Once upon a time, Scotty Probasco and his far more famous golfing partner and wife, Betty “Spark” Probasco, found themselves on the prestigious Seminole Golf Club’s 17th tee box, its enticing par 3 straight ahead, their somewhat friendly match tied.
Because Scotty had been a scratch golfer in his own right at Baylor School, then Dartmouth, he expertly hit the green with his tee shot, the ball stopping no more than a foot from the cup.
Understandably proud of his near-certain birdie, he then turned to Spark and said, “Jump on that, Mama.”
But Betty Pro — as many have long called the woman whom most of the South and beyond view as the greatest amateur golfer of her day — neither flinched nor faltered in the face of her trash-talking hubby.
Instead, she effortlessly hit a hole-in-one, then turned to Scotty and said, “How’s that?” as he fell backward to the turf in mock horror. It may have been the only time in his life he failed to celebrate another person’s success with his trademark line, “Great work.”