The ep43 Ed Furgols Greatest Victory

This is Jimmy Powers coming your way with another Grantland Rice Story. Hey there, this is Jimmy Powers with another chapter from the Grantland Rice Story, the tumult and the shouting.

Today in first person, I'd like to take you through the 1954 United States Open, the greatest test in golf. During the 54 open at the famed Ballisrol course in New Jersey, one poor round knocked Hogan into a fifth place tie with Billy Joe Patton, the colorful amateur.

A dark horse won that open, a fellow with a grim expression and a withered left arm, a product of the public links around his native stamping grounds, Utica, New York. The fellow's name? Ed Fergal, profound believer in the old adage, if at first you don't succeed, keep on shooting.

I'd seen Fergal in tournaments around the map since 1945, the year he hit the professional circuit. The first time I saw him must have been during the winter of 45 in Los Angeles. I watched this sharp-featured young fellow hit a few shots from the practice tee, and noticed he met the ball like no pro I'd ever studied.

He seemed to be doing everything with his right side as contrasted to the strong left side, which practically any good golfer features. Later I questioned for a goal about this strange manner of hitting a golf ball.

After Rice he said rolling back the sleeve of his left arm, I can't hit a ball any other way. Fergal's left elbow is frozen at something approaching a right angle, and the muscle of the upper arm is non-existent.

However, there is nothing the matter with his left forearm, wrist or hand. When he was a youngster, Fergal fell off a swing in a playground, shattering the left arm. Unfortunately, surgery could do little to correct the break.