Men made impact beyond the Masters

BILLY CASPER

1931-2015

Billy Casper, a putting wizard who went toe-to-toe with the Big Three in the 1960s, died Feb. 7. He was 83.

The 1970 Masters Tourna­ment winner died of a heart attack at his home in Utah.

Casper won 51 times in his PGA Tour career, but he was largely overshadowed by Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.

“I think it is fair to say that Billy was probably underrated by those who didn’t play against him,” Nicklaus said. “Those who did compete against him knew how special he was.”

Casper’s 51 wins put him at No. 7 on the career list behind only Sam Snead, Tiger Woods, Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Palmer and Byron Nelson.

His three major championships included the 1966 U.S. Open, one of golf’s most remarkable comebacks. He rallied from a seven-shot deficit on the back nine at Olympic Club to tie Palmer, then beat him in an 18-hole playoff.
Casper also won the 1959 U.S. Open at Winged Foot. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1978.

Casper was a genius with the short game, considered one of the best putters in golf. When he won the U.S. Open at Winged Foot, he purposely laid up on the par-3 third hole all four rounds and got up-and-down for par each day.
Casper won the PGA Tour money title twice and was player of the year in 1966 and 1970. He still holds the Amer­i­can record in the Ryder Cup for most points. He played on eight teams and was the winning captain in 1969.

At the 1970 Masters, Casper defeated fellow San Diego native Gene Littler in an 18-hole playoff.

More than golf, Casper was devoted to family. He had 11 children, six adopted, and he is survived by 71 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He became a Mormon just as his career was taking off. He was married to his wife, Shirley, for 62 years.

“It was not even a year ago, someone asked Billy how he wanted to remembered,” Nicklaus said. “And he said, ‘I want to be remembered for how I loved my fellow man.’ ”

ERRIE BALL

1910-2014

Errie Ball, who played in the first Masters Tournament in 1934 and was the oldest living participant, died July 2. He was 103.

Ball was friends with Augusta Na­tional Golf Club co-founder Bobby Jones, who invited Ball to play in the first Augusta National Invitation Tourna­ment.

“I was just tickled to death and just wondered why he would send me one,” Ball told The Augusta Chronicle in a 2009 interview. “I had won the Southeastern PGA back then. I think that helped in getting an invitation.”

Ball’s uncle, Frank Ball, was the club pro at East Lake in Atlanta, where Jones played.

In 1926, at age 15, Ball competed in the British Open, the youngest person to do so. That was when Jones won his first claret jug, and Ball was in the field at Hoylake in 1930, when Jones captured the third leg of his Grand Slam. Jones persuaded Ball to come to the United States to work for his uncle at East Lake as an assistant pro.

“He said, ‘You’d do well over there,’ ” Ball said. “And he was right. … Thanks to him, it opened a lot of doors.”
Ball tied for 38th in the inaugural Masters after his final-round score of 86 knocked him out of a chance to finish in the top 10. He made it back to Augus­ta in 1957 but missed the cut.

“Today they beat their brains out trying to get in it,” Ball said in 2009. “I feel fortunate that I was able to play two of them.”

KEL NAGLE

1920-2015

Kel Nagle, who spoiled Arnold Palmer’s bid for a grand slam in 1960, died Jan. 28. He was 94.

The Au­stralian won the British Open at St. Andrews in 1960, its centenary year, for the biggest win of a career that landed him in the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Nagle, who won a tournament every year for 26 years after turning professional in 1946, collected 61 victories on the PGA Tour of Australasia and two on the U.S. tour.

At the Masters, Nagle competed nine times between 1960 and 1968 and made the cut five times. His best finish was a tie for 15th in 1965.

His victory at St. Andrews came by one stroke over Palmer, who was attempting to win his third consecutive major that year.

Nagle also won the Australian PGA championship a record six times.

BERRY CRAIN

1941-2015

Berry Crain, who spent 40 years in Scoring Control at the Masters, died March 9. He was 73.
The Aiken resident retired from his post in 2013. He helped the tournament make the transition to computerized scoring in the 1980s.

In a 2013 interview, Crain recounted the hectic start one year as scores began to pile up. “Overnight, another computer showed up for us to do scoring on,” he said. “So we were good to go.”

Crain co-founded the Palmetto Amateur, now one of the country’s top amateur events, in 1976. The lefty was a top player, winning numerous club championships.