"The stocky figure in the brown sweater took a look at the flag, waving there, 220 yards away. He squared himself and squinted again."
On April 8, 1935, those words appeared on the front page of the Atlanta Constitution.
Columnist Ralph McGill had followed Gene Sarazen for 14-plus holes and stood on a knoll with Bob Jones as the Squire played the par-5 15th at Augusta National Golf Club in the second Masters Tournament.
Trailing leader Craig Wood by three strokes with four holes to play, Sarazen struck his second shot, while Jones said to McGill, “He hit a great spoon there.”
The two watched in disbelief as the ball bounced twice and disappeared.
Jones quickly amended his statement, now telling those nearby, “That was the most magnificent shot I’ve ever seen.”
It’s been 90 years since “The shot heard ’round the world,” and no player has double-eagled No. 15 since.
Craig Wood and his wife, Jacqueline, were celebrating their first wedding anniversary that Sunday in 1935.
Playing ahead of Sarazen, Wood had posted 282, and was receiving congratulatory handshakes as the miracle occurred on the 15th hole.
Jacqueline, stunned by the turn of events, turned to the wife of competitor Frank Walsh and asked, “Why don’t they do something?”
“Wait a few years,” Mrs. Walsh replied. “You’ll get used to it.”
Jacqueline and Craig Wood stood on the clubhouse veranda as Sarazen played his final hole.
The stocky figure in the brown sweater parred 18 to secure a 36-hole Monday playoff against Wood.
Jacqueline hugged her husband and said, “We’ll get him tomorrow.”
“She’ll always remember that first anniversary,” wrote Ralph McGill. “A cold, dark day at Augusta when the little chunk of a bulldog kept hanging on.”
When asked about the spoon, Sarazen told reporters, “Well, the crowd paid $2.20 each and they deserved some entertainment.”
Following the round, Bob Jones went to the BonAir Vanderbilt Hotel, where he published an article about the events.
It was the second edition of Jones’s annual contest, and the tournament creator understood the significance.
“I have never seen anything like it before,” Jones wrote. “I don’t blame the crowd for becoming a bit pop-eyed, and I could not help feeling sorry for Craig Wood.”
Jones never forgot what Sarazen’s shot meant to the Masters Tournament.
In 1955, 20 years after the double-eagle, a stone bridge was constructed on No. 15 to commemorate the event.
Jones coined the day, “Gene Sarazen Day” and marked the spot on No. 15 fairway where the double-eagle was struck. Forty-three of the 1955 entries tried to duplicate the result, with Fred Haas coming closest — 4 feet, 1 inch from the pin.
During the bridge dedication ceremony, Craig Wood was asked to share his memories from that fateful afternoon.
“Had they been having a ceremony here ...
