"Hands down my favorite image is a picture of Billy Joe Patton standing at the ball washer on the first tee of Winged Foot in 1959, washing a ball to play the first round of the US Open.
Arnold Palmer is in the background.
It put in perspective the importance of the event as it pertained to the working stiff amateur. Patton was both a great competitor and a great player, yet sensible enough to conserve the assets that he himself paid for."
Michael j:
I might be able to do you an image one better than even that and of Billy Joe Patton too.
I bought a clipout from an old SPORTS magazine at a country antique fair the other day with that photo of Billy Joe with a ton of people with periscopes behind him with his shoes off and his pants all rolled up having just hit that fatal chip on ANGC's 13th that led to that disasterous 7 that took out his chances of winning the Masters. That's one great image and it shows the aggressive and competitive nature of Billy Joe Patton in spades.
But I can add to that with another story of Billy Joe's competitive nature.
Billy Joe and my Dad were playing against a team in the USSGA at Shinnecock. Before they teed off Billy Joe let on to Dad that he didn't like either of the players on the other team and he'd very much appreciate it if he and Dad beat their brains out.
So out on the 16th hole things are pretty tight and it was Billy Joe's putt but Dad was inside him with a putt that probably didn't matter. Billy Joe asks Dad to putt and at that point one of the opponents moisied over and slapped Dad's ball away.
Billy Joe erupted with "Yu caaan't tuuch ma pardner's ball Gaad dammit!"
So Dad goes over to Billy Joe and turns him around for a moment and explains to him that of course they can touch his ball and concede his putt.
With that Billy Joe turns back around and bellows, "Well, if either of you sons of biitches tri tu tuuuch ma ball, I'll keeell ya!"