John Montague

By Joe Brown
Love of Sports Correspondent

His story has all the makings of a suspenseful Hollywood movie. To his famous friends; Babe Ruth, Bing Crosby, Oliver Hardy and Humphrey Bogart, he was known as John Montague. To the policemen in upstate New York he was known as LaVerne Moore, and he was wanted for armed robbery.

Moore left New York for Tinseltown in the 1930s, immediately after police named him a suspect in an armed robbery. An alleged getaway car in the robbery crashed and had Moore’s identification, clothes and briefcase in it

Moore, or Montague as he was now known, started to build his legendary reputation on public golf courses in Los Angeles. He would win bets by betting some poor sap that he could knock a bird off a wire from 150 yards away. More times than not, Montague would do it. He also routinely shot in the low 60s.

Montague’s budding fame eventually landed him an invitation to join the private Lakeside Golf Club. It was here that club members Hardy (who he would eventually room with), Crosby, Howard Hughes and W.C Fields were drawn to Montague’s skills on the links and his charming personality. He won the club championship in 1935 and could hit the ball over 300 yards. Quite a feat considering the clubs used back then.

Strangely, Montague refused to have his picture taken. He’d never talk about his past and avoided all publicity. He also wouldn’t participate in golf tournaments, even though he was considered the best golfer in the world. Despite his bizarre activity, nobody questioned who he was or how he appeared in L.A.

Montague once bet Crosby, a rabid golfer himself, that he could beat him by using only a bat, shovel and a garden rake. Crosby made par on the first hole and thought the bet was in the bag. Montague’s tee shot landed in the bunker, but he took out the shovel and knocked the ball stiff, about three feet from the hole. He then dropped his putt with the garden rake for birdie. Crosby had seen enough and conceded the match right there. Montague was so spectacular on the course that people seemed happy to lose money to him, just for the sheer entertainment of playing with the man.

In 1937, a Time magazine photographer found out Montague’s practice schedule and snuck onto the course. The photographer hid in the bushes and took photos of the “Mysterious Montague.” The pictures were published in the magazine and caught the attention of the police in the Adirondack region of upstate New York. Soon after Montague was brought to trial. When he returned to New York to defend his case, he wasn’t alone.

Many of his new friends, including Hardy, traveled to show their support. On request from Montague’s brilliant lawyer, most of them wrote character letters. He was found not guilty and no longer had to shy away from the public spotlight and even entered professional golf tournaments.

However, something happened to his once legendary skills. He missed the cut in the 1939 U.S Open, qualified again the following year, but shot a pedestrian like 77 and 73 to miss the cut. Once beloved by the media, he was now belittled by them.

Montague’s downward spiral was rapid. He eventually lived on welfare checks and died in a roach infested cheap motel.

Today, we have some Old School Love going out to one of the most fascinating, and largely unknown, athletes, John Montague.