His drinking, and the war years, meant that it was close to a decade before Laffoon won again, in Montgomery in 1946, but he was obviously in decline. His last win came in 1950 in Illinois and he retired soon after, aged only 42.
In later years he was reported to still be up to his old hustling tricks, including a wonderful tale told of him once spotting a "mark" at Schifferdecker, a lanky player with rusty clubs. He asked the stranger his handicap and was told 15, to which he responded that he was a 16 himself, but would be willing to play straight up for a $50 Nassau. Later he was seen trudging morosely around the clubhouse and was asked if he had lost. He replied, "No, but you just can’t trust people these days. I had to shoot a 67 to beat the lying son-of-a-b—!"
In 1982 Ky was diagnosed with inoperable cancer and in 1984 he made a final visit to the armoury in his car trunk. He was later found dead in his home having shot himself.
In all, Ky Laffoon won 12 professional tournaments, six in that magical 12-month stretch from 1933-1934, and had 12 top-10 finishes in the Majors. While his tale is truly one of unfulfilled potential and ultimately tragedy, it is also that of a unique character and a hugely popular man who brought fun and colour into a game that can at times be all too serious. - MW
