As a young golfer I remember watching this shot on television and wondering how such a little old man could still play golf. Listening to the wonderful commentary by the legendary Henry Longhurst I learned that at aged 71 this was to be his last competitive tournament and he was to get a hole-in-one 50 years after he’d failed to qualify for 1923 Open Championship at Royal Troon whilst the reigning US Open Champion. This inspired a great love for the history of golf it’s champions and famous golf courses and of course I researched Gene Sarazen and I learned of his “shot heard around the world”, his Career Grand Slam, 7 major championships and place as a true legend of the game of golf.
No account of great golf shots should omit Gene Sarazen’s double eagle (albatross) on the 15th at Augusta National in the 1935 US Masters. Dubbed “the shot heard around the world” it has gone down in folklore. Unfortunately no footage of the shot was taken and other than Sarazen, his playing partner Walter Hagen, their caddies and probably 25 other hardy souls no one else saw it, so fortunately for history one of those souls was Bobby Jones. There is no doubt that the context of the shot makes it one of the most legendary shots in golf. Sarazen did say later that over the years he met about 20,000 people who claimed to be there at the critical moment. When standing on the tee at #15 Sarazen thought he would need to birdie 3 of the last 4 holes to catch Craig Wood who himself had birdied the 18th posting a clubhouse score of 282. Television coverage of The Masters has made #15 a familiar hole with a lake in front of the green sowing seeds of doubt in the mind of a golfer wanting to go for it in two. Sarazen knew that this hole was critical if he was to catch Wood so he just had to go for the green. Following a drive of 255 yards he still had 232 to go, over water from a lie that was sitting down in the grass and to a slick putting surface. After consulting with his caddie, who thought he needed a 3 wood, Sarazen decided on a 4 wood but toed it in for a little more distance, it’s a good job he did because his ball barely cleared the lake guarding the green, skimmed low onto the green, rolled out to the flag at the right back of the green and dropped in for a double eagle. Can you imagine the pandemonium, fist pumps and high fives that such a shot would create today? Sarazen was much more phlegmatic, calculating only what he needed to do to catch Craig Wood. He subsequently parred the last three holes, by all accounts with difficult putts, to force a 36 hole play off the following day. It was obviously pre-ordained that he would win claim the title as he triumphed by 5 shots.
Even though there is no actual recording of the historic shot I thought you might like to see some archive footage of Gene Sarazen’s swing.
