color Changin' Lizard, Chamillionator, Chamillitary Five Star General and Chamillitary Mayne.

It also would have been a birthday for the legendary English poet and painter William Blake, who was born today in 1757, and was ranked No. 38 on the BBC's list of the 100 Greatest Britons. But that's no reason why we should still have to study his work in school when we could be golfing instead. Boooooring ...