The dark life of the golfer banned for being too good

Warning: This article includes reference to alcoholism, home unit and suicide.

When Bobby Locke coined his immortal building 'drive for show, putt for dough', it was conscionable different emblem nan awesome South African planted successful nan communicative of golf.

For 20 years, Locke was ne'er beaten complete 72 holes successful his autochthonal land. How bully was he? When he went to nan United States and competed against nan Ben Hogans and nan Sam Sneads he won six times successful 1947 and different 4 times successful 1948 and 1949.

He vanished successful nan apical 4 successful 34 of 59 tournaments until a trumped-up complaint was brought against him by nan Tour and he was banned.

Claude Harmon, begetter of Tiger Woods' erstwhile coach Butch and Masters champion successful 1948, put it succinctly: "Locke was simply excessively good. They had to prohibition him."

They reinstated him successful 1951, but his unsocial look - baggy plus-fours, achromatic silk shirts and a necktie - wasn't seen truthful overmuch successful nan US aft that. There was really nary need. He won successful South Africa, England, Scotland, France, Mexico, Egypt. Germany, Switzerland and Australia. He wasn't successful thrall to nan States. He was a world player.

When he came to his belief location of nan British links, he won 4 Open Championships successful 9 years, nan first astatine Sandwich - nan sanction he later picked for nan flat analyzable he owned successful Johannesburg - past astatine Troon successful 1950 successful what was past a grounds debased people successful nan four-round format.

That aforesaid year, 1950, was erstwhile hapless Herman Tissies, nan German amateur, sewage licked by nan Postage Stamp, taking 15 shots to complete nan devilish par-three.

Locke was nan first man to spell back-to-back successful The Open since Walter Hagen won his 3rd and 4th titles successful nan precocious 1920s. Hogan was asked astir Locke's expertise pinch nan short stick. "Everyone examines greens, but only he knows what he's looking for," said nan champion golfer of 1953.

"He was nan top putter I person ever seen," said seven-time awesome victor Snead. "He'd deed a 20-footer, and earlier nan shot sewage halfway, he'd beryllium tipping his chapeau to nan crowd. He wore retired his hats tipping them."

"One six-foot putt for my life?" pondered chap South African awesome Gary Player. "I'll return Bobby Locke. I've seen them each and location has ne'er been a putter for illustration him."

Old Mutton Face, they called him. Or Droopy Chops. Or Vinegar Puss. The monikers were a touch unkind. Locke had a lighter side, a smiling and charismatic beingness erstwhile nan stars were aligned, but location was a grumpy side, too. He didn't for illustration fans who took pictures of him and he knew his ain worth. If a journalist wanted an question and reply that included immoderate play tips he'd complaint $100. Pay up aliases unopen up.

He was lethal but not precisely quick. He went astatine his ain gait successful tournaments and immoderate of his peers didn't for illustration him for it and liked him little erstwhile he ambled distant pinch nan winners' loot. He sparked resentment, mostly because of his excellence.

When penning astir Bobby Locke, you soon fig retired location were different versions of nan aforesaid man. He was a combatant aviator successful nan South African Air Force during World War Two, apparently flying 100 combat missions successful nan Mediterranean and Western Desert.

Champion golfer, warfare leader and occurrence man. In 1960, 7 years aft he won his 3rd Claret Jug astatine Lytham and 3 years aft he won his 4th astatine St Andrews, Locke's wife, Mary, gave commencement to a babe girl, Carolyn.

On his measurement to spot nan caller arrival, nan car Locke was travelling successful stopped astatine a level crossing to fto a train spell by, past pulled out, not knowing that location was different coming successful nan other direction.

The conveyance flew 30 yards done nan aerial and down a bank. Locke went done nan backmost window. For 2 days he laic unconscious successful nan aforesaid infirmary arsenic his woman and daughter. It took a period earlier he could unfastened his near eye. He had double vision, migraines, representation nonaccomplishment and terrible symptom successful some legs.

Medication and temper swings became portion of his regular existence. So did alcohol. He didn't suffer his life connected that railway track, but Locke nan golfer surely died that time and an altogether different personification replaced him. He was 43 years old.

Darkness enveloped him. In 1969 he was arrested for drink-driving. Then location was nan incident pinch creator Big Boy Ndlovu, whose activity connected Locke's flat artifact was deemed beneath par. Big Boy asked for 220 rand for his services, but Locke refused to pay. Words were exchanged, Locke pulled a weapon and changeable Big Boy successful nan shoulder.

He was done for attempted murder, paid a good of 120 rand and had his weapon licence suspended for six months.

In a Sports Illustrated portion from 2001 a friend of nan family said astir Locke's new-found casual cruelty towards his wife, Mary, and, worse again, nan beingness maltreatment he visited upon her. "He couldn't deliberation straight," said nan source. "He wasn’t logical immoderate more."

In early March 1987, Locke, 69, was admitted to a nursing location successful Johannesburg. He was diagnosed pinch meningitis, fell into a coma and died nan pursuing day. The tributes were effusive. Most focused connected nan storied first half of his life alternatively than his tragic 2nd act.

Mary and daughter, Carolyn, remained loving to nan end, which came successful 2000 successful nan location that was erstwhile Sandwich but which they'd renamed Bobby Locke Place.

In a last twist to a horrific story, Mary, 80, and Carolyn, 40, planned a grisly extremity - a termination pact. Having grown fearful for their ain information successful a erstwhile salubrious area that was now rife pinch crime, they became reclusive, amended their wills, arranged for their canine to beryllium put down and for his ashes to dispersed connected their grave.

They were discovered dormant successful bed, holding hands aft drinking champagne to lavation down tablets they'd been gathering for months. "I conscionable want to beryllium pinch Bobby again," Mary had said to her neighbours for immoderate time. None of them could person known that it would extremity this way.

Locke is remembered not for nan husk of a man he became aft his adjacent fatal mishap aliases for nan horrible destiny of his nearest and dearest, but for his greatness connected nan play course. His triumph successful 1950 will get a mention aliases 2 this week. The different stuff? Not truthful much.

If you, aliases personification you know, person been affected by immoderate issues raised successful this article, support and accusation is disposable astatine BBC Action Line.