These few words spoken to rookie golfer John Fowler on the first tee at Gullane prior to the 2nd final qualifying round for the 101st British Open at Muirfield in 1972 was the start of a rare and improbable experience for me.
I’d gone to Gullane early on Saturday morning as a spectator and noticed that a young golfer was setting out without a caddy (unlikely as it seems today) and when I made him aware of my knowledge of the course he was happy to accept my offer.
Off we set and Mr. Fowler proceeded to card a more than respectable 69 to add to the 67 he had shot in the 1st round. We parted agreeing to meet later in the day once play had concluded. I was heading to Edinburgh to pick up my wife. On returning John informed me he was in a 5 way play off to decide the 2 remaining places for the Open proper and would I carry the bag again. He teed off and promptly birdied the first hole which secured his place !! followed if memory serves by a young Sam Torrance, playing in his first open, who took the remaining qualifying place at the 2nd extra hole.
I was thankfully planning to spectate at Muirfield but was now offered the opportunity to view the action from inside the ropes as John Fowler’s caddy !! This included the practice days on Monday and Tuesday and the tournament days of Wednesday through to the final day, as it then was, on Saturday.
Golf aficionados will remember 1972 as the year that Tony Jacklin looked set to add a 2nd Open to his victory in the 1969 competition only to have the Claret Jug effectively snatched from his hands at the 71st hole by the mercurial Lee Trevino.
All the great players of the time were present, Nicklaus, Player, Palmer, Weiskopf, Miller etc. and they provided together with John Fowler memories I will never forget. Especially walking up the 18th fairway in front of the galleries on the Saturday.
As a postscript young John’s efforts earned the princely sum of £365 for his weeks work. To put this in perspective the final placed player in last year’s Open took home £12,500 !!
John Glen
Memory added on April 17, 2015
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