The Match at Cypress Point: The Day Two Amateurs Nearly Beat Hogan and Nelson

Every so often, amateur golf produces a moment that reminds the world how thin the line between "amateur" and "professional" once was. No moment makes the case better than a private four-ball played at Cypress Point on a winter morning in 1956 — a match with no gallery to speak of, no press, no surviving scorecard, and a claim many still make today: it was the finest golf ever played over 18 holes.

The bet

It started, as these things often do, with money and pride. Eddie Lowery — who had entered golf lore in 1913 as the 10-year-old caddie on Francis Ouimet's shoulder at Brookline — had grown into a wealthy San Francisco car dealer and one of the great patrons of amateur golf. Two of the best amateurs in the world, Harvie Ward and Ken Venturi, worked at his dealership.