A Feel for the Game: To Brookline and Back

Nicknamed ""Gentle Ben,"" Crenshaw was one of the most popular players on the PGA golf tour during a career that spanned from the early 1970s to the late 1990s. Among his 19 tournament victories are two Masters wins, with his second, a particularly dramatic one, coming only days after the death of his mentor Harvey Penick. Following the 1995 Masters Crenshaw's last tour win Crenshaw put his full energies into captaining the American team in the 1999 Ryder Cup, played at the Country Club in Brookline, Mass. The American squad staged an unprecedented comeback on the final day of the tournament to recapture the prestigious title from the Europeans. Although Crenshaw traces his rise as a Texas schoolboy champion through his Masters victories, he is clearly most proud of his role in leading the Ryder Cup team. His pride, however, leads the ever-emotional Crenshaw into making some silly statements, such as comparing the Ryder Cup's popularity to that of the Super Bowl. His prose borders on the saccharine at times, especially when he writes about his childhood and current family life. Still, Crenshaw's many fans will enjoy his insights and recollections of a successful life in golf. (Apr.)