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Left: Joe Carr on his way to victory Below: Joe Carr’s Amateur Championship Medal


he


previous year. In his autobiography Joe recalls that on the morning of the final he said to his wife Dor, “Things have changed, Dor. This is my day.” Joe had decided that a rough, dirty day was just what he needed to give him the edge. Furthermore,


Joe’s philosophy in his had compete.


★ HARVIE WARD, reigning Amateur champion, and very much the favourite for the championship. He worked for Eddie Lowery and the two men were close friends and business associates. ★ JOE CARR, born in 1922, was the leading Irish amateur golfer at the time. He won his first Championship in 1941 at Baltray beating the legendary Lahinch golfer, John Burke, in the East of Ireland Amateur Open Championship. This was the beginning of a wonderful golfing career. He reached the semi-final of the Amateur in 1951 and 1952 and had amassed a total of 13 championships by 1953. Yet he was still to capture the ultimate championship - the Amateur. ★ Club members, DAVID SHONE, JOHN GRAHAM, NORMAN CANEVALI, BRUCE THOMPSON, AND MICHAEL PEARSON were also in the field. Of these, Pearson got to the quarter final where he was narrowly beaten. It is a testament to the man that he is still playing golf 60 years later and is actively enjoying all aspects of life. Many of us could learn a bit about life and a lot about golf from Michael.


Contrary to expectations the weather during the championship was appalling, to the extent that, on the first day, play had to be postponed for some hours due to a severe thunderstorm. Joe


he Carr’s progress through the


early rounds of the championship was relatively straightforward, albeit that he was not playing well. In the sixth round, playing Bucher of Elie, he was one down with one to play but a birdie at the 18th and a par at the 19th were good enough to secure victory. Playing Lambie of Sandiway in the quarter-final, Joe once again birdied the 18th to win by one hole. Playing Beamish of Royal Portrush in the semi-final, Joe was one up at the turn. Beamish rallied well and for the next 6 holes he went 4-3-4-3-4-4 to go 2 up with 3 to play. But Joe won the 16th and 17th and the 18th was halved before Joe won the 19th in 5 to 6. The final was played in cold blustery


weather with winds coming from the northwest. These conditions were not to the liking of Harvie Ward, Joe’s opponent in the final. Ward, the reigning amateur champion, played his golf at Capital City USA where he was used to more favourable conditions. However, it should be pointed out that Ward had beaten Joe by 2/1 in the semi-final at Prestwick the


competitive golf was that when you feel you have such an edge, you must exploit it for everything it’s worth. On the 1st hole, Joe played a two iron to within 10 feet of the flag, whilst his opponent was out of bounds in the dreaded practice ground. Joe proceeded to play the first nine in 35 shots and the 18 in approximately 71 shots to be 3 up at lunch. Ward was not helped by the desertion of his putting stroke and when he missed a 6 footer on the 6th green an Irish priest, no doubt supporting Joe, was overheard to say, “Oh, God bless you, man!” Despite the inclement weather in the afternoon, Ward rallied and the match was level at the 34th. Fearing that it might be stretching the odds a step too far to expect another victory at the 19th, Joe fully focused on the task in hand and won the 35th and 36th holes to win the Amateur by 2 holes. As he said himself afterwards, “That was marvellous. To me it was the ultimate achievement.”


he Joe went on to win the Amateur on two


further occasions, at St. Andrew’s in 1958 and at Royal Portrush in 1960. In 1968, at 46 years of age, Joe got to the final at Troon where his opponent was Michael Bonallack, 13 years Joe’s junior and at the peak of his career. Bonallack got the advantage on the 1st tee when he declared he was playing a Dunlop 6, a ball usually played by Joe. Joe finished that little conversation with, “Well, I hope you lose the bloody thing.” Joe lost by 7/6. Joe was the quintessential amateur golfer


of his era. He was an amateur in the true sense of the word. His list of achievements, which include playing on the Walker Cup team from 1947 to 1969, spanned more than 30 years and are truly extraordinary. He also contributed to the administrative side of golf and was Captain of the Royal and Ancient in 1991-92. When Joe died in June, 2004, tributes


were plentiful and sincere. Michael Bonallack said, “I still have yet to meet a finer sportsman.” It can be said of Joe Carr with certainty - We will not see his likes again. ■


ROYAL LIVERPOOL GOLF CLUB 2013 MAGAZINE


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