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50 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, September 18, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend August 29, 2004 Locals remember when two-time U.S. Amateur champ came here By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune E. Harvie Ward is fuzzy on the details. Actually, he doesn’t remember playing in the Southern Oregon Golf Tournament, but who could blame him: He’s 78, lives in Pinehurst, N.C., and had such a brilliant golf career on a national scope that a couple of rounds in Medford four decades ago probably shouldn’t register. But veterans of the long-running tournament haven’t forgotten the year, 1965, when perhaps the most accomplished player in the history of the tournament made a cameo. They remember him for being a great player, for teeing the ball high and hitting it far, for being a nice guy. "He would be the most high-profile player that I know of," says Medford jeweler John Nuich, who played against Ward. "Any guy who won the U.S. Amateur has to be a hell of a player." Harvie Ward won back-to-back U.S. Amateur championships in 1955 and ‘56 and played in 10 Masters, placing in the top 24 four times. Advertisement Consider this excerpt from a July e-mail sent by Doug Weaver, director of golf at Palmetto Dunes Resort in Hilton Head Island, S.C., and a Golf Digest top-10 instructor in the state: "When Jack Nicklaus was a teen, he studied and followed Harvie because Harvie was the Tiger of his time. Jack has been a very good friend to Harvie." Ward, who was Payne Stewart’s coach in the late 1980s, continues to teach and plays to a single-digit handicap. But he modestly pooh-poohs mention of himself with the game’s greats. "That’s kind of overplaying it a little bit, I would say," Ward said in a phone interview. "That’s awfully high cotton." Which is why he’s remembered to this day by Southern Oregon followers. It really wasn’t farfetched that Ward, who also won the 1952 British Amateur and the ‘54 Canadian Amateur, would play here. A North Carolina native, he lived in San Francisco for 22 years and played out of the San Francisco Golf Club. The Southern Oregon was nearby and was one of the best amateur tournaments to the north. A Sept. 2, 1965, story in the Mail Tribune tells of Ward’s intriguing entry. He qualified for the national amateur on his home course with a 71, then submitted that score as his qualifying round for the Southern Oregon. Mike Nuich, John’s son, was the qualifying medalist here with a 68. Only two other locals — Dr. Robert Buck and Justin Smith — broke par, both with 1-under 71s. As the story goes, at the pairings party the night before match play began, poor old Gene Hebrard’s name was called opposite Ward’s. Hebrard, figuring he stood little chance, stayed late and enjoyed himself. The next day, he went out and, shockingly, downed Ward with a par on the 19th hole. Hebrard, who once belonged to Rogue Valley Country Club but had moved to Portland, made headlines the next day and was quoted in the Mail Tribune: "My only claim to fame is playing golf." After the two halved the first hole, Hebrard went par, birdie, par for a 3-up lead. It wasn’t until the 15th hole that Ward overtook Hebrard with a 10-foot birdie putt. Hebrard knotted the match with a 13-foot side and downhill birdie on the 18th. On the extra hole, a bad lie on hard pan, a plunked shot into a greenside bunker and a two-putt led to bogey 6 for Ward. Hebrard, a 4-handicapper, said in the newspaper account he didn’t lose sleep over the pairing. "A lot of guys would have been glad for the opportunity," he said. "I enjoyed it. It was well worth the entry for me." Of Ward, he said, "It just wasn’t his day today." Ward was philosophical about the loss, venturing it would turn him into a "tiger" at the national amateur. It didn’t do it a day later, however, when John Nuich defeated Ward 2 and 1 in the first flight. Afterward, Nuich, Ward and Lynn Creason sat around for nearly three hours and swapped stories. So ended the legendary visit of E. Harvie Ward. Ward lived on the West Coast from 1953 to ‘75, when he returned to the South. "I came back out because I got a little tired of California," says Ward. "I wasn’t doing much, so I came back east where I knew more people and more people knew me. If I was going to stay in the golf business, my best chance to do well would be somewhere in the Pinehurst area. That’s why I moved here." Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities