Billy Casper: The forgotten man of golf’s golden era

In every possible way, Billy Casper deserves to be remembered and recognised as one of the greatest players in the history of golf, writes Steve Ellings.

Billy Casper celebrates sinking a putt during the 1966 US Open playoff win over Arnold Palmer. Casper's victory is considered one of the greatest comebacks in the history of sport. AP Photo

The characterisation is not just by acclamation but exclamation, which, in a twisted way, raises an entirely different question.

If a legion of the game’s biggest stars have systematically characterised Billy Casper as the most-overlooked player in the history of golf, does that somewhat refute the point?

Yes and no, sadly.

Said Johnny Miller: “The most under-rated golfer of all time.”

Said Jack Nicklaus: “One of the great players who ever played the game – and he got less credit for it.”

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Casper, a native of San Diego who was instrumental in spreading the game in the Arab world, died over the weekend at age 83. In a career-defining send-off, the self-described newspaper of record in America, USA Today, printed not a word in Monday’s paper about his passing.

To underscore the absurdity of that slight, consider the era in which Casper played and the giants he routinely slew. He won 51 times in his PGA Tour career, playing alongside the so-called Big Three of Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Nicklaus, while fighting veritable superstars such as Lee Trevino and Miller for leftovers.

Casper won three majors and once made up seven shots in the back nine of the final round against Palmer at the US Open.

As usual, plenty recall that Palmer blew a huge lead, but only the aficionados know that Casper shot 69 and won the 18-hole play-off the following day. Only 13 players in history have amassed more majors.

When trying to put the accomplishments of Tiger Woods into context, a common complaint is that Woods has not faced the same level of completion as did Nicklaus in their respective primes. The assertion has merit, too.

Casper’s US victory total ranks seventh, behind only Sam Snead, Woods, Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Palmer and Byron Nelson.

Reckless as it sounds, this can be stated as a near-certainty: Nobody among the current crop of active players will top Casper’s win total. The closest current player to Casper’s victory total is fellow San Diegan Phil Mickelson, who has 42, but did not muster a win in 2014.

The Ryder Cup of Casper’s era was a different animal entirely, but he still holds the record for most points by an American with 23.5. His teams were 8-0. It seems mythic compared to US fate of late.

He won 9.2 per cent of his US starts, third behind only Woods and Nicklaus since 1950. He won at least one tournament during 16 consecutive seasons, second only to Nicklaus and Palmer (tied with 17).

Spot the trend? In the game’s history, Nicklaus, Palmer and Casper are names that belong in the same sentence, not separated by several chapters.

But in the Arab region, Casper’s impact was nearly as great and even more overlooked. In the late 1960s, he became friends with Morocco’s King Hassan II and was a frequent guest and participant in the king’s golf tournament, which began in 1971 and is now a regular European Tour stop.

Past winners of the Hassan Trophy include Hall of Famers Payne Stewart, Vijay Singh, Nick Price, Colin Montgomerie, Ernie Els and Trevino.

Two years ago, Casper made yet another trek to Morocco to attend the event, and rest assured that many in the region, such as Mena Tour director Mohammed Juma Buamaim, already had a firm grasp on what he meant to the game’s development in the Arab world.

“He was a good friend of the king, and Billy really helped the Hassan Trophy become what it is today,” Buamaim said before the 2013 European Tour event.

In his later years, Casper was forever greeted with sentiments such as those expressed by Miller and Nicklaus, and he was genial and expressed no bitterness. The father of 11 kids and 71 grandchildren, he released a well-received autobiography about his life three years ago that underscored the point.

The title, for a Billy who never got top billing, succinctly said it all: The Big Three and Me.

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