We were walking down the 18th fairway at Inwood (N.Y.) Country Club last month, and the long-time greens chairman, Daniel Friedman, beckoned us to a plaque to the right of the fairway. “Let me tell you about the most important shot in golf.”
That’s quite the statement. I’ve been in golf media for nearly two decades, so I’ve heard a lot of stories. But the details of Bobby Jones winning his first major at Inwood, on the brink of quitting competitive golf, was not a tall tale. Friedman convinced me that Jones’ incredibly clutch shot in the playoff of the 1923 U.S. Open deserves more credit among the most pivotal moments in golf.
If Jones’ ball had found the burn fronting the 18th green on the last hole of the playoff against Bobby Cruickshank, he likely goes onto lose, and also possibly gives up on competing. That means no Grand Slam. Possibly no Augusta National. No Masters Tournament. No modern definition of the Grand Slam. It’s crazy to think how one shot from a bare lie with a cleek over 100 years ago would’ve changed our great game.
Friedman and Brian Ziegler, the golf chairman at Inwood, make their point about Jones’ shot being one of golf’s most important in an article on GolfDigest.com. It’s tough to dispute.