I had the good fortune to play golf with Lou Graham many years ago and chatted with him briefly a couple of years ago on the range. Likeable, easy-going, self-effacing with a dry wit: a delightful gentleman.
Funny how every recent article that refers to his 1975 U. S. Open victory at Medinah refers to him as a journeyman. The billboard-sized Amana hat probably didn't help. The "Radar Range" was hardly hip.
In his playoff with John Mahaffey he drove it into trouble on the 18th. Up by two shots, ABC's Bob Rosburg purportedly opined "He's got no shot." Graham hooded a long iron and made par to win by two. In retrospect, he commented "There's no such thing as no shot."
Crenshaw and Nicklaus finished 1 and 2 back, respectively. Graham's wife was purported to tell the disappointed Mahaffey that she felt sorry for him but that it was likely Lou's last chance.
Little did she know that it wasn't, as Graham finished 2nd by a shot to Hubert Green at Southern Hills in 1977, a fact often forgotten given the death threat that Green played under. I reminded Graham of how disappointed I was that he didn't win a second open and recalled the death threat. Graham dead-panned: "My wife phoned it in." Ironically, Patsy Graham had eaten lunch the final day with none other than Hubert Green.
Graham had recently been back to Medinah at the club's invitation. We talked about the distance issue and he indicated he generally hit the same club into the greens as he did 30 years ago.
What a treat to visit with him.
Mike