Just another day in the life of the “Dean of Golf Photographers,” as Kamsler has come to be known. From his first assignment for Golf Magazine in 1959 (shooting a caddie camp) to 40 straight years covering the Masters to sessions with the top players and personalities in the game over the past five decades, Kamsler always got the picture. On Tuesday, the PGA of America announced that Kamsler, 84, will receive its inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award in Photojournalism.

A native of Raleigh, N.C., Kamsler had two main interests when he graduated from Duke in 1957: magic and photography. He moved to New York City, and two days later got a job with Marilyn Monroe Productions, assisting a well-known photographer named Milton H. Green. “I worked for Milton for about a year, then went into the Army for six months—I was not a great soldier. After that, I started freelancing, and very quickly got that first job for Golf Magazine. Funny how that happened, because I was not a golfer. Forty-five years later, I was still shooting golf, but I never played a single round.”

Kamsler (left) with musician Fred (Too Slim) LaBour during a Country Music Hall of Fame event in 2018. Photo by Rick Diamond

Kamsler took assignments in other fields as well, working for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Disney on Ice and the Harlem Globetrotters. He even shot for country-music labels and medical journals. But golf was the constant. Known for his innovative techniques, he brought high-speed stroboscopic photography to golf in the 1970s using a Hulcher camera, developed to analyze football plays. Kamsler retooled his Hulcher to shoot 100 frames per second, more than 200 images for a single swing, and the frame-by-frame swing sequence was born.

“Leonard would see a new technology and find a way to apply it to golf,” says Dom Furore, senior photographer for Golf Digest. “And he always shared what he learned, always helped the other guys. Leonard got to the top without sharp elbows.”

Some highlights from Kamsler’s remarkable career, in his words.

Tale of Two Jacks

Of course, I shot Jack Nicklaus many times over the years, but two stand out. Keep in mind, Jack never liked doing pictures. One time at the 1983 Open at Oakmont, I was after him to get a swing sequence. He finally said OK, and to meet him on the practice tee, which was raised and great for hitting toward the camera. I got out in front of him, and he hit one right at my camera lens. If it missed by six inches, I’d be surprised. I was a little shaken, and by the time I checked my gear and looked up, he was gone. That was it—one ball. He knew we got it.

At another Open, my assignment was to capture how long players were standing over the ball. My editors had figured on average it was six seconds. So the idea was, get one shot when the player stepped in and another six seconds later. Fast players had already hit the ball, but others were still waggling. I was shooting from a TV tower behind one of the tees, and it was going great until Jack came along. He was one of the slower guys, so on my second click, he stopped and looked up at me. The Nicklaus look. I remember getting chewed out by Jim MacKay of ABC Sports. But Jack never held a grudge.

Jack Nicklaus at the Masters in 1966, the year he won his third of six green jackets. (Leonard Kamsler/Popperfoto)

Tiger at Twilight

I first shot Tiger the week after he turned pro, at the Quad Cities event. As you can imagine, everybody was trying to get Tiger that week. Butch Harmon, who I’d done a lot of shooting with, was with Tiger, and he talked him into doing it after the round. It was a day from hell, starting at 8 a.m., planning for every possible obstacle and finally getting the shots as we lost the sun. I got two drivers and an iron shot, with the Hulcher. Then the light was gone, couldn’t get another shot. Sometimes you know when you’re getting something really good. When I pushed the button on that first driver, I knew it was special.

A Raging Tom Weiskopf

One year at Augusta I was out following Tom Weiskopf. We knew each other from the time he was a rookie, always got along. He was coming down one fairway, hitting his second shot, and wherever it went, he sure didn’t like it. He went into a fit, threw his club, cursing, and I leaned on the button—wurrrrrrrrr. He looked right at me, and I had nowhere to hide, there was nobody else around. And he said, “Oh, Leonard, I thought we were friends.” Tom was famous for those outbursts, but still, I felt like a pig. I gotta say, that was a great picture.

Surviving a Shark Bite

Greg Norman was tough, but always very good to me. One time a writer and I went down to his home in Hobe Sound to shoot a bunker story in his backyard. We were supposed to shoot in the afternoon, and the writer said he was going over to interview Greg and that I should sleep in. Well, at about 9 o’clock, the phone rang. Greg was upset about something the magazine had written, and he wasn’t going to do the shoot. So I went to the house and hung around a while, but it wasn’t looking good. Finally, I said to Greg, “I’m sorry you’re not going to do it, because you’re wearing a great shirt.” He was; he had on a blazing red shirt. He paced around me four or five times, and finally smiled a little and said, “How long you reckon this will take?” We shot the story, and it ran on the cover. I knew he did that one for me.

Not my favorite photo

My editors sent me out once to shoot Ben Crenshaw, who was a sweet man but going through a slump. The idea was to shoot him sitting on his bag looking dejected. Ben was a good friend, and we had done a lot of stuff together. I knew I could follow him around for 20 years and not get that picture, so I said, “Ben, could I get a shot of you sitting on your bag?” And he said, “Sure, Leonard.” I had him look left, look right, then look up, down. When his eyes went down, I knew I had it. I felt terrible about that shot, and I pleaded with the editor not to use it. “It’s not an honest picture,” I said. I’m happy to say, that one never ran.

Ben Crenshaw with his first wife, Polly, from 1976. (Leonard Kamsler/Popperfoto)

The other Jack Nick

One of the more interesting celebrity assignments I got was to shoot Jack Nicholson playing golf. For the opener, I had an idea to have him hold a golf ball up to one eye like a monocle and give us that big grin. He was wearing a golf hat, and I wanted to get a better look at his face. I took a few shots, then asked him to tip the brim up a bit. He did, but it didn’t really move, so after a few more clicks, I reached over and nudged it up myself. He jumped up and said, “Nobody touches my hat! We’re done.” I think it was his way of saying I’d gotten enough. I still had to follow him on the course, but after a few holes, one of his handlers came up to me and said I had to leave. Luckily, I did have enough. And I understand he really liked the portrait.

Stalking Ben Hogan

Of course, everybody always wanted a sequence of Hogan, but he didn’t like anyone shooting his swing. After he retired, he came back and played a Champions Tour event in Houston, so I got an urgent call to go out and try again. The first couple days I showed up first thing, but Hogan never came to the practice tee. By mid-week, I asked one of the guys in the bag room why Hogan never hit balls before his round. He told me he did hit balls, at another area on the property. So the next morning I schlepped the Hulcher out, through the woods, to this remote spot, and sure enough, there was Hogan with his caddie. But as soon as he saw me with the camera, he put his club in the bag and off they went. That was the closest I ever got to getting Hogan, but I’ve done OK.

More of Kamsler’s Best Work

Our visuals editor, Ben Walton, went through a selection of Kamsler’s photos available from Getty Images, and identified several of his favorites, some of which appear above, and the rest you can see below.

Arnold Palmer during the 1960 Masters. (Leonard Kamsler/Popperfoto)

Seve Ballesteros in his swimming pool at his home in Pedrena, Spain, shot in 1986. (Leonard Kamsler/Popperfoto)

Lee Trevino making a face, circa 1987. (Leonard Kamsler/Popperfoto)

Upon becoming the first African-American to compete in the Masters in 1975, Lee Elder poses with his wife, Rose Harper. (Leonard Kamsler/Popperfoto)

Laura Baugh, circa 1974. (Leonard Kamsler/Popperfoto)

Seve Ballesteros practices in front of a mirror at his home in Spain, from 1986. (Leonard Kamsler/Popperfoto)

Fred Couples playing basketball, circa 1990. (Leonard Kamsler/Popperfoto)

Bobby Clampett offers an over-the-top reaction for Kamsler’s camera in 1985. (Leonard Kamsler/Popperfoto)

Jerry Pate, with his wife Soozi, being interviewed after winning the 1976 U.S. Open at the Atlanta Athletic Club. (Leonard Kamsler/Popperfoto)

Sergio Garcia poses in 1999 at the start of his pro career. (Leonard Kamsler/Popperfoto)

Arnold Palmer sits in the cockpit of his Cessna Citation private jet at home in in Latrobe, Pa., circa 1982. (Leonard Kamsler/Popperfoto)

Tony Lema offers instruction to American servicemen, circa 1964. (Leonard Kamsler/Popperfoto)

Tom Kite in action, circa 1973. (Leonard Kamsler/Popperfoto)

The post Leonard Kamsler: A Life in Pictures appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Alex Myers

Tiger Woods’ grasp on the PGA Tour’s all-time money list is nothing new, but a new graphic showing the history of said list is making the rounds. And it’s staggering.

Data Golf is behind the (literally) moving chart that tells the story of the tour’s top career earners from 1990 to present day. It begins with Tom Kite in the poll position until Greg Norman overtakes him in June of 1995. But once Tiger, who didn’t turn pro until the following summer, jumps to the top spot in March of 2000, he is off to the races. Check it out:

Career Earnings Leaders on the PGA Tour from 1990-2018:

Interact with the full viz, which includes top 100 ranked players from 1983, here: https://t.co/EEOTakWVFE pic.twitter.com/TjoKUvGpXg

— data golf (@DataGolf) April 1, 2019

Before Tiger’s 2009 scandal broke, he had earned $92.86 million in 13 years as a pro. At the time, Vijay Singh was second at $60.55 and Phil was third at $55.75. Although, Woods hasn’t been the same force in the past decade, but by the end of 2018, he still held a similar lead over his two closest followers with $115.2 million in earnings compared to Mickelson ($88.07) and Singh ($69.52). Of course, this makes sense considering Woods’ 80 career PGA Tour titles is more than the combined 78 wins of those two players.

Incredibly, Woods crossed the $100 million mark in September of 2012 and yet, six-and-a-half years later, no one else has come close. And there’s a chance no one else will for a long time. Mickelson passed $90 million earlier this year, but he turns 49 in June. And of the other current top 15, only Dustin Johnson, 34 and closing in on $60 million, has a real shot at it. Of course, younger stars like Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, and Justin Thomas still have plenty of time to get there. But it will require exactly that.

Meanwhile, Woods, who is largely responsible for the increase in PGA Tour money during this recent era, became the PGA Tour’s all-time money leader during his mythical 2000 campaign. At the remarkably young age of 24. And he hasn’t had anyone closing on him in the rearview mirror in the two decades since.

The post Incredible graphic shows history of PGA Tour’s all-time money list (And yes, Tiger Woods’ dominance) appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

“It never occurred to me that Los Angeles would be my last win,” Kite said, years later. “When you’ve just won, you’re playing great and there’s no reason to think you aren’t going to win again. But at some point, it doesn’t happen. There’s just no way to see it coming.”

On July 21, 2013, Phil Mickelson played arguably the greatest high-stakes round of his Hall-of-Fame career, shooting 66 at Muirfield Golf Links to come from behind and win the Open Championship—the major he had long thought was the one he was least likely to win. It was his fifth major title, his 42nd victory on the PGA Tour, and there was absolutely no reason to believe at that moment that there wouldn’t be more to come.

After all, he had almost won the U.S. Open at Merion a month earlier, finishing second to Justin Rose, and he’d won wire-to-wire at Phoenix early in the year after an opening-round 60. Mickelson was 43 and there were lots of wins to come.

Four-and-a-half years later, his victory totals are the same: 5 and 42. On Sunday, he finished tied for second place in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. It was the sixth time since that historic day at Muirfield that he had finished alone or in a share of second—including runner-ups in three other majors (2014 PGA to Rory McIlroy, 2015 Masters to Jordan Spieth and 2016 Open at Troon to Henrik Stenson in their remarkable two-man Sunday shootout).

Related: How Ted Potter Jr. took down DJ, Phil and J-Day at Pebble Beach

Clearly, at 47, Mickelson can still play. He can hit it long enough, and his short game is often a sight to behold, filled with all his quirky, unique shots. His mantra, repeated almost daily it would seem, is, “I still believe I have a lot of good golf left in me.”  

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
Mickelson’s game is beautiful and maddening all at the same time.

Last year was the first time since the win at Muirfield that he didn’t have at least one runner-up finish. His year in the majors was abysmal: a tie for 22nd at Augusta and missed cuts at the Open Championship and the PGA. He skipped the U.S. Open to be at his daughter Amanda’s high school graduation.

Once again, the whispers began: Is Phil done? Mickelson has heard them before—often. For a long time he heard that he was destined to be just another rich golfer with a lot of endorsements, but no major titles.

Then came his breakthrough at the 2004 Masters when he was 33—the same age Tom Watson was when he won the last of his eight majors.

He heard them again after his mental meltdown on the 18th hole at Winged Foot in the 2006 U.S. Open. Few players had ever come back from that sort of disaster to win another major. Mickelson won the Masters for a third time in 2010 and then won at Muirfield three years later.

In the summer of 2015, as he struggled week-to-week trying to make the Presidents Cup team on points, the whispers were there again. He finished 30th on the points list, but Jay Haas skipped over 18 players on the list to make him a captain’s pick for the simple reason that he was Phil Mickelson. There were very few complaints, and his 3-0-1 performance proved Haas’ faith in him was warranted.

But what would happen the next year if he was way down the Ryder Cup points list? Mickelson had been the driving force behind the so-called, “Task Force,” that had named Davis Love III the U.S. captain for a second time. Would Love be left in the awkward position of having to pick Mickelson over players who had clearly out-played him? The Ryder Cup is very serious business, quite different than the Presidents Cup, which is about one step above hit-and-giggle golf for the U.S. nowadays.

Mickelson removed any doubt early with six top-five finishes before the end of July, the last of his three second-places coming in the Troon shootout. He finished third on the points list and went 2-1-1 at Hazeltine National during the memorable American team win.

Then came the disappointing 2017 season. Of course following Mickelson has always been a roller-coaster ride: year-to-year; week-to-week; hole-to-hole. He’s heard the whispers repeatedly and always found a way to bounce back one more time.

Chris Condon/PGA Tour
No matter how long it’s been since Mickelson last won a PGA Tour event, he remains a fan favorite wherever he goes.

This season has gotten off to an encouraging start with a T-3 last October in Napa; a T-5 two weeks ago at Phoenix and Sunday’s T-2 at Pebble Beach, topped off by Sunday’s five-under-par 67.

Mickelson is always relentlessly upbeat, and Sunday was no different. “I had a great week,” he said. “I would have liked to have played a little better early today, but I got myself to the point of feeling a little nervous with the birdies at 14, 16 and 17, which is a good feeling. I’m really looking forward to [this coming week at] Riviera.”

He’s won twice at Riviera and been in contention there more often than not. Mickelson would love to win this week if only to get rid of the sentence that begins, “he has not won since 2013 … ” Of course, winning again would be nice but it isn’t necessarily his goal.

“At this point in my career, I don’t have many goals left,” he said last year. “Obviously, I want to win the U.S. Open, that’s one. And I want to play on the national teams at least through the 2020 Ryder Cup.” He paused and added: “I will play the Ryder Cup in Paris and at Whistling Straits. I’m sure I’ll do that.”

Mickelson has played on every American team in the Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup since 1994—23 straight appearances. As long as he continues to play the way he has so far this season, or baring injury, he’s essentially a lock for Paris—if not on points then as one of Jim Furyk’s captain’s picks.

Winning the U.S. Open, after six career runner-up finishes, presents a different sort of challenge. You can’t be picked, you can’t finish in the top eight on a points list. You have to beat the entire field. The U.S. Open is at Shinnecock Hills this year. The last time it was played there in 2004, Mickelson finished second to Retief Goosen. There are memories, for sure from that Sunday finish, ones that he could dwell on or that could fuel him. That’s all up to him.

Mickelson’s birthday always falls at some point during U.S. Open week. This year it will be on Saturday. If he can “play some good golf,” for four days on the eastern end of Long Island he might finally get the belated birthday present he’s craved for years.

And if that was his last win, he would certainly walk away with a smile on his face.

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