Kitchener golfer recognized as creator of Masters skip-shot tradition
CTV
A Canadian Hall of Fame golfer from Kitchener is finally getting recognition for starting the skip-shot tradition at The Masters.
A Canadian Hall of Fame golfer from Kitchener is finally getting recognition for starting the skip-shot tradition at The Masters.
Last week, the major golf championship recognized Gary Cowan, 85, as the father of the tradition.
"I'm the guy that did the shot in 1972," Cowan told CTV News on Friday.
A two-time U.S. Amateur champion and member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, Cowan was in a practice round in 1972 with now retired two-time major champion Ben Crenshaw, when he skipped a ball across the pond at the par-3 16th hole at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. Cowan did it again right after, and the tradition was born.
"It's sort of a real rite of playing in the Masters to try that that shot," TSN golf analyst Bob Weeks said.
"If they don't do it, they boo them," Cowan said.
