Venturi Says Cart Would Be an Edge

Ken Venturi, who walked to victory in 100-degree heat at the 1964 U.S. Open despite severe dehydration, testified Thursday that allowing Casey Martin to ride a cart would give him an unfair advantage.

Venturi and fellow champions Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus were all called by the PGA Tour to portray walking as a fundamental part of tournament golf that makes it a test of athleticism and stamina.

The 66-year-old Venturi described his dramatic victory at Congressional Country Club outside Washington, where the heat and 95% humidity left him weak and forced other golfers to drop out. He said he lost eight pounds and had no memory of much of the final two rounds.

“A doctor recommended that I not continue to play. It could be fatal,” Venturi said. “I told the doctor I’d been waiting for this day my whole life and I went out.”

The testimony came after Martin’s lawyers rested their case seeking permission for him to ride a cart in pro golf tournaments under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

After Thursday’s proceedings, court recessed until Tuesday morning.

Venturi acknowledged that Martin’s disability puts him at a disadvantage to other golfers, taking perhaps 30 yards off his drive, which Martin’s lawyer said averages 285 yards.

“I’m not here to go against Casey Martin. I have the greatest admiration for him,” Venturi said. “But the idea is changing the rules. Where do you draw the line?”

In videotaped testimony, Nicklaus, 58, said golf carts would tarnish golf’s image on television, reinforcing the belief that it is a non-strenuous, country club activity.

“I think it looks terrible,” he said. “I just don’t think it’s part of the game of golf.

“I don’t think you could get off the first tee of a golf course if you had to determine who could have a golf cart and who could not.”

Palmer, also testifying on videotape, said carts would take the “physicalness” out of the game.

“A golf cart is a pretty relaxing way to get around the golf course and you would probably keep a lot more of the stamina,” he said. “Part of the game is the physical fitness built into your body so you can compete . . .

“I feel if we change this rule, we will change the nature of golf on the face of the earth.”

Afterward, Martin said he respected Venturi, Palmer and Nicklaus, “but I never considered them my idols.”