Charles Owens (golfer)
| Charles "Charlie" Owens | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | February 22, 1932 Champions Tour |
| Professional wins | 4 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour Champions | 2 |
| Other | 2 |
Charles Owens (February 22, 1932 – September 7, 2017) was an American
Owens was born in
Owens turned professional in 1967 and joined the PGA Tour in 1970. During his seven years on the Tour, he won the 1971 Kemper Asheville Open, a "satellite" PGA Tour event. Owens played with a limp and played all golf shots cross-handed. The biggest year of his professional career came on the Senior PGA Tour in 1986, when he won twice in a three tournament span, and finished eighth on the money list with $207,813.
Owens was allowed to use a cart while competing in most instances due to his disability, and once staged a protest at the 1987 U.S. Senior Open against the USGA for its ban on carts at that event.[1]
Owens also is credited with inventing and popularizing the "long (52") style putter"[2] which he used to overcome the yips.
Owens formerly lived in Tampa, Florida and resided in Winter Haven until his death on September 7, 2017.[3] He won the Ben Hogan Award in 1987 and was inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 1987 and the African American Golfers Hall of Fame in 2007.
Professional wins (4)
Regular career wins (2)
- 1971 Kemper Asheville Open (a PGA Tour "satellite" event)
- 1974 Florida Open
Senior PGA Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feb 9, 1986 | Treasure Coast Classic | –14 (65-69-68=202) | 3 strokes |  Lee Elder, Don January
|
| 2 | Mar 16, 1986 | Del E. Webb Senior PGA Tour Roundup
|
−14 (71-64-67=202) | Playoff | Dale Douglass
|
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1986 | Del E. Webb Senior PGA Tour Roundup
|
Dale Douglass
|
Won with par on second extra hole |
See also
References
- ^ a b White Jr., Gordon S. (July 8, 1987). "Handicapped Senior Golfer to Protest Ban on Carts". The New York Times. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ Fields, Bill (September 14, 2007). "Charles Owens, An Overlooked Pioneer". Golf Digest. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ Fuoco, Roy (September 8, 2017). "Winter Haven native, golfing pioneer Charlie Owens dies at 85". The Ledger.
External links
- Charles Owens at the PGA Tour official site