Babe was very egotistical, but she could back it up. She once asked me to be her partner in the International Four Ball Tournament. She said, “Well, I have to have a partner, and you might as well win a tournament.” Babe was also really great at playing up to the press. Once, at an awards dinner in New York, she was asked, “Babe, what are you going to do next?” She said, “I believe I’ll play in the men’s U.S. Open this year.” The press believed it: the headlines all said babe to play in tournament. So the PGA called a meeting to bar women. Babe hadn’t really meant to play; she’d just said it. But afterwards she said, “Well, I got a lot of ink,” and we laughed about it.
She could play any sport: baseball, diving, tennis. She didn’t even learn to play golf until she was 25. Once we stayed at a home in Ft. Worth, where we were playing the Texas Open. The house had a pool table. Babe told the owner, “I’ll bet I’ll beat you at this before I leave here this week.” All week long, the minute she came back from the golf course she’d be shooting pool. By the time we left at the end of the week she was a very good pool player. She said, “You know, it’s good for my putting, learning all those angles.”
