The Match

Book cover of The Match: The Day the Game of Golf Changed Forever

Book description

In 1956, a casual bet between two millionaires eventually pitted two of the greatest golfers of the era -- Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan -- against top amateurs Harvie Ward and Ken Venturi.

The year: 1956. Decades have passed since Eddie Lowery came to fame as the ten-year-old caddie to…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked The Match as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Fred Bowen

Author

There is an old adage in sports writing: the smaller the ball the better the writing.

According to that adage, golf, with its small ball, should inspire the very best writing. I am a golfer and I have read a lot of golf books. The adage is certainly true for The Match.

The setup is that a wealthy auto dealer attending the Bing Crosby Pro-Am golf tournament in 1956 declares he has two amateur golfers working for him – Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward - who can beat any other two golfers in a match.

Another well-heeled golf fan…

From Fred's list on picks by a kids’ sports book author.

Tom Dorsel

Author

The Match is a true story of what has been considered one of the greatest matches in the history of golf. It was 1956, and two of the greatest professional golfers of the era – Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan – went up against two up-and-coming amateurs, Harvie Ward and Ken Venturi.

I found the actual match to be very interesting, not only because of who was playing but the circumstances under which it took place. The match was set up by two millionaires who arranged for Hogan and Nelson to sneak away from preparation for Bing Crosby’s Pebble Beach…

From Tom's list on golf (with a nod given to the mental game).