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Crosscurrents

Billy Casper and the game of golf

Billy Casper's new book “The Big Three and Me” is about golfing in the time of Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, and Jack Nicklaus. Casper won  51 PGA tournaments altogether, including the Masters and another US Open. He’s now in the World Golf Hall of Fame. Heady stuff for a kid who grew up poor and moved from place to place with parents who weren’t around much to take care of him. But Billy Casper found the game of golf, and in the process he found a gift. KALW'S Ben Trefny asked him to reflect upon his life in the game.

"To win the Open not once but twice, and see how the people changed from Arnold’s army to Billy’s converts was an unbelievable experience," says Caseper. "It’s something that I’ll never forget the rest of my life. To be able to accomplish the goals you set for yourself is wonderful and I feel very blessed and lucky."

Listen to the complete hour-long interview here.

Crosscurrents
I joined KALW in 2003. As Executive News Editor and then News Director, I helped our news department win numerous regional and national awards for long- and short-form journalism. I've also helped create numerous training programs — for teenagers, incarcerated people, and early-career journalists — and have taught hundreds of audio producers. I served as interim Executive Director for nearly two years. My work is currently focused on creating original live events, programming, and building partnerships with like-minded organizations.