1968

By Robert Eubanks
Chronicle Sports Editor

Augusta, Ga., Monday, April 15, 1968 -- Bob Goalby found the end of the rainbow waiting on the 18th green of the Augusta National Golf Club course Sunday as one flick of a small pencil ruined an Easter birthday for aging Roberto de Vicenzo in the wind-up of the 32nd Masters Golf Tournament.

De Vicenzo, who celebrated his 45th birthday, already was in the television room in anticipation of tying Goalby and forcing a Monday playoff for the coveted Masters Green Coat when he got some tragic news that gave a bizarre finish to this great tournament.

They apparently had tied at 277, but the Masters Rules Committee ruled De Vicenzo had signed for a four instead of the birdie three he had made on the par four 17th hole. This gave him a 66 round instead of 65 and Goalby won by a shot.

Fourth Best Score

The announcement came about 20 minutes after Goalby had run in a six-footer on 18 for his 66. Thus, Goalby didn't have to wait a day to try for the $20,000 top prize which is only a small part of the worth of the Masters championship. That little mistake in arithmetic cost De. Vicenzo a chance at an additional $5,000 since second place is worth $15,000.

``Under the rules of golf,'' Hord Hardin, president of the U.S. Golf Association and chairman of the rules committee, said in a statement, ``he (De Vicenzo) will be charged with a 66 which does not leave him in a tie with Bob Goalby, who is 11 under par.

``He is second, 10 under par.''

The Other Player

Aaron put down a four instead of a three for the Argentinean at 17. De Vicenzo signed it and when Aaron realized his mistake, De Vicenzo already had gone into the television interview room. If the score on the hole had been less than De Vicenzo made he would've been disqualified. As it was he had to take the amount Aaron put down. De Vicenzo blamed himself and not Aaron for the mistake.

Aaron, who made the error initially, obviously was upset and rushed to his car and raced away.

``I realized I had made an error before I left the official table,'' he said. ``I looked around for Roberto, but he was gone. There was a general state of confusion. I wish I could have done something but the damage was done.'' The incident brought to mind several other times incorrect signed scorecards had resulted in disqualifications.

Jackie Pung apparently won the women's U.S. Open in 1957 in Mamaroneck, N.Y., but she signed a wrong card for a stroke less than she carded and was disqualified. The championship went to Betsy Rawls.

Dapper Doug Sanders had an imposing lead in the Pensacola (Fla.) Open after three rounds two years ago, but forgot to sign his card. He was disqualified and 1967 Masters champion Gay Brewer won. Goalby, 35, has been a pro 12 years but never has won a major championship. Naturally, he was glad to win, but he was sorry to take it this way.

``I still think I could have won the playoff, the way I was playing,'' he said.

That little bit of hysteria on the 19th hole overshadowed all that came out of a logjam going into the final day. A total of 15 players had been within four shots of the lead and a playoff seemed near certain. There were 29 sub-par rounds Sunday, a most unusual occurrence.

Bert Yancey, who led or shared the lead for three rounds last year, shot a 65 for 279 and third money of $10,000.

The cam Australia's Bruce Devlin with a 69 for 280, followed by three-time champion Jack Nicklaus and Frank Beard at 281. Nicklaus had a 67 and Beard, who went out in 37, came in with a 33, including a birdie on the last hole.

Third round leader Gary Player, the 1961 champion from South Africa, had his worst putting day ever and had to settle for a par 72 and 282. Aaron, who had 69, Raymond Floyd (71), Jerry Pittman (69) and Lionel Hebert (68) also finished at 282.

Defending champion Gay Brewer finished with a two-over-par 74 for 291. Marvin (Vinny) Giles III, the former University of Georgia star, was the low amateur with 73 for 288. That tied him for 22nd and assured the University of Virginia law student an invitation to the 1969 Masters.

De Vicenzo and Devlin both started off swiftly. In fact, Roberto tied Player before the little South African thought about teeing off.

The Argentinean knocked in a 130-yard, nine-iron shot for an eagle on the first hole. He barely missed two more eagles when he two-putted for a birdie at two and hit his approach shot to within 10 inches on three. Devlin ran off three straight birdies, hitting putts of five feet, four inches and three feet on the first three holes.

De Vicenzo showed great scrambling ability as he blasted out of a trap and sank a four-footer for a par on four and got a birdie at nine. He left a 12-footer on the lip at nine and had to settle for a par.

However, Goalby broke up the foreign domination after nine holes.

He missed a 10-footer for a birdie at four and a three-footer at two after chipping on. At three, his wedge shot went over but he chipped it down within three inches of the cup. Goalby dropped a six-footer at five and rammed an 18-footer from the left rear fringe on six for birdies and after chipping to within two inches for a par, wedged it to within 10 feet for a birdie on eight.

That put him two shots ahead of Player, who had hit a five-footer on six and two-putted on eight for birdies, but De Vicenzo was nine under and Devlin eight under by then.

Goalby just missed a nine-footer and got a par on 10, had to chip within four feet for a par at 11 and chip to three feet for another at 12.

However, he then began his surge which carried him into the lead. He layed up and hit a sand wedge to eight feet for a birdie on 13 and rapped in a 15-footer for another at 14.

Then came ``probably my best shot of the tournament,'' a three-iron second shot which carried to the left center of the green and 18 feet away from the cup. He holed it and suddenly, things were all changed for the eagle made him 12 under for the tournament.

De Vicenzo, meanwhile, had made a birdie at 15. Then, he stroked in a three-footer on 17 to knot the count. Goalby went right back in front as De Vicenzo pulled his second shot into the crowd and missed a six-footer on 18, but Goalby three-putted from 40 feet, missing a seven-footer for a bogey on 17.

Goalby hit a three wood off the 18th tee, a two-iron approach and two-putted for his par four.