Back in the 1920s, Johnny Suggs was a better-than-average southpaw pitcher for the Atlanta Crackers. One day he met the boss's daughter, married her and quit pitching to run the concessions at the ball park. The night the ball park burned down, Johnny Suggs became a father. He and his new family moved 15 miles to Lithia Springs, Ga.; there Johnny took over a combined golf course and-picnic grounds. At three, his roly-poly daughter, Louise, was traipsing around the course after him, swinging at golf balls with a baseball grip.
Last week, Johnny Suggs's daughter, now 24, fought through to the...