Dave Stockton - "He's Playing Those Mind Games" SHORT TRACK

Intro Music 0:07

Straight down the middle. It went straight down the middle. Then it started.

Mike Gonzalez 0:15

What should tell us about your win at Riviera you alluded to earlier, which was the LA Open. Uh Glenn Campbell, I think, was the sponsor, wasn't he?

Dave Stockton 0:22

Yes, in 74, Glenn Campbell LA Open. I was I was fortunate enough to win there, and Stadler was the low amateur. So it was kind of an SC thing. But uh that was interesting because I was playing against Sneed. And uh how it turned out is I had a I had a two-shot league going into 17, the par five, and how I got past him in two, I don't know. But um he had about a 120-yard shot, and I had about a hundred and ten-yard shot. And he hits this shot and he gets on the green. He's like 15 feet to the right of the hole or something, and or yeah, the right of the hole. And he he walks past me and I'm wonder what he's doing, because I'm blocked to my ball, I'm getting ready to hit. And he walks right by me and I'm thinking he's getting his divot. Well, he never stops walking. He walks all the way up on the green, marks his ball, and turns around and just looks at me. And as he's walking up there, I'm I told my caddy, I said, you know, I'm gonna hit this guy on national television. I mean, he's just obviously trying to needle me, right? And so he he he just stood there and I hit it just outside him, and I missed it, and he made it. So now I'm one shot ahead going to 18 at at Riviera, which is another interesting finishing hole. Damn right. If you watch the winter this time, he had a pitching wedge. And Yeah. We couldn't hit a pitching wedge in there. No, no, no. In that day, that particular day, the wind was into us, which is highly unusual. It's usually a slight tailwind behind you, but I didn't want to go right because you got all the eucalyptus trees. And as I walk on the T, Sam's on the right, so I go to the left, and I'm just looking to the left at the hill, and just kind of getting my mind together on what I've got to do here. And all of a sudden, sneeze right beside me, says, Son, he says, I know you didn't know this, but in 51, I birdied the last two holes here to beat Ben Hogan. And I looked at him and I go, I was barely born, but that's fine, congratulations. And I just turned around, right? So now, but I'm mad, right? I'm upset, you know, because I know what he's trying to do. And I pulled this thing, and they've got a plaque up there, and where the guy had a pitching wedge this time, I had 243 yards to the hole. And other than the fact I don't want to leave it in the bunker short of the green, short of the 60 yards short of the hole, and it got out of bounds up the hill to the left, and then a zillion people to the right. I had no place I didn't want to hit. I had all these places I didn't want to go, and I had a forward out until my caddy came back and told me that instead of having my usual 210 or whatever it was, I had two forty. So the ball's six inches below my feet, but sitting up, I could have hit a driver. I mean, it's the Kakuy, it's just sitting right up on top. And I swing this three wood and I killed it. I've never hit it again. I've hit 20 or 30 shots, I've never hit the green, let alone hit it about 10 feet. But I hit this three wood ten feet, and Sam is standing right beside, he's 65, 70 yards ahead of me. And he's standing by told my caddy, said I pulled my three wood, I said, move this sucker back, get him away from me, because I don't want to see him. So my caddy kind of hurred him over to the side and I hit this thing, and luckily they didn't show it because I walked right up to him as soon as I hit it, and as soon as I saw it get over the trap. And I said, I guess Hogan didn't hit it that good, did he, Sam? And I just I put my fist under his face, under his nose, and I said, I guess he didn't hit it that good that day, did he? And I walked off, right? So he knocks it on the green, he two putts, I hold it, and I walk up in the press tent and I told him everything. I said exactly what happened. He blew a gasket. And when I told him I saw him the very next week, I said, Look, Sam, I said, You know exactly what you did, and I knew what you were trying to do. But uh, you know, didn't work. I it didn't work, you know, sort of thing. So he and I never exchanged Christmas cards, but um, you know, I understood where he's coming from. Great, great individual, by the way. Unbelievable.

Mike Gonzalez 4:15

We hope you've enjoyed this short track of For the Good of the Game. And please, wherever you listen to your podcast on Apple and Spotify, if you like what you hear, please subscribe, spread the word, and tell your friends until we tee it up again for the good of the game. So long, everybody.

Intro Music 4:35

Whack down the fairway. It went smack down the fairway. Then it started to slice, just smidge off line. It headed for two, but it bounced off nine. My caddies, as long as you're still in the state, you're okay.