Carol Semple Thompson - Part 2 (The Curtis Cup and Team Play)

Music playing  00:00

Mike Gonzalez  00:15

Let's talk about, maybe start with the Curtis Cup, which was, you know, one of the big ones that came earlier in your life. Of course, this got started at Wentworth in 1932 and the trophy was donated by the Curtis sisters. You probably know the history much better than we do. 

Semple Thompson, Carol  00:34

That's true. I mean,  I know some of the history. And I knew Glenna Collette Vare and I knew that she had played on a number of the Curtis Cup teams and so she was another one who inspired me. So yes, I'm the Curtis Cup, it's certainly came along later than the Walker Cup. But it's been it's been great for women's golf. And I think anybody who's played on that team, in any year has really enjoyed the experience so much. There is so much to be said for for Team golf. And I think that's partly why college golf is so popular. The team spirit is very important, even though it's an individual sport.

Devlin, Bruce  01:21

So 12 appearances, most victories, most points scored by anybody that's played the Curtis Cup. That's, that's a pretty good record.

Semple Thompson, Carol  01:34

You don't hear me complaining, although I think there are a lot of losses that went along with that, too. But yes, the total wins is I'm very proud of that record. 

Mike Gonzalez  01:43

As we've talked to a lot of the pros on the men's side and the ladies side, whether it's the Ryder Cup or the Solheim Cup. That's always been a real incentive for them to keep their game up, to play well. Once they taste team play at that level, they don't want to miss another one. And I assume this is what it was like in your life.

Semple Thompson, Carol  02:06

It was. That's exactly what it was like it was just it was the biggest thing in my life to to make a Curtis Cup team and to get all the new clothes and the new golf bag and the rain suit and the red jacket. We tended to wear red jackets every year. I think at one time I had something like eight red jackets. So I started to try to give them away. It was it was hard, but...

Mike Gonzalez  02:31

You get a lot of swag, don't you? 

Semple Thompson, Carol  02:34

There is that swag. 

Mike Gonzalez  02:36

So do you still have a large collection of that? Are you trying to declutter a little bit?

Semple Thompson, Carol  02:40

I'm trying to declutter? It's tough. I've gotten rid of a lot of the red jackets. But I still have some rain suits and a couple of carry bags, things like that. And I don't know what to do with them. I mean, I don't necessarily want to take them to Goodwill or flea markets or throw them in the trash. So we'll see what how that comes out in the wash.

Mike Gonzalez  03:04

Yeah. Well, your first appearance was at a pretty cool old historic club, wasn't it in California? 

Semple Thompson, Carol  03:12

San Francisco golf club. Yes. In the fog

Devlin, Bruce  03:15

In the fog. Yeah. Summertime, there is winter in other places.

Semple Thompson, Carol  03:21

Can be that's for sure.

Devlin, Bruce  03:22

That's for sure.

Mike Gonzalez  03:23

I just liked the smell of their old musty lockers.

Semple Thompson, Carol  03:28

I don't recall that. Although I'm sure we were in the men's locker room, probably. But I just don't. That's not something that was at the top of my list. 

Mike Gonzalez  03:39

So what's your recollection about that first experience at the Curtis Cup?

Semple Thompson, Carol  03:43

Well, I was so nervous. I had played. I mean, I was certainly the top American player because I had won the 73 Amateur, the 74 British, and I was runner up in the 74 Amateur again. And then we went into the Curtis Cup and that was I played number one in all four rounds. And I think I may have gotten a half. I mean, I really didn't play well. I was just my hypnosis wasn't working that week. Because I was so nervous about international play and representing the United States. It was it was such a big deal to me, but it was so much fun. We just had a ball.

Mike Gonzalez  04:23

And I suppose, I direct this to both of you. You always hear about the advice to kids which is compete compete compete play in as many competitions as you can because nothing beats the experience and gets you over the jitters more than just continuing to go at it.

Semple Thompson, Carol  04:42

Well, I think that's probably a good point. I did play a lot I played all summer for so many years well I did go to work for a while but working my way up originally I played a lot of amateur events through the summer. And then I didn't play all winter, because I stayed in Pittsburgh. But competition certainly does hone you. But for me the mental side was even more important than playing the competition. And I always tried to play against the Golf Course. I think that was one reason I was pretty good In match play, because I didn't let my opponent even really enter my thinking. Most of the time. I mean, if she hit it out of balance or something, that was one thing, but I tried really, I tried never to watch anyone's swing. I started to try to stay within my own head and play against the Golf Course. Whether it was match play or stroke play.

Mike Gonzalez  05:46

You mentioned playing at Porthcawl and then continuing on playing some other golf. Was that sort of your first exposure to golf over in the UK?

Semple Thompson, Carol  05:56

Oh, yeah. When I was 15 Yes, that was definitely my first exposure. And I thought Links golf was ridiculous. I mean, the the bounces you get in the, I mean, roll it along the ground, and not that I was a very accomplished player at home, but I but it was just a totally different way of playing golf. But I did come to love it. I really came to love it.

Mike Gonzalez  06:18

You sound a lot like Tom Watson.

Semple Thompson, Carol  06:21

Well, Tom was talking about how he didn't like Links golf at all. But he ended up being I would say relatively successful there. 

Mike Gonzalez  06:31

And the reason I asked because the next Curtis Cup you go to two years later, is at a course with about 4,000 bunkers? Royal Lytham.

Semple Thompson, Carol  06:42

Oh, yeah. Well, and the bunkers over there are just that they're just holes in the ground with and they're impossible. 

Devlin, Bruce  06:49

Yeah. can't play out of them.

Mike Gonzalez  06:53

They are hazards.

Semple Thompson, Carol  06:55

They are definitely hazards hazardous.

Mike Gonzalez  06:59

Yeah, most of them if they're in the fairway. They're costing you a shot you just hitting sideways and then if you can get lucky enough to get it up close and have a putt for par. You consider yourself fortunate. But you know, Royal Lytham quite a place. I think they've taken out a few bunkers, but it's still probably over 200.

Semple Thompson, Carol  07:17

Oh my gosh, 

Devlin, Bruce  07:18

Yeah, it's a lot.

Mike Gonzalez  07:20

You've played some other great places as we ticked down your Curtis Cup for a record, again, in Wales at St. Pierre. And then back here in Denver. 1988 at Royal St. George's where I just came back from a little trip and love that place. Somerset Hills over to Hoylake, the Honors Course down at Tennessee, Killarney,  Minicahda Club up in Minnesota and then you were at Ganton in England. And then finally, what a great place to finish your competitive career at least not as a captain but as a player is right back to a Seth Raynor near your home.

Semple Thompson, Carol  08:04

Fox Chapel. That's right. It was well, it was a miracle that I made that team. First of all,

Devlin, Bruce  08:10

You were only 53 now.

Semple Thompson, Carol  08:13

I know. Well, the club was they kind of used me in advance to go and talk to chicken dinners and to talk about the Curtis Cup and show PowerPoint presentations. And so I was out there promoting the match for probably a year and a half before. And it was it was questionable as to whether I would make that team but I was very lucky that in that timeframe, so many of the young players returning professional so I I guess it's kind of like the Walker Cup is for the name is name escapes me that the guy who has been it has just won the Mid Amateur.

Mike Gonzalez  08:56

Was it Hagestead?

Semple Thompson, Carol  08:58

Yes. Hagestead. Thank you. I would like to meet him someday. But I think he's been lucky that so many of the young guys returning professional and he's stayed the course as a mid amateur, which is what I was doing, I still considered even though I was 53, I still considered myself to be a mid amateur. And fortunately, enough of the young women who turned professional that I slipped onto the team, probably in about the eighth spot, but but it was it was fun. I mean that everybody else was 20 years old, with blonde ponytails and collegiate experience. And yeah, one of the stories I always tell about that is the British team gave me a blonde wig so that I can have a nice blonde ponytail as well

Devlin, Bruce  09:47

Like the rest of the girls.

Semple Thompson, Carol  09:52

So they were great. I mean, they treated me like an equal which was as it should be. And even though I was a lot older, I think I brought the average age up to about 21 rather than 20.

Mike Gonzalez  10:07

Well, it was a storybook ending to that competition. Tell us a little bit about your memories of that,

Semple Thompson, Carol  10:13

Well, it was I was sent out, well going into the singles, the last day we we needed, we didn't need too many points to halve the cup, we were the holders of the cup, so if we halved the match it was we would keep the cup. Yeah. And I think I was sent out second or third. And of course, I immediately got down in my match. I think I was as much as three down after like eight holes. And then I started to pull myself back and the back nine played pretty well on the back nine and got myself back to even on the 17th hole and my opponent fortunately hit a bad shot in the 17th so I was I was one up going up the 18th so it I was gonna get a half a point but we needed a full point to retain the cup. So I was short of the the green the par five. And I had I was putting I was just on the fringe I had a pretty long putt, pretty long breaking putt. I remember looking across the green and picking out a man on the other side of the Green who had a blue cast on his leg. And I said to my caddy, now what do you think if I aim for that blue cast? That a good line? He said, Oh yeah, that looks good. So stood up there and hit it. And it just kept curling and curling and finally dropped into the hole. And as the saying goes, the crowd went wild, because there were so many local people following the old local bag. So turned out it was a 27 foot putts felt more like 87 feet. But I did win the hole and I won my match and so we were definitely going to halve the match and and then we ended up winning it with the players behind me came in. I was a heroine, and the British tabloids again came through and that following week, one of the headlines was "Old Dog Does the Trick."

Mike Gonzalez  12:17

Maybe not the way we would have worded it over here.

Semple Thompson, Carol  12:19

Well that those British tabloids they're very clever, I think.

Mike Gonzalez  12:24

Well, thank goodness, the guy with the blue cast didn't move. 

Semple Thompson, Carol  12:27

I know. Thank goodness.

Devlin, Bruce  12:29

Carol. I do have a have a post to script to that story too. About the old dog does well. You remember, the sporting section of the San Francisco Chronicle was always green. Remember that. Maybe it was before your time. Anyhow. I was fortunate enough to lead the U.S. Open there after 36 holes. And the headline was "Old War Horse Leads the Open." I think I was 42 then, okay. So you and I are a couple old war horses, I guess.

Semple Thompson, Carol  13:14

Well, I like being an old war horse. That's fine with me. Yeah.

Mike Gonzalez  13:18

You'll remember that Open. It was 1982 when Tom Watson chipped in on 17.

Semple Thompson, Carol  13:23

Oh, of course. Yes. That's right.

Mike Gonzalez  13:26

And Billy Rogers was right there playing with Tom. Most people forget that Billy, probably by all rights from ball striking. Should have won that Open. But Tom was making everything.

Semple Thompson, Carol  13:38

That was some chip in.

Devlin, Bruce  13:40

You weren't finished with the Curtis Cup at Fox Chapel? Because then you became the captain. Right?

Semple Thompson, Carol  13:47

That's true. In 2006. They made me the captain to go to Bandon Dunes. And I think being a captain is nerve racking. I'm kind of glad that we didn't have any captain's picks. I mean, the Curtis Cup is not set up that way that there's a committee that does the picking and captain's picks would have made me very nervous. But it was it a wonderful experience being head of that group of women they just played their hearts out and then we and Bandon is such a wonderful spot. So pretty. And we had very strong winds in the practice rounds from a particular direction. And then the days of the match, the wind died down and what little there was came from the absolute opposite direction. So it was interesting, but my team handled it very well and they they were able to handle the links-type playing. In fact, we had a in our practice rounds. We had a local pro who was at Bandon I got him to come out and work with my players on really running the ball. balls into the green. And so he, he got them to putt from way off the green. And he showed them he carried two putters in his bag. And one of them he hit 150 yards. So it was all mangled. And the other one he used for, for putting from off the green. So he was very amusing. And the the players is really took to him and took his advice to heart and were able to handle the the roles and the bumps and all the idiosyncrasies of Links golf, as well as the British players. So they were successful.

Devlin, Bruce  15:36

Well your talking about having the ball on the ground, you were Captain again, two years later, and you went to another place where a lot of people like to run the ball along the ground to get it on the green?

Semple Thompson, Carol  15:48

Yep, that Old Course at St. Andrews and that was, of course spectacular. I mean, wait. And I had terrific players on my team. Stacy Lewis was the star there she she won five points to win all of her matches. And we won nicely. But again, the players took to heart the keeping the ball on the ground, they learned quite quickly that it was to their advantage to to play up a low, a low shot into the greens.

Mike Gonzalez  16:23

So another storybook finish. Really, if you think about it, I mean, how you capped off your playing career at Fox Chapel, right next door to your hometown. And then to finish up your Curtis Cup career as captain at the Old Course. I mean, could you write a better ending?

Semple Thompson, Carol  16:41

No, I couldn't. I mean, I was so flattered that the USGA gave me a second chance to go be a captain for a second time at the Old Course. I mean, they couldn't be any better. You're right. storybook

Mike Gonzalez  16:54

Pretty special. So you probably wouldn't trade those experiences for the world.

Semple Thompson, Carol  16:59

I wouldn't. I mean, I just think the world of the Curtis Cup matches. I can't wait to go and watch next summer at Sunningdale

Mike Gonzalez  17:07

The essence of amateur golf and you know, having just come back from a little trip to the UK, myself and my wife and I were fortunate enough to be there for the Walker Cup for both days. You know, you just talk to people and everybody with all this other stuff going on in the golf world, which I don't want to talk about, you know, just the pure essence of the play in the competition, the love of the game. It was all there in plain sight. Over two glorious days on the Old Course.

Semple Thompson, Carol  17:41

That's great. In 1975 I went to St. Andrews, with my parents, and we watched the Walker Cup. And then the Women's British Ladies, British Ladies Championship was also on the Old Course the following week. So I spent about 12 or 14 days in St. Andrews, between the Walker Cup and playing in the British Amateur and I remember Dick Sideroff was on the American team at St. Andrews. And his caddy was, Dick said he was the best caddy you've ever had. So I got that caddy for the British Amateur. And I think I was medalist in the qualifying rounds and then I lost somewhere in the match play. But it was just a wonderful experience. I stayed with an American minister who had retired over there and St. Andrews he had this little cottage with his wife and with the the bathroom on the ground floor and a bathtub and then two bedrooms upstairs and you could run about five inches of hot water in the tub. So it was it was perfect. I mean, I was able to carry my clubs back and forth to the Golf Course and take a nice warm bath and five inches of hot water in the evening and we just had a great time. 

Mike Gonzalez  19:01

Well, you'll remember this and correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe on that 1975 team, we might have had Jerry Pate, and Craig Stadler. Does that ring a bell? 

Semple Thompson, Carol  19:14

I think that's right. Yes. 

Mike Gonzalez  19:16

And I bring that I bring that up because Jerry Pate of course then went on to win the you know the U.S. Open not too long after that down at Atlanta Athletic Club, but we remember Jerry Pate telling us that on a very, very wet day on the Old Course, Craig Stadler comes off the Golf Course and he's just dripping and whatever. And and that is when Jerry Pate gave him the "Walrus" nickname.

Devlin, Bruce  19:44

That's right.

Semple Thompson, Carol  19:44

Oh my gosh. Oh, that's great. It was at that Walker Cup.

Devlin, Bruce  19:49

Yeah, that's where it was.

Mike Gonzalez  19:51

Well, let's talk a little bit about another event that you were quite involved with. This is sort of the women's version of the Eisenhower Trophy, which we're going to talk about a little bit, but this is the Espirito Santo Trophy, the world amateur team championship and of course it probably got started after the Eisenhower trophy because the Eisenhower Trophy started in 1958. I think the Espirito Santo came came about sometime after that, is that right?

Semple Thompson, Carol  20:21

I think it might have been 64. It was or 62 or 64. And I remember hearing that JoAnne Carner was going to be named to the original team. And I don't think she went because I think she had just recently been married or something. But yes, I think it was in the 60's that the Espirito Santo started.

Mike Gonzalez  20:42

So you first played in 1974 at Casa de Campo, on that team and teamed with Cindy Hill and Debbie Massey. Those two went one, two respectively, in the individual competition. So you had some pretty good teammates, did you?

Semple Thompson, Carol  21:00

Oh, well, that's a good thing. Because I was. That's the one time I can remember being disqualified. And that would have been disastrous, because you need we needed two scores, of the three each day. And Debbie Massey was having trouble with the "tourista." She was actually pretty sick. So she was in the bushes during her round, but she managed to finish her round. And then I came in third, the one day I thought it was the second day I believe. And I was I ended up I hit my shot in a I wasn't having a good round, but I hit my shot on the last hole into a hazard. And then I dropped out. And someone came running over to me and said you've dropped in the wrong place. So of course, I picked up my ball and re-dropped it. And where this person thought I should drop, it wasn't an official. But anyway, I finished out the hole. And then there was like a 20 minute delay while they decided what to do about me. So I was disqualified for that round. But fortunately, Debbie Massey had finished her round. And so we had two scores for the day, which kept us in the competition. Yeah. So that was, I mean, it was fun to be there. But that was not a good experience for me. So that particular part.

Mike Gonzalez  22:16

You mentioned being a USGA brat wasn't Debbie, sort of a USGA brat as well.

Semple Thompson, Carol  22:22

Well, I would say that she and I were were definitely cohorts and playing in USGA events, and we traveled together for probably six years after college and, and then she went to the dark side I like to say, she would turn professional. So I lost my traveling companion, but we were very close. And we both loved the USGA events.

Mike Gonzalez  22:48

And she had a fine, professional career. She had some close calls in the majors, a real near-miss in the U.S. Open.

Semple Thompson, Carol  22:54

Right? She said she was in the last hole on the U.S. Open, she was in the worst lie she'd ever seen. Must have been a really, really deep divot, couldn't survive that hole. So she lost.

Mike Gonzalez  23:08

I remember, she drove it up the left side on 18th and found herself in a pretty serious divot and then just, you know...

Semple Thompson, Carol  23:17

Yes, I'm sure that was a tremendous disappointment for her but but she's, she's survived it. We're still great friends.

Mike Gonzalez  23:27

Well, you had four other opportunities to compete in the Espirito Santo including at Pinehurst, in Sweden at Crottingholm Golf Club, Marine Drive Golf Club in Canada, and then you played Le Golf National in Paris in 1994. So quite a few opportunities to compete and did pretty well across most of those as well.

Devlin, Bruce  23:54

Yeah, four out of five winners.

Semple Thompson, Carol  23:55

Not too badly. I mean, I had very good teammates, of course, in Juli Inkster was part of that. Of course, Julie was part of the Curtis Cup she and I played foursomes, but Julie played on the team in Pinehurst and, of course was spectacular. She was always good and I always got such a kick out of her. She's a great friend too.

Mike Gonzalez  24:21

Yeah, she finished fifth in that competition. Pat Rizzo was another teammate that finished first in the individual play and then you go to 1988 and you team with Anne Quast Sander whose name is going to come up as we talk about some other competitions and Pearl Sinn. They finished joint first in the individual competition that year.

Semple Thompson, Carol  24:46

Pretty impressive. Yeah.

Mike Gonzalez  24:49

Anne had quite a record and we're gonna talk about her in a little bit. And then your team with Vicki Goetze and Sarah LeBrun Ingram.

Semple Thompson, Carol  24:57

LeBrun Ingram? Yes. We didn't do quite that well in Canada, but

Mike Gonzalez  25:05

Well, there was a lady by the name of Annika Sorenstam that led the field that particular competition.

Semple Thompson, Carol  25:14

Well, what are you gonna do? Somebody's gonna creep in there and become a heroine.

Devlin, Bruce  25:18

You got to see a couple of pretty good players too the next year didn't ya? 1994. Se Ri Pak and Karrie Webb?

Semple Thompson, Carol  25:28

Oh, right. Well, that's right. And I was interested by by that Golf Course in France. I guess it was a potato field and they brought in loads of dirt for like two years they hauled in dirt. And it became a completely different landscape with mountainous hills and gullies. And it was just a interesting, interesting.

Mike Gonzalez  25:56

Bruce, Haven't you had some experience with land that was once a potato field?

Devlin, Bruce  26:01

I have. Yes, I built a Golf Course in Scotland that was a potato field for 100 years. It's now part of a two Golf Course complex. Just on the south shore of St. Andrews Bay. My course is now called Kittick's Den and Sam Torrance and an Atlanta architect built the other Golf Course. So yeah, very interesting. I think it was a little over 100 years I'd grown potatoes on it wasn't much. It wasn't much contouring on the property, I can assure you of that although it was right on the shoreline. So that was pretty special.

Semple Thompson, Carol  26:45

So where did you find all the the dirt or the fill that you brought in?

Devlin, Bruce  26:48

Yeah, we didn't bring in a lot of fill, we cut some lakes, you know, some lakes to get material. But there was a little there was a little bit of topography on it. But it was it was really, really a fun piece of land to work when you get to sit right at the bay, you know, with 80-90 foot drops? Pretty special.

Mike Gonzalez  27:15

Well, let's talk about some of the other key amateur wins Carol. We look at the Pennsylvania Women's Amateur Championship. And I had to recount probably three or four times to make sure I didn't miss one. But is 22 times is that is that the correct number?

Semple Thompson, Carol  27:32

That's the correct number. I mean, my mother and I went to all of those. I mean, she just she loved traveling across the state. We spent a lot of time on the Pennsylvania Turnpike going, because they they go they have three sections. They have the Western, the central and the eastern so and they all they alternate between them, that we were always traveling across the state to get to the the state championship and she would not be denied. There were times when I wanted to go to some other tournament and she'd say, no, no, we gotta go play in the state. So I would go along with her. And one year 1975, she won the senior division and I won the regular division in Erie, Pennsylvania at Kakwa. So that was that was fun. But she was just, she loved the State. She served as the on the state board, she worked her way up to being president of the state, Pennsylvania State Women's Golf Association. So she was dedicated to it. And I became dedicated to it too. I did the same thing. I was on the board for 10 years and became president eventually and ran some of the championships. Yeah, but But 22 times I'm very proud of that. That's the longevity is what I guess I can claim for my fame.

Mike Gonzalez  28:52

Well, that's a 37 year span. And so you know how many people Bruce, could you point to in any key amateur event across this world where your first win your last win, there's that sort of span? Yeah, that's pretty amazing.

Devlin, Bruce  29:10

Pretty special?

Semple Thompson, Carol  29:11

Well, I'm very, as I said, I'm very proud of it. 

Devlin, Bruce  29:14

Yeah, so should be. 

Semple Thompson, Carol  29:15

And I had a lot of competition along the way. There were some very good players in Pennsylvania.

Mike Gonzalez  29:20

Yeah. I'm sure that I'm sure there were and it's just an incredible feat to to sustain your game at that high level for so long. Tell us a little bit about that. In terms of you talked about the mental side. Let's talk about the physical side. As Bruce mentioned, you know, it was very rare to hear people that talked about working out,  I mean Gary Player even credits Frank Stranahan, as the guy who really taught him the in's and out's of taking care of your body. What have you done over the years to sustain that longevity?

Semple Thompson, Carol  29:57

Well, I can tell you I'm not a gym rat. I wish I were more like Lexi Thompson. But I've been, I really, I've never I've just been active. I mean, I practice my golf regularly, I did a little bit of running that not much running, but I rode horses, I still ride horses, which keeps me active. I just have been athletic, I guess I could say, I played some tennis and but I've never been into regular cardio exercise in in a an enclosed environment. I always like to be outside doing stuff. And I was blessed to not have injuries along the way. I never hurt my back. I never will I broke a few bones. I broke wrists at various times. But it was I was just very blessed through the years to to be healthy. And to feel athletic. I mean, the worst accident I had was this past winter when I fell off a horse and broke bones in my neck and my clavicle and I was in a neck brace for three months, but but that seems to have gone away too. So I'm I'm fine. I can't turn my head very well. But it's probably affected my golf swing to add more than I think it has been that that big birthday might have affected it too.

Mike Gonzalez  31:20

Now you're back to the mental side.

Semple Thompson, Carol  31:22

Well, there we go. I gotta change my attitude about stretching.

Mike Gonzalez  31:26

Did you do much stretching? I did a lot of stretching. That's key, isn't it?

Semple Thompson, Carol  31:30

Yes, I was very good about stretching every morning, I would stretch for years I stretched and now I've gotten lazy about that too. But yes, stretching was a big part of my routine. And that now recent more recently, I've been going to something called the "Stretch Lab" where someone stretches me which I love.

Mike Gonzalez  31:52

And how long of a session do you typically go through with that?

Semple Thompson, Carol  31:55

I think it's 50 minutes.

Mike Gonzalez  31:57

That's a lot of stretching.

Semple Thompson, Carol  31:58

Yeah it's a lot of stretching. It's a little bit painful at times, but this woman that's working with me really works on my neck which feels so good.

Mike Gonzalez  32:07

Is any of it yoga like or, or not?

Semple Thompson, Carol  32:11

Well, I've never, I've done a little bit of yoga, it's it's probably similar. In that it's a slow stretch, I mean that the person will take my leg and put it out to the side and she'll push it and she'll say now relax, and then we'll push it further and then relax and then push it farther. And it feels good. After the stretch.

Mike Gonzalez  32:35

Before we move on, I wanted to just mention briefly, because I sort of alluded to it the the World Amateur Team Championship that the women played course, on the men's side, you got the Eisenhower Trophy, which you're probably somewhat familiar with. And in our presence today is a participant in the inaugural Eisenhower Trophy competition at the Old Course in 1958. 

Devlin, Bruce  33:00

I wonder who that was.

Semple Thompson, Carol  33:02

Bruce that's wonderful. 

Devlin, Bruce  33:04

Yeah, that was so that was my, that was my first international trip. I can remember vividly getting on a plane in Sydney, Australia and 52 hours later arrived in Scotland. It was 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 stops before we got to where,  because they didn't have jets in those days.

Semple Thompson, Carol  33:35

Oh my goodness,

Devlin, Bruce  33:36

That's the reason why.

Mike Gonzalez  33:37

Was that when the train kind of ran by the 18th Hole. Bruce, as you were coming into town. Remember that? 

Devlin, Bruce  33:45

At the old course.  Yeah, the Old Course. Yeah.

Mike Gonzalez  33:51

1958 Carol...

Semple Thompson, Carol  33:54

Oh that's right. There were their tracks right by the hotel there on the 17th hole?

Mike Gonzalez  34:00

Used to be Yeah. Yeah, that's That's exactly right. You can kind of still see a little bit kind of where they were. But that first competition which of course was named after President Eisenhower in 1958. Team Australia won that competition. 

Semple Thompson, Carol  34:17

Oh, great. 

Mike Gonzalez  34:19

And one Bruce Devlin opened up with what about an eighty or something your first round and he won the individual competition? 

Semple Thompson, Carol  34:28

Oh, that's a great story. After 52 hours

Mike Gonzalez  34:33

The other the other neat part of the story. Bruce, I'll let you tell it is is a little bit about the honorary U.S. captain that year for the first one.

Devlin, Bruce  34:44

Yeah, we there was a fabulous meeting on Wednesday evening. Bobby Jones received the key to the city and obviously in those days, he was still confined to the wheelchair. But he and his partner sort of got him up out of the wheelchair. He stood there and did a speech that was just spectacular. And today, there is a person who lives in Austin, Texas that can reproduce that speech word for word. Would you have any idea who that might be? 

Semple Thompson, Carol  35:28

I don't. 

Devlin, Bruce  35:30

Ben Crenshaw.

Semple Thompson, Carol  35:32

Oh, now that shouldn't surprise me a bit because he's, he's such a historian.

Devlin, Bruce  35:39

Correct. And he'll just rattle off Bobby Jone's a speech like, like he was giving it.himself. It's amazing.

Semple Thompson, Carol  35:47

Well, I've seen clips of that. That speech. 

Devlin, Bruce  35:51

Oh, have you? 

Semple Thompson, Carol  35:52

I mean, I don't remember the words. But I remember seeing some some clips. Yeah, it was very impressive. 

Devlin, Bruce  35:59

What a night, quite a week actually, from from my standpoint, it was remarkable.

Semple Thompson, Carol  36:03

Well I would think so.,well, congratulations,

Mike Gonzalez  36:07

Bobby Jones was presented with the Freedom of the Burg. The second American ever after Ben Franklin was the first and the third more recently, Jack Nicklaus but, as we talked to Ben and of course, Bobby Jones was his idol, right? Yeah, he never met Bobby Jones. But he knows an awful lot about him, and when it dawned on him that Bruce was sitting in that audience with Bob Charles, by the way from New Zealand, and witnessed that speech. I mean, Ben almost started weeping right on the spot. 

Semple Thompson, Carol  36:44

Oh, my God. 

Mike Gonzalez  36:45

So moved. But anyway, all right. It was cool history. I just thought I would mention that for you with your experience with the the women's side of that women's amateur competition.

Semple Thompson, Carol  36:56

That's wonderful. I know, my father was captain of the Eisenhower team. I'm not sure what year in the 70's after he was president. And it was held in Fiji. And when he got to Fiji, he got sick. So he spent the whole week in bed as captain and his team went on and played and won the event. And he was able to drag himself out of bed to go to the presentation at the end of the week.

Mike Gonzalez  37:25

Do you remember who was on his team?

Semple Thompson, Carol  37:29

Might have been Curtis Strange. I I looked at that fairly recently, but I can't remember. Curtis Strange. Cook maybe. Or Yeah.

Mike Gonzalez  37:46

John Cook?

Semple Thompson, Carol  37:48

I think it might have I just can't remember the other two.

Mike Gonzalez  37:53

Yeah, well if Curtis was on the team. I remember when we talked to him about his Eisenhower Cup experience. I'm pretty sure he got sick too.

Semple Thompson, Carol  38:03

Oh, my gosh, probably. I only heard about my father, but I'm sure there were some problems some other problems.

Mike Gonzalez  38:12

He said it wasn't any fun.  Thank you for listening to another episode of FORE the Good of the Game. And please, wherever you listen to your podcasts 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, FORE the Good of the Game, so long everybody.

Music playing  38:36