~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ben Hogan~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   I took a caddie when I played Cyprus Point Club and his name is Marty Larkin. He's in his early eighties now, but he was 79 when he caddied for me~~~and the way that I played that day they could have locked me up for elder abuse. But as in life every round of golf has it's ups and downs~~~at some point in our rambling conversation I said to Marty: "I've seen Nicklaus and Seve and all the greats play, even Snead, but the one that I wish I'd seen was Hogan." Marty gave me a look and his eyes seemed to twinkle: "I got a story for you..." Well he told me of a Crosby back when he was a kid~~~and it was raining all day at Cyprus~~~so they needed to hire someone to hold the umbrella for Hogan~~~and that was young Marty Larkin. Ben Hogan~~~'the wee icemon' is what the British Press labeled him~~~inscrutable~~~aloof~~~concentrated~~~seeming in his own world~~~and he did not suffer fools gladly~~~for there was no bullshit to Hogan. Well Marty told me: "You know he didn't talk to anybody all day. Not a word. But he talked to me.".