SIX years after being honoured with the captaincy of the Royal and Ancient, Joe Carr remains a highly respected figure in international golf. Proof, if it were needed, has come in a letter from the US offering him a key role in the inaugural Ouimet Cup, organised by Senior Golfer magazine.
Commemorating the first amateur to win the US Open, in 1913, it will take the form of a match between Britain and Ireland and the US for players aged 55 and over. Interestingly, Francis Ouimet shares a distinction with Carr in that he was the first American to be honoured with captaincy of the R and A in 1951.
With 12-member teams, the event will be played on similar lines to the Ryder Cup, and Carr is to be non-playing captain of the British and Irish line-up. And it is highly appropriate that the approach should have coincided with his 75th birthday, which was yesterday.
"It's great that they still remember me, even now with time running out," said Carr with a hearty laugh. "I no longer like to be reminded of my birthday, but the truth is that I've had 75 wonderful years."
Despite fierce, chilling winds sweeping the east coast yesterday, Carr attempted to celebrate his birthday with a round of golf at Portmarnock. "Fortunately, when I rang the club they advised me it was too miserable," he said.
Instead, he will have his regular Wednesday fourball there today (weather permitting), as Willie Grant's partner against Jimmy Joy and Bobby Cuddy. As a concession, Carr is allowed to use a buggy on medical grounds. "When I produced a letter to the honorary secretary, Moss Buckley, he said `It's a hearse, not a golf cart you need'," remarked Carr. "That's the sort of sympathy I got."
Easily the most successful amateur in the history of Irish golf, he has 40 important titles to his credit. Typically, his competitive instincts are still in evidence, even now that his activities are confined to social golf.
"I now play off 10 - well, kind of," he said, without much enthusiasm. "The truth is that I hate playing badly. In fact only the other day I went to the practice ground and hit about 300 balls to try to get my game into some sort of shape. I honestly feel that with about three weeks of solid practice, I could get down to six."
After winning the inaugural East of Ireland Championship as a 19-year-old in 1941, Carr had 11 further successes at Baltray. He also won the West of Ireland 12 times, the South three times, the Irish Close on six occasions and the Irish Amateur Open four times. The crowning glory, however, was his three victories in the British Amateur.
"He can claim to have been the best amateur in the British Isles from the second World War until Michael Bonallack became a dominant force," said Peter Alliss. "He was an extremely long hitter, employing - until he modified it - a swaying, slash of a swing with a pronounced lean into the shot and the right hand quite well under the shaft."
What was the most important win of his career? "Undoubtedly the 1953 British Amateur (in which he beat America's Harvie Ward by two holes in the final at Hoylake)," he replied. "That was the breakthrough. I believe I could have won it six times, but then again, I might never have won it."
And his biggest disappointment? "That was when I was overtaken by Christy (O'Connor) in the 1959 Dunlop Masters at Portmarnock," replied Carr. "I was four strokes ahead of Christy going into the last round and all I could hear from out on the course was cheer after cheer. I sensed I was in trouble."
In fact, O'Connor went on to overhaul Carr with a course record 66 for a winning aggregate of 276.
Looking towards next year's Ouimet Cup, which will be staged in the US, Carr went on: "It will be a wonderful occasion; a chance to get together again with a lot of old friends like Charlie Green and Michael Bonallack.
"The selection process has yet to be sorted out, but obviously we'll be looking at some of our own Walker Cup players like David Sheahan, Tom Craddock and David Madeley."
Carr had a relatively quiet 75th. His status and popularity in golf is such, however, as to ensure that there will always be another game or another occasion awaiting his involvement.
