A Masters whodunit

The following mini-mystery is completely fictional and did not really happen. (Hence the word fictional.) It simply is intended to be a fun brainteaser and is clearly an indication that the Underground Golfer has too much time on his hands. See if you can figure out whodunit.

Murder at the Masters: Who killed Curtis Strange?

Dr. Wells Hackaway, the famed police criminologist and avid golf fan, was attending a practice round at the Masters when he was suddenly summoned to the clubhouse by a green-jacketed Augusta National member. "There's been a shooting," the member told him.

Arriving at the body, located in the walkway between the locker room and the caddie master's office, Hackaway inspected the victim. "My god," Hackaway cried, "that's Curtis Strange, the pro golfer!"

"I'm afraid so, doctor," an Augusta police officer said.

A bullet through the heart clearly was the cause of death. Hackaway noticed a black Sharpie pen near the victim's right hand, and a tan line on the fourth finger of the left hand, indicating a missing ring.

"We don't have much to go on, Doctor," the policeman said. "Strange had just finished a practice round with Sergio Garc’a and Fred Funk. Garcia stayed on the practice green to putt. Funk says he went to the tournament office next door to commit to play in the Hilton Head tournament next week, but it was empty. While he waited for someone to return, he heard a gunshot. He says he last saw Strange by the locker room talking to a caddie. But he doesn't have any witnesses to back up his alibi."

"Who's the caddie?" Hackaway queried.

"That's me," said a bearded man wearing a bandanna, standing behind Hackaway. "The other caddies call me Toledo Red. I had just gotten Curtis to autograph a souvenir flag for a charity outing I run. He must've been shot a few minutes after I left."

"Did you notice if he was wearing a ring?" Hackaway asked.

"You couldn't help but notice, buddy," Toledo Red said. "It was big, looked like gold, real expensive. While he signed my flag, he held up his left hand so I could admire it. It had the Ryder Cup logo and a big red stone. He said it cost the PGA 12 grand."

"Since the ring is missing, we must assume this murder was a basic robbery, officer," Hackaway said.

Two more large men in green jackets approached. "Dr. Hackaway, I'm Hootie Johnson, the tournament chairman," he said. "If it will help, we'll post a half-million-dollar reward for the capture of the murderer."

"That won't be necessary, sir," Hackaway said. "We've already got him. The only question is in which pocket he's hidden the stolen ring."

How does Hackaway know who killed Curtis Strange? The solution is at the bottom of this column. But first, let's check out the Mailbag.

Mailbag

Which tournaments offer players the best perks?
—Travis Tyler, Mesquite, Nev.

The International is known for its milk shakes, which players have been seen drooling over. The Honda has its chocolate-chip cookies. The B.C. Open has an annual hockey workout/game for players and a Monday caddie tournament. Doral took players to the Homestead Speedway and let them drive Winston Cup race cars around the track. And guess what you get at the Mercedes Championships? Yup, the use of a BMW for the week. Just kidding. The players get Mercedes and lots of other gifts, goodies and trinkets. Not like they need anything -- they're already in Hawaii.

Has Tom Fazio's oft-criticized redesign of Augusta National been vindicated by the results of recent Masters? Despite complaints that lengthening the course would eliminate as contenders all but a few power hitters, that hasn't happened.
—Floyd Warnecke, Kansas City, Mo.

Floyd Warnecke? Sounds like an alias to me. No question Augusta National has proven itself a challenge for the world's best golfers. It's been soft and susceptible to scoring in the two years since the redesign, and scores haven't been low. Wait until the course plays firm and fast and we get a 25-mph wind for a couple of days. There will be a bloodbath of bogeys. Say, are you any relation to Floyd of Rosedale?

How does being fitted by an expert clubmaker manifest itself in one's game? Lower scores? Improved strikes? Greater accuracy?
—Robert, Dunellon, Fla.

Improved contact and better accuracy should lead to lower scores, Robert. Shafts are so good these days that you can get one to precisely fit your swing. Which, chances are, those ones you buy off the rack at Hacker's Helper or any other discount store probably don't.

Will a rule ever be passed that will stop the practice of caddies lining up their players' putt/drive/bunker shot/etc.? It seems close to cheating and definitely not in the spirit of the game. The practice is rampant on the LPGA Tour, but I notice more PGA players doing this as well.
—Keith, San Diego

Since caddies have always been allowed to offer advice, I don't see how alignment for a putt is any different than having the caddie read the break and tell the player where he/she should aim. There's no tidal wave of opinion building to change this.

Murder at the Masters solution

Dr. Hackaway, an avid golf fan, knew Toledo Red was lying when the caddie said Strange held up his left hand to show off the ring while he signed the flag. Strange is left-handed and would've signed any autograph with his left hand.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Gary Van Sickle writes for the magazine's Golf Plus section and is a regular contributor to SI.com. Click here to send him a question or comment.

 

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