Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Billy


I've only met a very few people that I really didn't like.

Billy Leigh headed that list. This started way back in

ancient times of the late 1940's.



I was first exposed to Billy at the Fla. High School Golf


Championship.He and several other junior golfers


were gathered around the first teein Lakeland.


They were trying to decide who among them was


going to win the driving contest.


None of them did or even came close.


Afterwards, all except Billy came over and


introduced themselves and congratulated me.


He was sulking all by himself. They had all been


playing in junior tournaments in central Florida


for several years. I was an unknown outsider


from the swamps of southwest Fla.


In the semifinals, I met up with Billy again


and found him to be unfriendly, arrogant


and egotistical. Usually I was more concerned


with beating par than my opponent, but this


was different. I really wanted to beat him.


We finished all even after 18 holes.


In sudden death, he holed out a bunker shot


to tie my birdie. On the next hole he drove


deep into the woods, but got a favorable


ruling from his home course pro and


birdied the hole, while I parred. That


didn't endear him to my heart either.

Several months later we met again in the State


Junior Tournament, which was stroke play.


He won that tournament, which made me like


him even less. My disappointment was eased


when I learned my second place finish qualified


me for the National Junior that was held in


Lincoln Nebraska. That was a 3 ½ day train


ride each way, shared by Billy and me.


I certainly didn't look forward to that.


The local Junior Chamber of Commerce paid

all our expenses. I lost out in the second


round, but Billy made it to the semifinals.


I caddied for him when he lost to the


eventual winner- Gene Littler (later a


first line playing pro).


After the tournament was over,


while waiting for our trains, Billy and I


were one of five two man state teams


that played nine holes. Included in the


group was the Texas team of Littler


and Billy Maxwell. (another future pro).


We started out with one dollar bets all


around, but the betting quickly escalated.


Billy kept doubling up on all bets and we


weren't doing very well. I asked him on the


9th hole, “ Billy, how much are we down?”


He said, “Oh! 'bout a hunnerd dollars.”


!!!! I didn't have a hundred dollars.!!!


I said,” God, if you'll get me out of this, I'll never


gamble again.” --- He did, and I didn't.---


I hit an eight iron about 160 yards right in


the cup for an eagle, and we won two or three bucks.


On the train ride home, I got to know Billy


a lot better and underneath his exterior


demeanor, he was really a nice guy. He was


only 16, and emotionally even younger, but


when I mentioned that I felt very bad that I


had let down our JACEES, Billy consoled me.


He was an orphan that had been adopted


by a doctor and his wife. I finally realized that


he had just built a psychological protective


shell around himself. He was really just


insecure. We became good friends on that


long ride home.


Several years later, I saw him again.


It was at a Florida Gator football game. I


hadn't been playing golf or keeping up with


it since my freshman year at college and


was anxious to know how he was doing.


We had a real nice reunion, but it was our


last meeting.

A few more years past, and I was in pilot


training in Bartow Fla. On Saturday we had


the day off and several of us went to play golf


in Winter Haven. To my pleasant surprise,


the pro at the golf course, was Jerry Schulteis,


who was the first alternate to Billy and me,


for the Nebraska trip. I asked Jerry if he


knew what ever became of Billy. I had


expected to see his name on the pro tour.


Jerry gave me a shocker. Billy had been


caught by his step father while having an


affair with his step-mother, and was told


--- “Get out of this house right now


or I'll kill you.” Billy allegedly said,


“You ain't got the guts”.

Billy was shot dead right then and there.


That tough shell that he had built for himself


did him in. Too bad, underneath he was a


good guy and would have been a great golfer.

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