Page 38 - PPA National Championship 2022

Marcellino’s stroke was, and is, brief and rapid. The development of his

stroke may be due to several factors. First, one must be aware of the course

conditions and rules in the late 1960s. The carpets were very fast, and the
rule for spacing was the length of the putter head, not the prescribed length

of the current allowance, designated on scorecards. So, the backstroke was

very restrictive when the ball finished against a rail or obstacle. The other
influence with the development of his stroke came from his father, who was

a barber by trade and had never played golf. His father’s practical thinking
kept Marcellino’s stroke compact and accurate. His father’s wisdom? Keep

the back stroke short and mistakes are avoided. Marcellino is still using the

philosophy.

By 1968, Ricky Smith, at the age of 18, was a three-year professional and had

yet to win the National Championship. Marcellino was just finishing high

school and in June, his dad gave him a graduation gift: a Greyhound bus
ticket to Montgomery, Alabama to play on Russ Maddox’s course in the

Southern Open. It was a generous gift for the 17-year-old, since Marcellino

had the desire to continue to test his skills against the best players in the
game. That could only be done at the National Tour level and Montgomery,

Alabama was the next stop on the National Tour. It was a 24-hour bus
trip…with many stops. At one of the

bus stops, playing on the station

television, was the news bulletin of
Robert Kennedy being assassinated.

Marcellino made it to Montgomery

but had no place to stay and only
knew a few folks – but the PPA

players are a family – as it is today,

and Daryl Freeman and Ken Boy
invited the youngster to stay with

them.