Donald Ray Massengale Sr. (April 23, 1937 – January 2, 2007) was an American professional golfer who won tournaments on both the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour.
| Don Massengale | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Donald Ray Massengale Sr. |
| Nickname | Bugs Bunny[1] |
| Born | April 23, 1937 Jacksboro, Texas |
| Died | January 2, 2007 (aged 69) Conroe, Texas |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg; 13.9 st) |
| Sporting nationality |  United States |
| Career | |
| College | Texas Christian University |
| Turned professional | 1960 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions Tour |
| Professional wins | 8 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 2 |
| PGA Tour Champions | 2 |
| Other | 4 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | T45: 1968 |
| PGA Championship | 2nd: 1967 |
| U.S. Open | T15: 1972 |
| The Open Championship | DNP |
Career edit
Massengale was born in Jacksboro, Texas. He won the 1958 Texas Amateur Championship. He played collegiately at Texas Christian University and turned pro in 1960.
Massengale's two wins on the PGA Tour came in 1966 and he finished that year 26th on the money list. He finished among the top-60 money winners on the PGA Tour in 1962, 1966 and 1967. His best finish in a major was a 2nd at the 1967 PGA Championship where he lost to Don January in an 18-hole playoff (69-71).[2]
Massengale worked as a club pro in the Houston area in his 40s – between his PGA Tour and Senior PGA Tour careers. He won twice on the Senior PGA Tour (now Champions Tour), the 1990 Greater Grand Rapids Open and the 1992 Royal Caribbean Classic.
Massengale and wife Judy had two sons, Donnie and Mark, both of whom are golf teaching professionals. He also had a younger brother, Rik, who played 13 years on the PGA Tour.
Massengale died of a heart attack in Conroe, Texas.[3]
Amateur wins edit
- 1958 Texas Amateur Championship
Professional wins (8) edit
PGA Tour wins (2) edit
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jan 23, 1966 | Bing Crosby National Pro-Am | −5 (70-67-76-70=283) | 1 stroke |  Arnold Palmer
|
| 2 | Oct 2, 1966 | Canadian Open | −4 (70-70-70-70=280) | 3 strokes | Chi-Chi Rodríguez
|
PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1967 | PGA Championship | Don January
|
Lost 18-hole playoff; January: −3 (69), Massengale: −1 (71) |
Other wins (4) edit
- 1972 PGA Club Professional Championship, Westchester Open, Metropolitan Open
- 1975 Southern Texas PGA Championship
Senior PGA Tour wins (2) edit
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 16, 1990 | Greater Grand Rapids Open | −8 (69-65=134)* | 1 stroke | Terry Dill, Dave Hill, Larry Laoretti
|
| 2 | Feb 2, 1992 | Royal Caribbean Classic | −8 (70-70-65=205) | 1 stroke |  Gary Player
|
*Note: The 1990 Greater Grand Rapids Open was shortened to 36 holes due to rain.
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1988 | Senior Players Reunion Pro-Am |  Bob Charles, Orville Moody, Bobby Nichols
|
Moody won with birdie on first extra hole |
Results in major championships edit
| Tournament | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T49 | T45 | |||
| U.S. Open | CUT | T36 | CUT | ||
| PGA Championship | T28 | 2 | CUT |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 55 | |||||||||
| U.S. Open | T15 | CUT | ||||||||
| PGA Championship | CUT | T24 | CUT | T22 |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |||
| U.S. Open | |||
| PGA Championship | CUT |
Note: Massengale never played in The Open Championship.
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
U.S. national team appearances edit
- Diamondhead Cup/PGA Cup: 1973 (winners), 1982 (winners)
References edit
- ^ Desmith, David. "Golf's Animal Kingdom of Player Nicknames". Links Magazine. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
- ^ "Don Massengale". Golf Major Championships.
- ^ "Don Massengale, 69, Professional Golfer, Is Dead". The New York Times. Associated Press. January 11, 2007.
External links edit
- Don Massengale at the PGA Tour official site
- Obituary at PGA Tour.com