(2 of 2)
Raising the Rough. The reaction to that is a hoot of derision from Architect Jones—and from the U.S. Golf Association, an organization firmly dedicated to the principle that championship golf can only be played on a championship course. The U.S.G.A. stages nine tournaments of its own, including the U.S. Open, and the ground rules are strict. "We narrow the fairways, raise the roughs and collar the greens," says Executive Director Joseph Dey Jr. "We want our tournament to be a true test of skill." That it is. The lowest score ever in the Open was the 276 shot by the magnificent "Wee Ice Mon," Ben Hogan, in 1948—14 strokes more than Gay Brewer took at Pensacola last week. Dey complains that the rash of low scores in P.G.A. tournaments "cheapens the concept of par." Both he and Jones insist that fans prefer to watch a golfer battle the hazards of a tough, demanding course—such as Georgia's 6,980-yd. Augusta National, site of this week's Masters tournament. "Galleries aren't attracted by low scores," says Architect Jones. "What they want to see are great golf shots." He speaks with authority. Something like 40,000 fans will attend the Masters, millions more will watch it on TV—and none of the P.G.A.'s own tournaments ever attracted a crowd that large.