Golf Central

On this day in 1939, in Dallas, Texas, a future winner of six major titles and one of golf's greatest rags-to-riches stories, was born: Lee Buck Trevino.

Growing up poor in a Mexican-American family, Trevino started picking cotton at the age of five. Golf never entered his horizon until he got a job at age eight as a caddy at a local gollf course, and between caddying and working as a shoeshine boy, Trevino earned $30 a week.

But after work, Trevino honed his own game, using clubs that had been lost and left behind by paying members. By hitting 300 balls a day in his spare time, he was good enough to start hustling other golfers for money before, at age 17, the directionless youth joined the US Marines. Four years later, Trevino started working as a club pro in El Paso, Texas, and by 1967, at age 28, his game was finally ready for the PGA Tour. And what an arrival he made ...

What news from the golf links?: A day for low scores saw the course record beaten twice and Englishman Richard Finch end up on top of the leaderboard, going into the last round at 14-under, three shots clear of Steven Bowditch.
Did Finch beat the course record?: He did, with a 64, but his achievement was eclipsed by Peter Fowler.
What, the veteran Aussie blacked out the sun?: No, 14 years after he won the New Zealand Open he shot an amazing 62 to end the day in third place, just four shots off the lead.
Who else is in the hunt?: Ewan Porter, Rick Kulakz and Paul Sheehan are at 8-under, but the clever money is on either Finch, Bowditch or Fowler.
I thought the smart money was on Oli Fisher?: No, that was the stupid money. Oli’s tied 11th, nine shots back.

Look, it's not as if we're asking you to lower your daily productivity. Just work smarter and faster, then spend 10 minutes battling ninjas, mutant frogs, sharks, dragons and more ... and play 18 holes at the same time! Go on, you owe it to yourself... Play this free game, based on the classic old Atari 7800 video game, now!! (thanks to the clever boys at I-Mockery for this one)...

On this day, in 1969, Arnold Palmer became the first player to break par on the devilishly tricky new Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, S.C., en route to winning the inaugural Heritage Classic.

The course has been softened over the years, to the point where low scoring is now the norm at Harbour Town in the PGA Tour's Verizon Heritage tournament, which was one of the first courses co-designed by Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus.

Palmer quickly discovered the key to bringing home the bacon on Harbour Town's signature 18th hole. He aimed his tee shot at the famed right-and-white striped lighthouse on the horizon, which puts a power fade in perfect position to attack the pin ...

Happy St Andrews Day, then…: Not for Andrew Pitt, Andrew Martin, Andrew Tampion and Hamish Robertson, who must have a significant chunk of Scot in him.
Why?: They all missed the cut.
Shame… Who’s winning then?: How many times? It’s ‘leading’, not ‘winning’!!
Touchy… Who’s leading then?: Aussie Steven Bowditch shot a course record 65 to lead the tournament by a shot at 10-under, from Paul Sheehan at 9-under, Michael Long at 8-under and a bunch at 7-under including Richard Finch, Ewan Porter, Gary Simpson and Scot Peter Whiteford.
Nice, but there aren’t many household names in that lot are there…: True, but they’re all better at golf than you’ll ever be. And InGolfWeTrust favourite Oli Fisher’s just five shots off the lead, so we’ll be sticking a few quid on him this weekend for sure…