Edgar Mason Rudolph (May 23, 1934 – April 18, 2011)[1] was an American professional golfer who won five times on the PGA Tour.
| Mason Rudolph | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Edgar Mason Rudolph |
| Born | May 23, 1934 Clarksville, Tennessee |
| Died | April 18, 2011 (aged 76) Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 13 st) |
| Sporting nationality |  United States |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1958 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions Tour |
| Professional wins | 13 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 5 |
| Other | 8 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | 4th: 1965 |
| PGA Championship | T3: 1973 |
| U.S. Open | T8: 1966 |
| The Open Championship | DNP |
Early years and amateur career edit
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 edit
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 (more than 14) in his bag on the 12th hole of the match, which would have disqualified him in the match. After the match was over, Snead said he did not disqualify himself in order to not spoil the show.[5]
Honors and awards edit
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 (13) edit
PGA Tour wins (5) edit
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 27, 1959 | Golden Gate Championship | −9 (67-72-67-69=275) | 2 strokes |  Dow Finsterwald, Bob Goalby
|
| 2 | Oct 27, 1963 | Fig Garden Village Open Invitational | −13 (66-67-71-71=275) | 3 strokes | Tommy Aaron, Al Geiberger
|
| 3 | Mar 2, 1964 | Greater New Orleans Open Invitational | −5 (68-70-70-75=283) | 1 stroke | Jack Nicklaus, Chi-Chi Rodríguez, Glenn Stuart
|
| 4 | Aug 14, 1966 | Thunderbird Classic | −10 (69-70-70-69=278) | 1 stroke | Jack Nicklaus
|
| 5 | Sep 27, 1970 | Green Island Open Invitational | −6 (75-68-67-64=274) | 2 strokes | Chris Blocker
|
PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1963 | Portland Open Invitational |  George Knudson
|
Lost to eagle on first extra hole |
Other wins (8) edit
- 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
- 1969 Tennessee PGA Championship
- 1972 Tennessee Open
Results in major championships edit
| Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | |||||||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | ||||||||
| PGA Championship |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | T28 | T15 | T18 | 4 | CUT | T10 | T14 | 11 | |
| U.S. Open | CUT | T45 | T28 | T27 | T34 | T11 | T8 | T38 | CUT | CUT |
| PGA Championship | T22 | T37 | T23 | 4 | T20 | T22 | T28 | T17 | CUT |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | T14 | CUT | |
| U.S. Open | T27 | T42 | T40 | CUT | CUT |
| PGA Championship | T10 | T57 | T36 | T3 | T51 |
Note: Rudolph never played in The Open Championship.
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Summary edit
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 14 | 8 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 10 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 14 | 13 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 45 | 31 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 14 (1960 PGA – 1965 PGA)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1964 PGA – 1965 Masters)
U.S. national team appearances edit
Amateur
- Walker Cup: 1957 (winners)
Professional
References edit
- ^ "Mason Rudolph, 1959 Rookie of the Year, passes away". PGA Tour. April 19, 2011. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
- ^ "1950 U.S. Junior Amateur". USGA. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
- ^ a b c "Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame bio". Archived from the original on November 23, 2010. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
- ^ "1957 Walker Cup Match". USGA. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
- ^ "Sponsor Cancels After Snead TV Golf Incident". The Victoria Advocate. Victoria, Texas. Associated Press. April 9, 1960. p. 9.
- ^ "Mason Rudolph Golf Course". Retrieved August 4, 2010.
External links edit
- Mason Rudolph at the PGA Tour official site