“HOW ARE YOU DOING, TOMMY?” I asked in late May.
I called Tommy Bolt at his home in Arkansas and was told he was in a local nursing home. We had a brief conversation, and Tommy asked me to call back in a couple of weeks. He didn’t feel like talking that day.
Three weeks later we had a longer phone conversation. It was a delight. Bolt is a character, to say the least. His memory was failing, but he remembered enough to talk about his U.S. Open win, the PGA Tour in the old days and Ben Hogan.
Tommy died within the last few days. He was 92.
Tommy “Thunder” Bolt was a 15-time winner on the PGA Tour, including the 1958 U.S. Open at Southern Hills. Bolt had 13 top tens in majors.
I will review my tape and notes and bring you the Bolt interview later, probably after the Ryder Cup.
−The Armchair Golfer