Wikipedia

Mason Rudolph (golfer)

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 nameEdgar Mason Rudolph
Born(1934-05-23)May 23, 1934
Clarksville, Tennessee
DiedApril 18, 2011(2011-04-18) (aged 76)
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight180 lb (82 kg; 13 st)
Sporting nationality United States
Career
Turned professional1958
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins13
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour5
Other8
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament4th: 1965
PGA ChampionshipT3: 1973
U.S. OpenT8: 1966
The Open ChampionshipDNP

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 1959, Rudolph took part in a match against Sam Snead on NBC's World Championship Golf. After Snead found a 15th club in his bag on the 12th hole of the match, Snead decided to stage the conclusion of the televised match to show the official result, a Rudolph win, during its final holes after the 11 hole penalty on Snead led to an 11 and 7 win for Rudolph. After the match was over, Snead said he staged the result by missing putts in order to not spoil the show. The controversy erupted as the broadcast aired in April 1960, months after hearings into the quiz show rigging scandals, and the sponsor cancelled its participation once Snead admitted he staged the match to show the legal result after he officially lost the match at the 12th hole with the discovery of the violation. Legally, Snead recreated the legal outcome and did not fix the match, as the outcome was clinched on the 12th hole. Modern broadcasts would disclose that portions of the match not affecting the outcome of the game were edited or recreated.[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

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.

  Top 10
  Did not play

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

Professional

References

edit
  1. ^ "Mason Rudolph, 1959 Rookie of the Year, passes away". PGA Tour. April 19, 2011. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  2. ^ "1950 U.S. Junior Amateur". USGA. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c "Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame bio". Archived from the original on November 23, 2010. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  4. ^ "1957 Walker Cup Match". USGA. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
  5. ^ "Sponsor Cancels After Snead TV Golf Incident". The Victoria Advocate. Victoria, Texas. Associated Press. April 9, 1960. p. 9.
  6. ^ "Mason Rudolph Golf Course". Retrieved August 4, 2010.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mason_Rudolph_(golfer)&oldid=1254362538"