Lanny Wadkins - "Arnie's Gamesmanship" SHORT TRACK

World Golf Hall of Fame member, Lanny Wadkins, recounts his first victory on the PGA Tour at the 1972 Sahara Invitation in Las Vegas, by one stroke over Arnold Palmer. Hear Lanny relate the shenanigans that occurred on the last hole as Arnie made his presence known while Lanny tried to close the deal, "FORE the Good of the Game."

Transcript

Lanny Wadkins 0:03

Four.

Kathy Cornelius 0:07

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

Mike Gonzalez 0:14

Laney, why don't you recount for us uh your first win? What's your memories, your first victory on PGA Tour?

Lanny Wadkins 0:21

Well, it was uh actually the fall of my I'd had a a nice year going uh in 72. I'd had a bunch of good finishes, I want to say three or four second place finishes and had played well. I I was well positioned to be exempt. Top sixty on tour was exempt at that point in time, not one twenty-five. He had to finish top sixty to be exempt, so I was I'd already had that secured and uh we were in Vegas and um I was playing very well and I kind of hung tight all week and then was right there uh right near the lead. I I I tell you what I remember about that was uh George Newson was leading me by three going the last round. George Newton had won the week before in Silverado, so he was about to go back to back. Well, let's just say that Newson enjoyed Las Vegas. And I want to say that the night before the last round, they may have carried him out of the casino about three different times. So he was not in prime shape to play well the la last day. You know, yeah, I gotta understand. It wasn't like we were gonna win a million dollars. First prize when I won in Vegas that week was twenty-six thousand.

Mike Gonzalez 1:27

Yeah and this was the Sahara Invitational.

Lanny Wadkins 1:29

Sahara Invitational, yes. Um uh really, you know, cool little course we played, and I you know, so um And you won by one over Arnold Palmer? I won by one over Arnold Palmer.

Mike Gonzalez 1:39

Arnold Palmer.

Lanny Wadkins 1:40

I went to the last hole and par five, and I had a good drive, got it up, and I had about a six-footer for Bertie, and right when I'm getting ready to go over the putt, Arnold hits into me. Hits his second shot, and it rolls up onto a false front of the green, rolls back, people start going nuts because Arnold's hit driver off the fairway trying to get there in two. And I remember I was playing with Art Wall, who was the ultimate gentleman, and Art was he was livid. He said he did that on purpose. Make that putt. Art was steaming. That's interesting. That knowing that Arnold was he said Arnold is he was trying to rattle you.

Mike Gonzalez 2:16

And do you believe he did?

Lanny Wadkins 2:17

Uh, probably. I know. I played a lot of golf with Arnold later on. I'm I I I I have no doubt in my mind that he probably did that on purpose. I think if he could get there, he'd get it on the green, you know. Um I missed the putt. Arnold took three from the front edge. So the golf god spoke.

Mike Gonzalez 2:35

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.

Kathy Cornelius 2:57

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 caddy says long as you're still in the state, you're okay. Yes, it went straight down the middle, quite away.