Smith, Farmer Win 1972 World Titles
Winston-Salem, NC - August 13-16, 1972 - Rick Smith, the 21-year old "Ace Machine" from Muncie, Indiana, 1969 World Putting Champion, did it again in the $200,000 World Putting Championship finals. He defeated Charles McIntosh of Conyers, Georgia to take home the $15,000 first prize purse and the 1972 World Putting Championship title in Winston-Salem, NC.
A contemplative Rick Smith during the 1972 World Putting Championship in Winston-Salem, NC.
Smith won the match on the seventeenth hole when he finished two up with only one hole left to play. The turning point in the match came at the turn on hole number ten. Up to hole ten, the match had been even. On ten, McIntosh pulled his putt and it slipped by the hole, leaving him a three-foot putt back to the hole. He putted his second shot too hard and it slipped back down the slope toward the tee. McIntosh finally took four on the hole. Smith took advantage of the situation to ace the hole and put himself on up on McIntosh. Smith had his momentum going but McIntosh was far from beaten. Both pros aced the next hole. Smith aced the twelfth hole and McIntosh took a two, putting Smith two up in the match. By hole fifteen, Smith was back to an ace again forcing McIntosh to a "must" ace if he was to remain in contention. McIntosh rose to the occasion and aced the hole. Again on the sixteenth, Smith took an ace and McIntosh was under pressure again to ace to stay in the match. He got his ace. The seventeenth hole saw McIntosh in the same situation. The "Ace Machine" did it again and McIntosh had to have an ace but his putt lipped out and the match was over. The win pushed Smith's Professional Putters Association money winnings over the $60,000 mark.
Rick Smith receives congratulations after defeating Charlie McIntosh in the finals of the 1972 World Putting Championship.
Smith is a Putt-Putt Golf Course owner in Muncie, Indiana. When asked what he planned to do with his $15,000 check, he replied without hesitation, "I'm going to buy another Putt-Putt."
People close to the new World Putting Champion knew of his goal. Several months ago, Smith decided that he wanted to buy another course. He didn't have the money. That's when he decided that he would win the World. His goal had been the driving force throughout the competition.
Rick Smith receives the 1972 World Putting Championship from Don Clayton (center).
To reach the final match, Smith defeated John Connor of Greenville, South Carolina on Monday 6-5 in the quarter-finals. On Tuesday, Smith took Mike Pfeiffer of Orlando, Florida 2-1 in the semi-finals to put him in the final match with Charles McIntosh.
1972 World Amateur Putting Champion, Scott Farmer.
Scott Farmer, a fifteen-year old member of the Amateur Putters Association and native of Winston-Salem, won the Amateur World Putting Championship. He defeated amateur Charlie Davis, a twenty-year old, also of Winston-Salem. Farmer was two up at the end of the 18-hole match play event.
As World Putting Champion, Farmer takes home a trophy and an automatic invitation to join the ranks of the pros of putting in the Professional Putters Association.
Farmer, unusually young for world competition, is a high school student in Winston-Salem and works as assistant to the pro at the Putt-Putt Golf Course at 1600 South Stratford Road - the course where he won the World Amateur title today. Farmer commented that he had played over 7,000 rounds on this golf course prior to playing in the world amateur competition. Farmer has a 29.9 stroke average this year.
In addition to defeating Charlie Davis in the final match, Farmer also defeated Art Diamond or Omaha, Nebraska in the quarter-final match and Mike Carano of Youngstown, Ohio in the semi-final match. Charlie Davis defeated Scooter Dunahoe of Shreveport, Louisiana and Charles White of Memphis, Tennessee to bring him to the final match with Farmer.
The Amateur Championship and the eight final pro matches played Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were filmed to be televised net year across the nation. Ken "The Hawk" Harrelson, famous baseball player turned professional golfer, David Lloyd, President of Putt-Putt, and Don Clayton, Chairman of the Board of the Professional Putters Association were commentators for the shows.
All score, statistics and descriptions taken from the Putt-Putt World, Volume 14, Number 8, Winter, 1972.
