I can never get enough of hearing Hogan stories. Here's one I never heard that Lanny told yesterday as the inductees arrived for the Hall of Fame induction ceremony...
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Wadkins’ display included the custom-made MacGregor driver he used to win the 1977 PGA Championship and a number of trophies and other artifacts, but it also includes a $4 check that Hogan wrote him on June 12, 1981. Wadkins never cashed it. The letter from Hogan that came with the check also is on display.
“Dear Lanny,” the letter begins. “Enclosed is my check for $4 for your skins yesterday. With all the confusion of our intruder, I simply forgot this. I can’t imagine this fellow doing that. It was my first experience of this kind, and I really didn’t know how to handle this situation, except to just quit.”
Wadkins, who won ’70 U.S. Amateur and 21 PGA Tour events, including the ’77 PGA and ’79 Players Championship, explained that he received the check as payment from Hogan for a friendly money game at Shady Oaks, Hogan’s club in Fort Worth , Texas .
“We got on about the 14th, 15th hole at Shady Oaks, and a guy rides up in a cart, and he's got shorts on and he's got a beard,” Wadkins said. “That's probably two of Hogan's least favorite things on a golf course. The guy doesn't ask anything, he says, `I'm going to join you guys the rest of the way in.’ Didn't even ask. Now, would you ride up to Ben Hogan and say, `Hey, I'm playing with you today?’ That didn't fly with Ben. He looked at me and said, `Are you ready to go?’ I said, `I'm with you, Ben.’ We drove off and left him sitting there. The frustration, he was so embarrassed, because this happened at his club, Shady Oaks, where he was a member, and thus the letter apologizing for the intruder. I was two skins up at the time. So I got the check for $4. His secretary's name was Clara Bell. She called me every month for the next six months wanting me to cash Mr. Hogan's check so she could balance his account. I said, `Clara Bell, there's no chance I'm cashing that check, ever.’’’
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Congratulations to Lanny and Jose-Maria - two fine players who I enjoyed watching at the top of their games.
I'll never forget following Wadkins and Weiskopf as they went head-to-head in battling for the 1977 World Series of Golf in my hometowm of Akron. Wadkins pulled away and set a tournament record that was shattered by Olazabal in '90 or '91.
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