Art Wall Jr.
Art Wall Jr. | ||
---|---|---|
PGA Player of the Year 1959 | | |
Vardon Trophy | 1959 |
Art Wall Jr. | |
---|---|
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | U.S. Army Air Forces |
Years of service | 1943–1946 |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Arthur Jonathan Wall Jr. (November 25, 1923 – October 31, 2001) was an American professional golfer, best known for winning the Masters Tournament in 1959.[1][2][3]
Early life
Wall was born and raised in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. He and his younger brother "Dewey" caddied for their parents, starting around age ten, and began playing shortly after.[4][5] The brothers served in the military during World War II. Art served in the Army Air Forces[6] and Dewey in the Navy. Dewey was killed at the age of 20 in October 1944 when his submarine USS Shark was sunk in the Pacific Ocean near Taiwan.[7]
Amateur career
Wall won the Pennsylvania Amateur in 1947 and 1949.[8] He attended Duke University[9] and graduated in 1949 with a business degree.
Professional career
Wall won 14 titles on the
He was a member of three United States Ryder Cup teams: 1957, 1959, and 1961. Wall is also notable for sinking 45 holes-in-one in his playing career (including casual rounds), a world record for many years.[2][10][14]
Final win
Wall's final tour win came as a grandfather at age 51 years 7 months at the Greater Milwaukee Open in 1975, which was his first tour win in nine years.[15][16][17]
Death
Wall died at the age of 77 from respiratory failure after a lengthy illness.[9] He is buried at Glen Dyberry Cemetery in Honesdale, Pennsylvania.
Amateur wins
- 1947 Pennsylvania Amateur[8]
- 1949 Pennsylvania Amateur[8]
Professional wins (31)
PGA Tour wins (14)
Legend |
Major championships (1) |
Other PGA Tour (13) |
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Aug 17, 1953 | Fort Wayne Open | 66-66-68-65=265 | −23 | Playoff | Cary Middlecoff |
2 | Apr 25, 1954 | Tournament of Champions | 69-66-70-73=278 | −10 | 6 strokes | Al Besselink, Lloyd Mangrum |
3 | Sep 16, 1956 | Fort Wayne Open (2) | 70-64-70-65=269 | −19 | Playoff | Gardner Dickinson, Bill Trombley |
4 | Mar 10, 1957 | Pensacola Open | 70-68-69-66=273 | −15 | 2 strokes | Peter Thomson |
5 | Jul 6, 1958 | Rubber City Open Invitational | 65-67-68-69=269 | −15 | Playoff | Dow Finsterwald |
6 | Jul 27, 1958 | Eastern Open Invitational | 69-69-71-67=276 | −12 | Playoff | Jack Burke Jr., Bob Rosburg |
7 | Jan 18, 1959 | Bing Crosby National Pro-Am
|
69-65-70-75=279 | −9 | 2 strokes | Jimmy Demaret, Gene Littler |
8 | Mar 30, 1959 | Azalea Open Invitational | 72-66-71-73=282 | −6 | 3 strokes | Mike Souchak |
9 | Apr 5, 1959 | Masters Tournament | 73-74-71-66=284 | −4 | 1 stroke | Cary Middlecoff |
10 | Jul 6, 1959 | Buick Open Invitational
|
71-67-72-72=282 | −6 | Playoff | Dow Finsterwald |
11 | Jul 9, 1960 | Canadian Open | 66-67-67-69=269 | −19 | 6 strokes | Bob Goalby, Jay Hebert |
12 | Jan 12, 1964 | San Diego Open Invitational
|
71-65-68-70=274 | −6 | 2 strokes | Tony Lema, Bob Rosburg |
13 | Aug 21, 1966 | Insurance City Open Invitational
|
65-64-69-68=266 | −18 | 2 strokes | Wes Ellis |
14 | Jul 5, 1975 | Greater Milwaukee Open | 67-67-67-70=271 | −17 | 1 stroke | Gary McCord |
PGA Tour playoff record (5–5)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1953 | Greater Greensboro Open
|
Doug Ford, Sam Snead, Earl Stewart |
Stewart won with par on first extra hole after 18-hole playoff; Stewart: −2 (68), Snead: −2 (68), Ford: E (70), Wall: +2 (72) |
2 | 1953 | Fort Wayne Open | Cary Middlecoff | Won 18-hole playoff; Wall: −2 (70), Middlecoff: E (72) |
3 | 1956 | Fort Wayne Open | Gardner Dickinson, Bill Trombley | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
4 | 1958 | Rubber City Open Invitational | Dow Finsterwald | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
5 | 1958 | Eastern Open Invitational | Jack Burke Jr., Bob Rosburg | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
6 | 1959 | Buick Open Invitational
|
Dow Finsterwald | Won 18-hole playoff; Wall: −1 (71), Finsterwald: +1 (73) |
7 | 1960 | Western Open | Stan Leonard | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
8 | 1962 | Insurance City Open Invitational
|
Bob Goalby | Lost to birdie on seventh extra hole |
9 | 1967 | Canadian Open | Billy Casper | Lost 18-hole playoff; Casper: −6 (65), Wall: −2 (69) |
10 | 1971 | Canadian Open | Lee Trevino | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
Caribbean Tour wins (7)
- 1963 Caracas Open
- 1964 Maracaibo Open Invitational,[18] Puerto Rico Open,[18] Los Lagartos Open[18]
- 1965 Panama Open, Maracaibo Open Invitational
- 1966 Maracaibo Open Invitational
Latin American wins (3)
- 1964 Ciudad Baranquilla Open,[18] Mexican Open[18]
- 1966 Caracas Open
Other wins (5)
- 1956 Philadelphia PGA Championship
- 1962 Philadelphia PGA Championship
- 1963 Philadelphia PGA Championship
- 1965 Philadelphia PGA Championship
- 1971 Philadelphia PGA Championship
Other senior wins (2)
- 1980 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Tommy Bolt)
- 1996 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Doug Ford)
Major championships
Wins (1)
Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1959 | Masters Tournament | 6 shot deficit | −4 (73-74-71-66=284) | 1 stroke | Cary Middlecoff |
Results timeline
Tournament | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T34 | CUT | T6 | 1 | ||||
U.S. Open | 47 | T26 | CUT | T16 | CUT | CUT | WD | |
PGA Championship | R32 | R64 | T11 | T25 |
Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | WD | CUT | T21 | CUT | T45 | CUT | T49 | T22 | T40 | |
U.S. Open | T43 | T11 | T40 | T9 | T50 | |||||
PGA Championship | T39 | T5 | T23 | T8 | 58 | CUT |
Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | CUT | T27 | CUT | T37 | T37 | T15 | T28 | T35 | CUT | CUT |
U.S. Open | CUT | T45 | ||||||||
PGA Championship | T24 | T50 | CUT |
Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 51 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | |
U.S. Open | |||||||||
PGA Championship |
Note: Wall never played in The Open Championship.
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" = tied
Summary
Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 31 | 15 |
U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 9 |
The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 13 | 11 |
Totals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 58 | 35 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (1972 PGA – 1976 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (five times)
U.S. national team appearances
Professional
References
- ^ Gundelfinger, Phil (April 6, 1959). "Wall's sensational rally takes Masters". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 26.
- ^ a b "Art Wall Jr., 77; golfer had 40 holes in one". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. November 1, 2001. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- ^ Passov, Joe (September 24, 2009). "50 years ago, game's best player was Art Wall, not Arnold Palmer". Golf.com. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- ^ "Art Wall, Jr.: still living the game". Tucson Citizen. (Arizona). (part 1). May 3, 1994. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- ^ "Art Wall, Jr.: still living the game". Tucson Citizen. (Arizona). (part 2). May 3, 1994. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- ISBN 9780313284311.
- ^ "William Riefler Wall". On Eternal Patrol. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Amateur Championship – Past Champions". Pennsylvania Golf Association. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
- ^ a b c "Art Wall Jr. – Golfer, 77". The New York Times. November 1, 2001. Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
- ^ a b "Art Wall Jr". Autograph Magazine. Archived from the original on April 24, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
- ^ a b Brown, Gwilym (April 13, 1959). "Wall was wondrous". Sports Illustrated. p. 16.
- ^ Wright, Alfred (January 18, 1960). "The young pros go after the veterans". Sports Illustrated. p. 38.
- ^ "Wall birdies five of final 6; wins Masters in epic finish". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. April 6, 1959. p. 10.
- ^ Kindred, Dave (October 8, 2007). Do you believe her?.
{{cite book}}
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ignored (help) - ^ Bunch, Ken (July 7, 1975). "Old tiger Wall on prowl with GMO win". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 1, part 2.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Art Wall a winner at Milwaukee". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. (Florida). Associated Press. July 7, 1975. p. 1C.
- ^ "I don't think 51 is old – golfer Art Wall". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (Florida). Associated Press. July 7, 1975. p. 4C.
- ^ a b c d e Trenham, Peter. "A Chronicle of the Philadelphia Section PGA and its Members, 1960–1969" (PDF). Philadelphia PGA.
External links
- Duke University Athletics Hall of Fame – Art Wall Jr.
- GolfCompendium.com – Art Wall
- Trenham Golf History – Art Wall Jr.
- Art Wall Jr. at Find a Grave