One for the Left

A somber string bean from the Wairarapa district of New Zealand, Bob Charles, 27, belongs to an exclusive minority--he is a lefthanded golfer on the U.S. pro tour. That alone is enough to make him the hero of 400,000 amateur lefties who wire him encouragement and even dip into the cooky jar to bet on their boy against the likes of Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. Those bets have begun to pay off. Last April Charles became the first left-hander ever to win a major pro tournament when he took the $10,000 top money in the Houston Classic. Last week, at Britain's Royal Lytham and St. Annes Golf Course, Southpaw Charles won the 1963 British Open.

He did it the hard way. The 120-man field included Palmer, Nicklaus and Phil Rodgers, 25, an ex-marine who attacked St. Annes as if he were storming Iwo. Palmer played himself out of contention with a first-round 76, but after 36 holes, Charles trailed Rodgers by five strokes, Nicklaus by two. In the third round, Charles shot a record 66 --four under par, followed it up with a 71 that left him deadlocked with Rodgers at 277, one stroke ahead of Runner-up Nicklaus.

In the next day's 36-hole playoff, the combatants were a study in contrast. Tall (6 ft. 1 1/2 in.) and tightlipped, Charles acted just like the bank clerk he once was; stumpy and waggish, Rodgers swapped wisecracks with the gallery. The American's grin turned to a grimace as Charles one-putted eleven of the first 18 holes and took a three-stroke lead. He then picked up another five strokes in five holes and breezed to an eight-stroke victory. "I must have demoralized him," said Charles.

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