Bud Lewis, American golfer, oldest living member of the Professional Golfers’ Association of America, died from natural causes he was 103.
Lewis became a member of the PGA in May 1931, and became the first
member in PGA history to reach 80 years of membership. Lewis won two
major golf tournaments, the Philadelphia Open Championship in 1942 and 1950. Lewis qualified for the PGA Championship four times, and the U.S. Open
three times. Starting in 1943, Lewis served as the Pro at
Manufacturer’s Golf & Country Club for 37 years. He was inducted
into the Philadelphia section of the PGA Hall of Fame in 1996. He died
in Wyncote, Pennsylvania
of natural causes on November 22, 2011. His wife Regina had predeceased
him. He was survived by two sons, a daughter, 12 grandchildren and 18
great grandchildren.[1]
To see more of who died in 2011 click here
Paul Harney, American golfer, died he was 82.
Paul Harney was an American professional golfer and golf course owner who spent part of his career as a full-time PGA Tour player, but mostly was a club professional, part-time Tour player, and owner-operator of his own course died he was 82..
(July 11, 1929 – August 24, 2011)
Harney was born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts. He attended the College of the Holy Cross, which is located in his hometown; and was captain of the golf team.
Harney played full-time on the PGA Tour from 1955 to 1962; and
part-time from 1963 to 1973. During that time, he won six PGA Tour
events. His first win came at the 1957 Carling Open; he won his second
PGA Tour event just two weeks later at the Labatt Open. In 1963 at the
prime of his career, he fulfilled a promise made to his wife, Patricia,
that when their oldest child started school, he would only play the tour
on a part-time basis.[1] He took his first club pro job at Sunset Oaks in northern California, where he stayed a couple years. He then moved his family across the country to Sutton, Massachusetts, where he took the club pro’s job at Pleasant Valley Country Club.[1]
Harney had a great deal of success in major championships, placing in the top-10 six times. His best finish in a major was 4th at the 1963 U.S. Open; however, he also finished in the top-8 four times at The Masters in the 1960s.
Harney has received many honors and awards. In 1957, he received Golf Digest’s Most Improved Golfer
award. He was inducted into the Holy Cross Varsity Club Hall of Fame in
June 1963. In 1974, he earned “PGA Golf Professional of the Year”
honors. In 1995, he became the first inductee into the New England Golf
Hall of Fame. On September 8, 2005, Harney was enshrined into the PGA
Golf Professional Hall of Fame.
As his competitive playing days were winding down, Harney used his prize money to open his own course in East Falmouth, Massachusetts,
which he owned until his death. His daughter Erin is the general
manager, and son Mike is the head pro. Harney had six children with his
wife Patricia.
Professional wins (11)
PGA Tour wins (6)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jun 23, 1957 | Carling Open Invitational | -9 (275) | 3 strokes |  Dow Finsterwald |
| 2 | Jul 7, 1957 | Labatt Open | -10 (69-69-70-70=278) | 1 stroke | George Bayer |
| 3 | Mar 15, 1959 | Pensacola Open | -19 (69-65-65-70=269) | 3 strokes | Jay Hebert |
| 4 | Jan 6, 1964 | Los Angeles Open | -4 (71-72-66-71=280) | 1 stroke | Bobby Nichols |
| 5 | Jan 11, 1965 | Los Angeles Open | -8 (68-71-68-69=276) | 3 strokes | Dan Sikes |
| 6 | Jan 30, 1972 | Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational | -13 (68-71-66-70=275) | 1 stroke | Hale Irwin |
PGA Tour playoff record (0-1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1963 | Thunderbird Classic | Arnold Palmer |
Lost to par on first extra hole |
Other wins (5)
- 1967 Massachusetts Open
- 1968 Massachusetts Open
- 1969 Massachusetts Open
- 1970 Massachusetts Open
- 1977 Massachusetts Open
To see more of who died in 2011 click here
Mason Rudolph, American golfer died he was , 76.
Edgar Mason Rudolph ( was an American golfer who won five times on the PGA Tour died he was , 76..
| May 23, 1934 – April 18, 2011) |
Early years and amateur career
Rudolph was born in Clarksville, Tennessee. He won the U.S. Junior Amateur in 1950.[2] In 1956, he won the Western Amateur and the Tennessee State Open (as an amateur). He played on the 1957 Walker Cup team.[3][4]
Professional career
Rudolph turned professional in 1958; he joined the PGA Tour in 1959 and was Rookie of the Year. He won five official PGA Tour events during his career. Rudolph also won the Tennessee State Open five times as a pro (1959, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1972). He played on the 1971 Ryder Cup team.[3]
In December 1960, Rudolph took part in a controversial match against Sam Snead. Snead decided to deliberately lose the televised match during its final holes after he discovered he had too many golf clubs in his bag on the 12th hole of the match. The too many clubs in his bag would have caused him to be immediately disqualified After the match was over, Snead said he did not disqualify himself in order to not spoil the show.[5]
Honors and awards
Rudolph was inducted as a charter member of the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame in 1990.[3] A 9-hole, regulation-length golf course in his hometown is named for him.[6] A men’s and a women’s collegiate golf tournament also bears his name.
Professional wins (12)
PGA Tour wins (5)
|
No.
|
Date
|
Tournament
|
Winning Score
|
Margin of Victory
|
Runner(s)-up
|
|
1
|
Sep 27, 1959
|
-9 (67-72-67-69=275)
|
2 strokes
|
||
|
2
|
Oct 27, 1963
|
-13 (66-67-71-71=275)
|
3 strokes
|
||
|
3
|
Mar 2, 1964
|
-5 (68-70-70-75=283)
|
1 stroke
|
||
|
4
|
Aug 15, 1966
|
-10 (69-70-70-69=278)
|
1 stroke
|
||
|
5
|
Sep 27, 1970
|
-6 (75-68-67-64=274)
|
2 strokes
|
Other wins (7)
- 1956 Tennessee Open (as an amateur)
- 1959 Tennessee Open
- 1962 Haig & Haig Scotch Foursome (with Kathy Whitworth)
- 1963 Tennessee Open
- 1964 Tennessee Open
- 1966 Tennessee Open
- 1972 Tennessee Open
Results in major championships
|
Tournament
|
1950
|
1951
|
1952
|
1953
|
1954
|
1955
|
1956
|
1957
|
1958
|
1959
|
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
CUT
|
DNP
|
|
|
CUT
|
CUT
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Tournament
|
1960
|
1961
|
1962
|
1963
|
1964
|
1965
|
1966
|
1967
|
1968
|
1969
|
|
CUT
|
T28
|
DNP
|
T15
|
T18
|
4
|
CUT
|
T10
|
T14
|
11
|
|
|
CUT
|
T45
|
T28
|
T27
|
T34
|
T11
|
T8
|
T38
|
CUT
|
CUT
|
|
|
T22
|
T37
|
DNP
|
T23
|
4
|
T20
|
T22
|
T28
|
T17
|
CUT
|
|
Tournament
|
1970
|
1971
|
1972
|
1973
|
1974
|
|
CUT
|
DNP
|
CUT
|
T14
|
CUT
|
|
|
T27
|
T42
|
T40
|
CUT
|
CUT
|
|
|
T10
|
T57
|
T36
|
T3
|
T51
|
Note: Rudolph never played in The Open Championship.
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
“T” indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10.
U.S. national team appearances
Amateur
- Walker Cup: 1957 (winners)
Professional
To see more of who died in 2010 click here
Billy Joe Patton, American golfer died he was , 88.
William Joseph Patton was an American amateur golfer best known for almost winning the 1954 Masters Tournament died he was , 88..
(April 19, 1922[1] – January 1, 2011[2])
Patton was born in Morganton, North Carolina. He graduated from Wake Forest University in 1943.
In 1954, Patton came within one stroke of being in a three-man playoff with Ben Hogan and Sam Snead for the championship. His final round 71 included a hole-in-one on the par-3 6th hole and a double bogey on the par-5 13th hole when he tried to reach the green in two and put his ball into Rae’s Creek.
Patton won several amateur tournaments including the North and South Amateur three times and the Southern Amateur twice. He also won the Carolinas Open twice.
Patton played on five Walker Cup teams; 1955, 1957, 1959, 1963, and 1965 and was captain of the 1969 team. He played on the Eisenhower Trophy team in 1958 and 1962.
Patton was awarded the Bob Jones Award by the United States Golf Association in 1982.
Patton was inducted into several Halls of Fame:
- North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1967[3]
- Wake Forest University’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1974[4]
- Southern Golf Association Hall of Fame in 1975[5]
- Carolinas Golf Reporters Association Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame in 1981[6]
Tournament wins
- 1947 Carolinas Amateur
- 1951 Carolinas Open
- 1952 Carolinas Open (tied with Bobby Locke)
- 1954 North and South Amateur
- 1958 Carolinas Amateur
- 1961 Southern Amateur, Azalea Invitational, Carolinas Amateur
- 1962 North and South Amateur
- 1963 North and South Amateur
- 1964 North Carolina Amateur
- 1965 Southern Amateur
- 1979 Carolinas Senior Amateur
- 1981 Carolinas Senior Amateur
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | 3 LA | T49 | T12 | CUT | 8 LA | T8 | T13 LA | CUT | CUT | 48 | T37 | CUT | CUT |
| U.S. Open | CUT | DNP | T36 | T54 | T6 LA | DNP | 13 | T8 LA | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP |
LA = Low Amateur
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
“T” indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10
To see more of who died in 2010 click here
Kterrl's Favorites 