Thursday, June 20, 1996

Charles Coody credits son with turning game around

By AL PICKETT
Sports Editor

Even Charles Coody admits his win at the Canadian Senior Open last weekend was a surprise.

And no wonder. Consider these facts:

* The 58-year-old Abilenian hadn't won an event on the Senior PGA Tour since 1991.
* In 41 rounds this year prior to last week' tournament in Ancaster, Ontario, Coody had posted a score in the 60s only twice.

But Coody fired rounds of 69-70-67-65 for a 9-under-par 271 total and a one-stroke victory over Larry Mowrey. His $165,000 first-place check was nearly fourtimes more than he had earned the entire year prior to the Canadian championship.

So what happened?

"I didn't hit as many horrible shots as I have been," said Coody, who has always been known for his excellent ball-striking ability. "When I did, I recovered. Those things happen when you win."
Coody began the final round four strokes behind the leader Mowrey.

"It's been a while since Larry had won, too," he said. "In the last 21/2 years, I hadn't been in contention very many times. So I think hanging on to the lead was harder on him."

Even though Coody began the day four strokes off the pace in seventh place, he felt like he had a chance to win.

"I'm thinking go out and shoot a hot round," he said. "Four shots back and only six between you and the lead, you have a chance. I honestly thought the winning score would be 10 or 11 under."

But Mowrey posted an even-par 70 and the other contenders failed to mount a charge, making Coody's 5-under 65 good enough for the one-stroke victory.

It was appropriate that Coody's first win on the Senior Tour in five years came on Father's Day, because he credits his son Kyle with helping turn his game around.

Kyle, a former Cooper and University of Texas golfer who is still trying to make it as a professional golfer, flew in to Augusta, Ga., in April to join his father on the 25th anniversary of Coody's greatest triumph, his win at The Masters in 1971.

"Kyle and Dana Ballinger, a guy he's been working with in Dallas, took some film of me hitting the ball," Coody said. "They told me a few things that I was doing wrong, but as hard-headed as I am, I just accepted some of it."

Kyle caddied for his father the next month at a Senior Tour event in Nashville, Tenn.

"At Nashville, he convinced me to work on some things," he said. "It was nothing dramatic, just weight transfer and being aggressive through the swing. The last several weeks, I felt I hit it better, even though my scores didn't show it."

Coody took the week off before the Canadian Senior Open and came back to Abilene, playing golf with friends and working on his swing.

Appropriately, Kyle was in Ontario last week to caddie for his father, only the third time he's done that this year.

"I told Kyle I didn't want him caddying for me and trying to play, too," Coody said. "But he called me last week and said he was trying to qualify for a Nike tournament. If he didn't make it, he wanted to come to Canada to caddie for me. He said it wouldn't interfere with his playing because he was taking next week off to be in a wedding of an old high school friend in Abilene."

Kyle missed the cut for the Nike Tour event in Knoxville, Tenn., so he joined his father in Ontario.
"It wasn't a bad payday for him, either," Coody said, laughing. "He was extremely helpful."