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Showing posts from March, 2022

That Time Gene Sarazen Chased an Intruder Out of His Hotel Room With His Driver

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You probably know that Gene Sarazen won the 1935 Masters in a playoff after scoring his famous double eagle in the final round. That's how the tournament ended for Sarazen. But do you know how that tournament started for Sarazen? It started with him using his driver to chase a thief out of his hotel room at 4 in the morning.

Ameritech Senior Open (Champions Tour) Golf Tournament

The Ameritech Senior Open (called the SBC Senior Open its last few years) was a pro golf tournament on the Champions Tour, the men's senior tour in the U.S. It was played in the Midwest, taking place over the years in Ohio, Michigan and Illinois. It was scheduled for 54 holes.

Monday Qualifiers Who Won on the Champions Tour

Has a golfer ever played his way into a golf tournament on the Champions Tour through the Monday qualifier and then won that tournament? Yes — and it has happened more on the senior circuit than on any other U.S.-based tour.

John Paul Cain: From Stockbroker to Champions Tour Winner

John Paul Cain didn't turn pro as a golfer until he was 52. Then he embarked on an improbable Champions Tour career in which he won tournaments both as a Monday qualifier and as a sponsor exemption.

Do Masters Champions Get to Keep the Green Jacket?

Each year after the conclusion of The Masters Tournament, the winner is presented with the club's famous "Green Jacket." But what happens after the presentation ceremony is over — does the golfer get to keep the jacket?

The Golfer Who Aced a Par-4 But Didn't Get a Hole-in-One

On March 26, 2015, on the 17th hole of the AT&T Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio, during the first round of the PGA Tour's Texas Open, Aaron Baddeley did something remarkable: He holed out a drive on the par-4. But it was not a hole-in-one.

Who Was the First Masters Champion to Get the Green Jacket?

The Green Jacket is awarded every year to the winner of The Masters Tournament in one of the most well-known traditions in golf. But who was the first golfer to be awarded the Green Jacket after winning The Masters?

When and Where Was Tiger Woods' Pro Debut?

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Tiger Woods left the ranks of amateur golfers and turned professional way back in 1996. But do you know exactly where he made his pro debut, and how he fared in that tournament?

Largest Margins of Victory in The Masters Tournament

What is the most strokes by which anyone has won The Masters Tournament? The largest margin of victory in any Masters is 12 strokes. That is also the only double-digit win; there really haven't been a lot of Masters blowouts.

Joe Turnesa: Profile of the Golfer and His Wins

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Joe Turnesa won more than a dozen PGA Tour tournaments in the 1920s and 1930s, becoming the winningest member of the famous family of golfing brothers. He came close to winning two majors, too, only being denied by two of the biggest names in golf history.

News Chronicle Tournament Winners and History

The News Chronicle Tournament was a men's pro tournament that ran from the mid-1930s into the early 1950s, with a break due to World War II. It was named after its sponsor, the Brighton, England, newspaper.

Tiger Woods' USGA Championship Wins

The United States Golf Association (USGA) stages the biggest golf tournaments in the United States for amateurs and professionals. How many of those USGA championships has Tiger Woods won?

Golfers With Most 2nd-Place Finishes in The Masters

Which golfers have finished second most often in The Masters Tournament? Three very good golfers share that record, which is four second-place finishes.

Arnold Palmer in The Masters: Wins, Yearly Scores and Finishes

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Arnold Palmer was the first golfer to win The Masters four times, and the first golfer to play the tournament 50 times. In fact, Palmer played in The Masters for 50 consecutive years, beginning in 1955 and continuing through 2004. Following is a look at Palmer's four wins, plus his scores and finish in every Masters Tournament he played.

The Tour Player Who Aced Back-to-Back Holes — Including a Par-4

Did you know that a European tour golfer once made holes-in-one on back-to-back holes during tournament play? And that one of them happened on a par-4 hole ? It's true, and it's also the only known time a tour player, during a tour event, aced consecutive holes.

Cecil Leitch: Profile of English Golf Champion

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Cecil Leitch was an English amateur golfer who was the dominant player in British Women's golf in the 1910s and part of the 1920s. Although World War I undoubtedly cost her victories, she won the French Ladies Amateur five times, the British women's Amateur a record four times, and had multiple other significant wins.

Meaning of Old Golf Handicap Term 'Receiving a Half'

In older golf books and periodicals, one sometimes runs across accounts of matches in which one golfer is said to have "received a half." What does that mean? It's an old golf handicapping term that we're going to explain.

How to Play the Trouble Golf Game

"Trouble" is the name of a golf side game in which the object is to "earn" the fewest points, because points are "awarded" for negative achievements: things like hitting into water or 3-putting.

'Big Break Mesquite' Winner, Cast Members

Big Break Mesquite was the eighth season of the Golf Channel's reality/competition television series, in which golfers competed in challenges and matches for prizes including money and exemptions into tour events.

Masters Top Finishes: Most Top 5s, Top 10s, Top 25s in Career

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In the history of The Masters Tournament, which golfers have recorded the most Top 5 finishes? How about finishing in the Top 10 most often? You can view those lists here, along with the golfers who had the most Top 25 finishes.

Masters Tournament Records

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Which golfers have posted the best scores for nine, 18 and 72 holes at The Masters Tournament? Who won the most, finished second the most, posted the most Top 10s? Who played the most, ran off the longest birdie streak, made the most eagles? All these Masters tournament records and more are included here.

Byron Nelson in 1945: 18 Wins, 11 in a Row, All His Scores and Finishes

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What's the most-famous year of any golfer in PGA Tour history? What's the best year any golfer has ever had on the PGA Tour? "Byron Nelson in 1945" is an answer to both those questions that immediately comes to mind. Perhaps only Tiger Woods' 2000 season is really in the running as a challenge to Nelson's incredible 1945 achievements. So we're going to run down what Nelson did on the PGA Tour in 1945, looking at every tournament he played.

Sam Byrd: From New York Yankees to Pro Golf Champion

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After his Major League Baseball career ended, Sam Byrd embarked on a new career as a professional golfer. And he was a pretty good one, winning a half-dozen times on the PGA Tour. He challenged Byron Nelson multiple times in Nelson's record-setting 1945 year, including in the final match of the PGA Championship. And Byrd has the distinction of being the only person who has played in both baseball's World Series and golf's Masters Tournament.

Double Eagle vs. Albatross: Which Term Should Golfers Use?

What is the term golfers use for a score of 3-under par on a hole? That is albatross. No, wait, it's double eagle. No, it's albatross. It's double eagle — it's both. Both terms are used by golfers, and some golfers have strong opinions about which of the two terms is correct.

7th Hole at Augusta National: Pampas

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Par: Par 4 Length: 450 yards Name: Pampas The No. 7 hole at Augusta National Golf Club is a tight driving hole that requires accuracy off the tee.

World Match Play Championship (Former Golf Tournament)

The World Match Play Championship was a men's professional golf tournament played from the 1960s into the 2010s. It might best be remembered as the Volvo World Match Play Championship, since the car-maker was the last of several title sponsors.

6th Hole at Augusta National: Juniper

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Par: Par 3 Length: 180 yards Name: Juniper The No. 3 hole at Augusta National Golf Club is a straighforward par-3 that, playing downhill, lets many Masters participants today play it with a short iron.

Eben Byers: U.S. Amateur Champ Who Had Horrific Death

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Eben Byers was a winner of the U.S. Amateur Championship in 1906, and he was a finalist in the championship match on two other occasions. But he is better-known to history for the gruesome death he suffered, and its impact on safety regulations in the United States.