The Many Sides Of Firethorn

Bobby Jones (right) plays his tee shot on the first hole while (from left) Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen and Gene Sarazen watch during the 1935 Masters. Augusta National, Getty Images

For all of the anxiety-plagued, stomachache-inducing conversations that have been shared standing in Augusta National’s 15th fairway, Gene Sarazen’s exchange with Walter Hagen wasn’t one of them.

By that time in the 1935 Masters, Craig Wood, the head pro at Winged Foot, had birdied four of his last six holes to take a commanding three-stroke lead, well ahead of Sarazen. A boisterous roar from the 18th hole had tumbled its way back down to the players, signaling what appeared to be the end of the golf tournament. Hagen, about to close with a 79, wanted nothing more than to get out of the unseasonably cold and damp weather so he could enjoy a dry martini.

Standing in the right-center of the fairway, 230 yards from the hole, Sarazen turned to his caddie Stove...