The 1994 Mongrel Masters - A Preview

No matter how indifferent the form of Noni Scanlon leading into any Mongrel Masters week, those who set the odds will always make him favourite. Palm Beach is his domain and he has two Blue Tweeds in his cupboard to prove it. Not only has Noni won two times, he's been runner-up once and has finished in the top five in every Masters.
 

His dominance and charisma are the essence of the Mongrel Masters. It is a phenomenon in golf. In the same way that the Melbourne Cup and the AFL grand final attract those with little all-year-round interest in the two sports, so too does the Masters. It is a social event and Noni is the catalyst.

But it has been a golf tournament for the purists too. Who will forget Noni and Paulus slugging away at each oilier in the 1990 Masters, before Paulus collapsed into a pile of smelly shit in the last two holes? And what of Ramrod's head to head encounter with Harold in 1993 which saw the tournament's first ever playoff and Ouvrier choke to death and hand me title over to Ramsey on a silver platter?
 

The tournament has certainly come a long way since 1990 when it was just an idea for Scanlon. His plan was to run an event unashamedly based on the US Masters. It would be an invited field, have a permanent home and the winner would be presented with a blue tweed jacket, which was a small departure from the affairs of Augusta where a green jacket is presented to the winner.
 

Now because of its place in golf in this country the Mongrel Masters is the title that most players want to win. If one were to search for reasons that Noni has been so dominant at Palm Beach it would have to be said that the par-32 layout is suited to his style of golf.
 

The Mongrel Masters is won and lost on the first three holes. If you are not up amongst the leaders at this point you can kiss your chances good-bye. That is why Noni with his nerves of steel, invariably gets off to a good start and builds the foundations for a title victory. Loads and loads of crap can be thrown at him and he will withstand the pressure and perform.


However, 1993 saw the dawning of a new age. A new champion would be crowned who had nerves of steel, who could endure loads of abuse being hurled at him and who could start in the lead and stay in the lead.
The man is Ramrod Ramsey.

In 1993 Ramrod made the dream start of driving the green and birdying the first. A feat not repeated since Paulus in 1990. Then on the Second hole, after being told by playing partner Noni the wrong club to use, he hit his tee shot onto the road. Ramrod recovered magnificently to hit his third shot onto me green and two putt. Making his tally a respectable double bogey five. No player pared the second and only two in the field scored better than Ramrods .
 

From this excellent start Ramrod never looked back. He would lead throughout the tournament and held off Harold P. Ouvrier's charge for the title to beat him on the first playoff hole.

Noni says of Ramrod's victory. "I would rate it as the greatest in Mongrel Masters history. I tried everything I could to stop that son of a bitch. He either played a good shot or sledged me into making a mistake."

"If someone else is going to win next year they better play some damn good golf and dastardly tricks. I can't see a chink in his armour."

That someone else could be 1992 Mongrel Masters Champion Johno Johnson.
Many thought that Johno's victory in 1992 was hollow. There were allegations of courteous and congenial discourse amongst the players in his group and very little evidence of sledging and piss taking. With his absence last year these views were seen to be vindicated.

With Johno announcing his intentions to play in the 1994 Mongrel Masters these ghosts can be laid to rest. There is no doubting the golfing ability of Johno, as proven with his course record 34 in 1992. What is yet to be seen is his ability to withstand the crap. Having drawn the group with Noni, Cerebral and Myth there will be plenty of opportunities to prove his doubters wrong.
 

Another golfer that could also find the chink in Ramrod's armour is last years runner-up Harold. P. Ouvrier. Although being labelled as a 'choker Harold is convinced that this was not what let him down in 1992. He says" It wasn't a case of me choking, it was just lack of ability that cost me the tournament."
"I will be better for the experience next year."

Other contenders for the title could be Spuddy Cruddy Murphy and Paulus Tenney. They were both huge improvers last year and playing partners with Harold.

Some judges dismiss their chances, and even Harold's, claiming that their scores were made with the stroke of the pen rather than with the stroke of a golf club.

The skeptics point to the statistic which showed that each of them bettered his average Masters score by at least five strokes, whereas the majority of competitors scored worst than their average in 1993.
So the 1994 Mongrel Masters looks wide open, but , as I say, it would be a foolish man who did not include Noni in his predictions.


Click here for 1994 Results

Click here for the 1994 Mongrel Masters in Photographs
 

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