“The Golf Round I’ll Never Forget”, by Matt Adams ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆

Matt Adams, the author of The Golf Round I’ll Never Forget, has a great reputation as an interviewer, and before I got my hands on a review copy of this volume I assumed that I would be reading interviews, or at least some interview content, from fifty champion golfers. (If a little alarm bell went off in your head when you read the word “assumed” in the previous sentence, you get a gold ⭐️.)

The subtitle of this book—Fifty of Golf’s Biggest Stars Recall Their Finest Moments—gives the impression that the players whose “finest moments” are recounted here were interviewed for this volume, but alas, this turn out not to be the case. The chapters draw on previously published material which includes quotes from the players involved, but that’s the extent of it. That caveat aside, this is a nicely curated compendium of memorable golf rounds which any avid golfer would find interesting.

The book is divided into six chapters, collecting anecdotes into such classifications as “History In The Making”,which includes Gene Sarazen’s eagle on the 15th hole of Augusta National in the final round of the 1935 Masters; Johnny Miller’s record-setting 63 in the fourth round of the 1973 U.S. Open at Oakmont; and Al Geiberger’s groundbreaking 59 in the second round of the old Memphis Classic in 1977. (Little-known fact: Geiberger used the same ball for the entire round, almost unheard of in the days of the wound balata ball.)

Among the other sections are “Big Shots and Defining Moments”, with the story behind Hal Sutton’s famous “Be the right club!”call at the 2000 Players Championship; “Great Comebacks”, which includes the story of Arnold Palmer’s legendary come-from-behind victory in the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills, and more. Most of the stories included in the book will be familiar, at least in outline, to golfers with a sense of history, though a few are less well-known, and all the more welcome additions to the book for that. For example, how many of us are familiar with Kathy Whitworth’s record-setting victory in the 1965 Titleholder’s Championship?

A few shortcuts are taken in some of the stories—for example, Arnold Palmer’s bogey on the 16th hole in the fourth round of the 1966 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club, a key factor in Palmer’s eventual loss to Billy Casper in a Monday playoff, is skimmed over as just another bogey—but each section includes anecdotes and background that will make for fresh reading, even for knowledgeable golf fans.

Presented in a handsome full-color 9" × 11" paperback format, with plenty of photos, The Golf Round I’ll Never Forget makes a nice gift for the golfer in your life—or for yourself.