By Dr. Anthony Parker
World Golf Hall of Fame Official Historian
World Golf Hall of Fame member and two-time Masters Champion Ben Crenshaw will tee it up for the final time as a player in Augusta this month. It will be an emotional tournament for Crenshaw as he and long time caddie, Carl Jackson, walk the course for the 40th time together and celebrate the memories of his 1995 victory.
Augusta National is a golf course that “Gentle” Ben knows very well. He is an avid student of the history of golf and an ardent admirer of Bobby Jones. Before he arrived for his first experience at Augusta in 1972, he had studied the history and the layout of the course, and the life of his hero, Jones.
As an amateur, Crenshaw finished in the top-25 in both of his first two Masters. In 1976, with the help and guidance of his new caddie, Carl, he claimed second place behind fellow World Golf Hall of Fame member Raymond Floyd. Tied with Tom Kite in 1983, he again finished second to Seve Ballesteros.
The year 1984 would be different and a turning point for Crenshaw. In a tightly fought contest against Tom Kite and Larry Nelson, Crenshaw rose to the occasion. On the 10th green, he holed an amazing 60-foot putt for a birdie to take a 2-shot lead. Hitting a gutsy shot into the 12th green, Crenshaw drained his birdie putt to go three up on the field. Another birdie on 15 gave him a boost of confidence. From that point onward, he played a solid finish to claim his first Green Jacket by a two-stroke margin over Tom Kite. Crenshaw would again threaten for the title in 1987, 1988 and 1989 finishing in the top-5 in each.
Ben would not have been a bookmaker’s first choice to win the 1995 Masters, however, having missed three cuts in his previous four tournaments. Additionally, it was an emotional time for Crenshaw. Harvey Penick, his friend and mentor, died on the Sunday before the Masters. Crenshaw had made the trip back to Texas for the funeral and returned the Wednesday before the start of the tournament.
On the practice range before the tournament, Crenshaw could not find his rhythm. His long-time caddie, Carl Jackson, said to him out of the blue, “put the ball a little bit back in your stance, Ben. And you got to turn your shoulders more.”
After hitting four balls, Crenshaw was suddenly striping it again. “I’ve never had a confidence transformation like that in my life,” he said.
With Carl’s help and, as Crenshaw said, “it was kind of like I felt his [Penick’s] hand on my shoulder, guiding me along,” Ben played like the champion that he was.
Playing in the final group on Sunday, he was playing with a calm confidence. During the round Steve Elkington, Greg Norman, and Davis Love, III dropped shots and began to fall away while Crenshaw’s shots were taking what his wife, Julie called “Harvey bounces.” Unlikely putts dropped and seemingly impossible iron shots closed in on the hole.
Ben Crenshaw emerged that day with an unlikely and very emotional second Masters win. It somehow seems fitting that the 1995 Masters title would be the last championship victory of his PGA professional career.
Now, 20 years later, Ben Crenshaw will make his final farewell as a player to the championship he loves the most – The Masters.
