hk open: looking back
Orville Moody, who won the championship at Fanling in 1971, seemed destined for greatness after leaving the Army in his mid-twenties. But his was a career comprising an early peak, controversy, a downturn in form, outrageous bad luck and a glorious finale. Overall though, it seemed a friend had it right when he opined: "He's always been just one poor, dumb, busted Indian sergeant. And he remembers…” USGA
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Left: Moody with the US open trophy in 1970; Top: Triumphant Orville bids farewell to Fanling; Above: The winning putt on cover of RHKGC magazine
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The Hong Kong Standard
Sergeant Moody HK Open Champion
orn in 1933, Moody was a part- working as a club professional and Moody was Choctaw Indian from Chickasha, setting pins in the bowling alley at Fort Bliss. It Oklahoma, the youngest of 10 was Trevino who talked him into giving up the children living in a modest three- military. “I talked him into quitting the army room dwelling. His father’s and joining the PGA Tour, and that was a great various jobs included running decision,” Trevino said. In later years, Moody would have cause to question this. a pool hall and working as an aircraft hanger Without winning, he managed to place in security guard. Luckily for Orville, they also included a stint as a greenkeeper and this gave enough tournaments to earn far more than he would on an Army salary. However, while he him an introduction to golf. After quitting a hard-earned college place was admired for his ball-striking, it was apparent pursuing an unrequited love interest, he joined the US Army and spent the next "Next time they try somethin', 14 years enlisted, 12 of which involved looking after the Army’s golf courses. It might save more lives in the long was during a posting in Japan in 1966 run if we get out the machine guns that he met Lee Trevino, which led to a and shoot 'bout 50 of them fools.” lifelong friendship. - The straight-talking Moody on student By the following year, they had protestors during the Vietnam War both moved to El Paso, Texas; Trevino
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from the start that he had genuine problems on the greens. Perhaps uniquely for a professional, he already had the yips before entering the paid ranks. Moody had a truly awful putting stroke which, despite a cross handed grip, was composed almost entirely of hinging his wrists. It was an ugly and dangerous thing to watch. As he admitted later: "Holding the putter was like trying to hold a rattlesnake. I hated to look at it even when I'd get on the green. It was kinda embarassing, I'd be putting and I'd be playing with Crenshaw or somebody and I'd look up and they'd be looking somewhere else. They wouldn't watch me putt. It was embarrassing to get up over a putt and here's these guys, they'd be looking off in the trees somewhere because they didn't wanna watch the stroke." Even his best friend Trevino was frank: "This man rolls it worse than anyone alive." Nevertheless, both men prospered beyond all expectations during their first couple of years on tour, with 44
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Trevino winning his first PGA event in 1968, a remarkable victory at the US Open. In 1969, the US Open was held at the Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas. When facing the press asking about his chances, Trevino told them that if he didn’t repeat, Orville Moody would be the next Open champion because, said Lee, "He's one helluva player." It was a staggering prediction. Known as “Sarge”, given his military background, Moody had only made the Open after scraping through local and sectional qualifying. In the event, he would become the last man to win after doing so. After the second round, his putting was so bad that his fellow competitors Dale Douglas and Tony Jacklin gave him a putting lesson. It seemed to help, but even after a third round 68, he started the final round three shots behind Miller Barber. In the event, Barber collapsed to a 78 and Orville knew on the last that a par would win. On 18, after hitting a driver straight down the middle, Moody hit a towering 5-iron to 14 feet. Then, to laughter from the pros watching in the clubhouse, he nervously replaced his own divot. Luckily he only needed to two-putt the 18th for the title. His first putt was so bad, as he himself said watching it on film: “The ball almost hangs on the putter when I hit it. The putter almost moves faster than the ball.” "He's about the worst putter of all our real good players," said fellow pro Johnny Pott, himself a cross-hander. “Remember his putt to win the Open? He looked like he hit it with a grease stick. He shook the thing off the blade. I told him he'll set cross-handed putting back 50 years." His final round 72 gave him a 1-over-par total of 281. That was enough to win by one shot from a trio of players – future PGA Commissioner Deane Beman, Al "Mr 59" Geiberger and Bob Rosberg, who would later go on to work as a commentator for ABC. The latter two were also both former US PGA winners. In taking the title, he made his first PGA win the US Open, which of course, his friend Lee Trevino had done the previous year. The only other player to have done so previously was Jack Nicklaus, in 1962. In a series of shambolic post round interviews he admitted he didn't even know if his name was Orville James Moody or Orville Cleve Moody (it was James), and he had an embarrassingly mangled call from President Richard Nixon. Called the "second straight obscurity" to win the Open after Trevino, he was also labelled "Mr Unbelievable Nice Guy," by 1965 USPGA champion Dave Marr. The f irst moniker unfortunately rang true as he never won another PGA event, and the latter was put to the test a year later when he was interviewed at the time of the 1970 US Open at Hazeltine. In a HKGOLFER.COM
"Ray Charles could have read the greens better than you did today.”
as Orville was divorced, flirted with bankruptcy, and even escaped from a burning house losing most of his - Moody tells his caddie-daughter what he thinks possessions. His hay fever became of her performance after missing a short putt so bad that he took to wearing face masks when he played. The press had a field day. Vietnam War-focused era, he was asked about It wasn’t until he joined the Seniors Tour student protestors at Kent State and uttered the that he turned his life around. Much of his later immortal line: "Next time they try somethin', success may be down to his daughter Michelle, might save more lives in the long run if we get who started caddying for him in 1987. With a out the machine guns and shoot 'bout 50 of new belly putter and Michelle reading his putts, them fools.” Nothing was done about Orville's Moody became the No. 1 putter on tour. With outburst. However, in the category of “We his daughter alongside, it seemed that he was Couldn’t Make This Stuff Up”, was the delicious finally happy and relaxed on a golf course. sight of the USGA and other’s reaction to Dave A nice vignette was when he missed a short Hill simultaneously commenting that Hazeltine putt in a tournament and told his daughter, “Ray “could have been a fine farm”, only lacking “80 Charles could have read the greens better than acres of corn and a few cows.” His comments you did today.” At that point a woman in the led to a $150 fine and heavy criticism, with gallery was heard to say: “He's so mean to her. Henry Longhurst decrying his “monstrous Are you sure she's not his wife?” impudence”. Hill went on to finish second to With Michelle on his bag, he shot a Senior Tony Jacklin, as the USGA made it clear where US Open record 64 in winning in 1989 to their priorities lay. become only the fourth man to win both national Moody had better luck abroad, winning titles. Later, when Michelle went to college, a in Singapore, Australia, Korea, Morocco, and replacement friend caddied and had a badge made of course, in Hong Kong. In winning here in up saying “No, I’m not his daughter”. 1971, he became the first man to claim both the Orville Moody suffered a stroke in late 2007 US and the Hong Kong Open titles, a feat so far and died on August 8, 2008 from complications only matched by Tom Watson in 1992. of multiple myeloma. His friend Lee Trevino At home, things went from bad to worse was there throughout.
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Left: Orville lifting the US Seniors Open trophy; Below: Happy at last, Moody and daughter Michelle during the final round of the 1989 US Senior Open
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