{"id":1195,"date":"2013-02-19T15:05:41","date_gmt":"2013-02-19T15:05:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/teemoore.com\/?p=1195"},"modified":"2013-02-19T21:27:02","modified_gmt":"2013-02-19T21:27:02","slug":"book-review-of-david-graham-from-ridicule-to-acclaim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/teemoore\/golf\/personalities\/1195\/book-review-of-david-graham-from-ridicule-to-acclaim","title":{"rendered":"Book Review of “David Graham: From Ridicule to Acclaim”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>My primary reason for reading this book was to explore the reasons behind David Graham being forced to resign as the captain of the 1996 Presidents Cup International team. It was an embarrassing setback for Graham, a two-time majors champion at the 1979 PGA at Oakland Hills and the 1981 U.S. Open at Merion. Thoroughly exploring the events and machinations of that sorry episode, the author also does a commendable job in chronicling Graham\u2019s hardscrabble upbringing and how he ascended to the top rungs of the game.<\/p>\n

But the President\u2019s Cup affair most intrigued me. At the time, Graham insisted Greg Norman was the major instigator behind the coup, a charge quickly rejected by Norman and some of the players. But given Norman\u2019s notorious role in 1995 when he falsely accused Mark McCumber of cheating at the World Series of Golf, I wanted to see if this book shed any light on not only Graham but also Norman himself.<\/p>\n

As background, Graham in 1994 was the first non-playing captain of the International Team for the Presidents Cup held at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club outside Washington, D.C. The favored U.S team won in comfortable fashion but the success of the event was clearly established. So when the Cup was held two years hence, Graham was again named Captain, a post he didn\u2019t seek or campaigned for. The author states that the events leading up to Graham\u2019s resignation is \u201cstill something of a mystery.\u201d Yet he performs able forensics in dissecting the \u201cplayer revolt.\u201d It seems Graham, well before the Cup, had not only ticked off Norman but also fellow teammates Ernie Els and Steve Elkington, all for different reasons.<\/p>\n

Norman was peeved at Graham because supposedly The Shark was still harboring ill will for the captain nixing him being a guest commentator for CBS-TV when it telecast the \u201994 event. Explained Graham at the time: \u201cThe President\u2019s Cup is not Greg Norman\u2019s tournament. It\u2019s a twelve-man. It\u2019s not Greg\u2019s team.\u201d And so, Graham rejected the CBS request to have Norman\u2014not on the team due to injury\u2014up in the TV tower.<\/p>\n

Elkington was upset because during the \u201994 event, Graham refused his request, prompted by Elkington\u2019s pregnant wife, for the entire International Team to leave early from a pre-tournament reception at the White House. The Elkingtons didn\u2019t want to appear rude by leaving alone so they urged Graham to have to entire team leave together. Graham declined given the setting. The Elkingtons, very close friends with Norman, fumed. Adding salt to the wound, Graham was later overheard by Mrs Elkington on the team describing her with the B-word.<\/p>\n

Finally, the even-tempered Els also had a bone to pick with Graham. This was also due to another two-year-old remark made by Graham when he learned Els was skipping the \u201994 Presidents Cup due to a prior tournament commitment. At the time, Graham said: \u201cI hope those who skipped the Presidents Cup will regret it the rest of their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the \u201996 British Open, a majority of International team members present voted to replace Graham, a first ever happenstance for any team competition. Without further discussion, Mike Bodney of the PGA of America promptly asked Peter Thomson, a long time nemesis of Graham, to fill the vacancy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first heard that I had been ousted from the 1996 Cup, I cried,\u201d said Graham. \u201cTo get toward the end of your reputation and your credibility, you take it personally. I cried, absolutely. So did my wife.\u201d When asked by the author if he could forgive \u201cthe collaborators,\u201d Graham replied: \u201cI won\u2019t forgive them…the wound is healed but the scar is still there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Incidentally, the International team led by Thomson again lost the Cup but in a close one-point margin. My conclusion is that Norman was definitely a ring-leader in the coup but with willing accomplices. Also, Tim Finchem didn\u2019t help matters by not intervening.<\/p>\n

The book explores Graham\u2019s humble upbringing in Australia. Oddly enough, his first clubs\u2014found in his garage and purchased by his mother\u2014were left-handed although he was naturally right-handed. His big breaks came when as a junior golfer he was mentored by pro John Crean at a nearby public golf course and later in a \u201ctraineeship\u201d under respected pro George Naismith. Graham quit school at age 14, contrary to his father\u2019s wishes. The two of them had a life long strained relationship and one that undoubtedly shaped the youngster\u2019s \u201cflinty\u201d personality.<\/p>\n

It was Naismith who became a father figure for Graham and who was responsible for him becoming a right-handed golfer. To make the switch, Graham didn\u2019t play competitive golf for nearly a year. \u201cIt was at least eighteen months before I won anything …playing right-handed.\u201d The book traces not only the arc of Graham\u2019s international golf career but also the slings and arrows prompted by his \u201chard-edged character\u201d and the insecurities of fame. It\u2019s a complete and telling story of Graham\u2019s failings and triumphs and his \u201cblunt\u201d personality.<\/p>\n

A few shortcomings about the book, published in Australia, include the poor quality of some of its photographs and the omission of any background on the author, Russell James. (I had to learn from the publisher that James is a nephew of George Naismith and used to play junior golf with Graham.) But all in all, it\u2019s a solid and recommended read\u2014with ample and diverse quoted sources\u2014about an enigmatic, somewhat distorted, but accomplished figure in golf.<\/p>\n

Other tidbits I relished from the book:<\/p>\n