Column: Remembering Masters winner Bob Goalby

Jan. 22—The headline wasn't fair.

"Bob Goalby, who won Masters after scorecard flub, dies at 92" was the headline that accompanied the obituary from the Associated Press about the professional golfer.

Accurate? Yes. Fair? Not really.

Goalby, of course, won the 1968 Masters Tournament that is more famous for Roberto De Vicenzo signing an incorrect scorecard. Playing partner Tommy Aaron gave De Vicenzo a 4 instead of a 3 on the 17th hole, but in his haste to sign the card the popular South American didn't catch the mistake.

Instead of heading to an 18-hole playoff the next day, the Rules of Golf prevailed and the Argentinian golfer's higher score had to stand. Goalby was declared the victor.

That was the narrative that followed both men for the rest of their lives. De Vicenzo's famous quote after the mishap — "What a stupid I am!" — also is etched in golf lore.

I did a spot check on headlines at other golf and sports sites and most of them played it straight. The scorecard mishap was mentioned prominently in each story, as it should be.

Headlines, especially in our fast-paced world, are the portal to information. Good ones draw the reader in and tease them of the informative stuff that is to come. Most play it close to the vest and deliver the pertinent facts in a straight-forward manner. Bad ones get facts wrong or are misleading.

Casual readers aren't likely to click on a story; often the headline gives them all the information they need. And that's my beef with the Goalby headline; if you didn't read the article, you don't know how the incident affected him.

"It was tragic for Roberto, but it was equally unfortunate for me," Goalby told Golf Digest for an article on the 50th anniversary of his win. "I never did get full credit for what I'd done. I played damned well, especially the last day."

The 1968 Masters would have been classified as one of the most exciting in tournament history, but much of that was lost to the scorecard flap. Gary Player entered the final day as the 54-hole leader, but his final round of 72 was dwarfed by several players.

Jack Nicklaus fired a 67 that got him into the top five, and Bert Yancey scorched Augusta National with a 65 that moved him up to third.

De Vicenzo, playing on his 45th birthday, started in spectacular fashion with an eagle on the par-4 first hole. The gallery sang "Happy Birthday" to him. He would go on to also shoot 65, but it was adjusted to 66 after the scorecard error.

Goalby, meanwhile, posted a finish that still stands among the best ever. He birdied Nos. 13 and 14, then striped a 3-iron on the 15th hole to set up an eagle. He later received praise from Masters co-founder Bobby Jones, who called the shot "exquisite."

Goalby later was instrumental in the creation of the Senior Tour, now called the Champions Tour, for golfers 50 and over. Fittingly, Goalby and De Vicenzo teamed up a couple of times in the Legends of Golf event. They remained friends and didn't let the incident overshadow that.

I had the chance to meet Goalby a decade or so ago at a Champions Tour event in North Carolina. He was still a big guy and very friendly, but his initial words threw me off.

"Don't be so rough," Goalby told me, or words to that effect, as I shook his hand. "You young guys don't know how strong you are."

We had a nice chat, and Goalby answered all of my questions and he talked about 1968 for what was probably the millionth time. His legacy in Augusta, he said, was that Masters officials changed the protocol for signing scorecards.

"At the time, all we had was a little picnic table where the press could get to you early," he said. "Now they can't do that."

Rest in peace, Mr. Goalby. You'll always be remembered as a Masters champion.

Thanks for reading.