Dow Finsterwald
Dow Finsterwald | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Finsterwald in 1960 | |||||
Personal information | |||||
Full name | Dow Henry Finsterwald | ||||
Born | (1929-09-06)September 6, 1929 Athens, Ohio, U.S. | ||||
Died | November 4, 2022(2022-11-04) (aged 93) Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S. | ||||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||
Weight | 160 lb (73 kg; 11 st) | ||||
Sporting nationality | United States | ||||
Career | |||||
College | Ohio University | ||||
Turned professional | 1951 | ||||
Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Senior PGA Tour | ||||
Professional wins | 13 | ||||
Number of wins by tour | |||||
PGA Tour | 11 | ||||
Other | 2 | ||||
Best results in major championships (wins: 1) | |||||
Masters Tournament | 3rd: 1960, 1962 | ||||
PGA Championship | Won: 1958 | ||||
U.S. Open | T3: 1960 | ||||
The Open Championship | DNP | ||||
Achievements and awards | |||||
|
Dow Henry Finsterwald, Sr. (September 6, 1929 – November 4, 2022)[1][2] was an American professional golfer who is best known for winning the 1958 PGA Championship. He won 11 Tour titles between 1955 and 1963, played on four Ryder Cup teams, and served as non-playing captain for the 1977 U.S. Ryder Cup team.
Early life and amateur career
Finsterwald was born and raised in Athens, Ohio. He attended Ohio University in his hometown, where he played on the golf team and graduated in the Class of 1952. He was a member of Beta Theta Pi Fraternity while at OU. In 1969, he was inducted into the Ohio University Athletics Hall of Fame joining his father, Russ Finsterwald, who was in the first class of inductees as a football player, and later basketball and football head coach.[3]
Professional career
Finsterwald turned professional in 1951 and won 11 times on the PGA Tour during his career. He finished fifth or better more than 50 times in his career. He played on four Ryder Cup Teams (1957, 1959, 1961, 1963) and was the non-playing captain of the 1977 team. He won the Vardon Trophy in 1957, which is awarded to the tour professional with the lowest scoring average. In 1958, he was honored as PGA Player of the Year.[4] Finsterwald finished in the money in 72 consecutive tournaments – second only to Byron Nelson's 113 consecutive cuts. This record stood for many years until eclipsed by Jack Nicklaus, Hale Irwin and Tiger Woods; however, he is still fifth on the list as of 2019.
The 1958 PGA Championship was held at Llanerch Country Club in Havertown, Pennsylvania. This was the first PGA Championship held after the format was switched from match play to stroke play. Finsterwald finished the tournament with a two-stroke victory over Billy Casper.[5] Four years later, Finsterwald and Gary Player lost the 1962 Masters in a playoff to Arnold Palmer.
Finsterwald was once involved in litigation in which a plaintiff claimed she lost the sight in her right eye as a result of an errant tee shot he hit at the 18th hole at the 1973 Western Open. A jury found Finsterwald not liable; however, Midlothian (Illinois) Country Club's insurers had to pay the woman about $450,000.[6] Finsterwald served as director of golf at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado for 28 years. He simultaneously served as PGA of America vice-president from 1976–1978; and on the USGA Rules of Golf committee from 1979-1981. He was also the Pro Emeritus of the Pikewood National Golf Club, based in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Finsterwald was honored by fellow Ohio native Jack Nicklaus at the 2007 Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio. In 2008, he was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.[4] Finsterwald lived in Orlando, Florida during the winter and Colorado Springs during the summer.[4]
Professional wins (13)
PGA Tour wins (11)
Legend |
---|
Major championships (1) |
Other PGA Tour (10) |
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | May 29, 1955 | Fort Wayne Invitational | −19 (65-66-71-67=269) | 3 strokes | Doug Ford |
2 | May 13, 1956 | Carling Open Invitational | −14 (65-71-69-69=274) | 3 strokes | Jack Burke Jr., Billy Casper, Billy Maxwell |
3 | Feb 11, 1957 | Tucson Open Invitational | −11 (68-67-66-68=269) | Playoff | Don Whitt |
4 | Jul 20, 1958 | PGA Championship | −4 (67-72-70-67=276) | 2 strokes | Billy Casper |
5 | Sep 8, 1958 | Utah Open | −17 (69-65-67-66=267) | 1 stroke | Fred Hawkins, Arnold Palmer |
6 | Apr 12, 1959 | Greater Greensboro Open | −6 (68-68-65-77=278) | 2 strokes | Art Wall Jr. |
7 | Aug 9, 1959 | Carling Open Invitational (2) | −8 (74-68-66-68=276) | 1 stroke | Gene Littler, Mike Souchak |
8 | Sep 7, 1959 | Kansas City Open Invitational | −13 (68-69-69-69=275) | Playoff | Don Fairfield |
9 | Jan 11, 1960 | Los Angeles Open | −4 (70-68-71-71=280) | 3 strokes | Bill Collins, Jay Hebert, Dave Ragan |
10 | Apr 24, 1960 | Greater New Orleans Open Invitational | −18 (69-66-66-69=270) | 6 strokes | Al Besselink |
11 | Jun 3, 1963 | 500 Festival Open Invitation | −16 (68-68-64-68=268) | 2 strokes | Tommy Aaron, Julius Boros, Tony Lema, Bobby Nichols |
PGA Tour playoff record (2–4)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1956 | Canadian Open | Doug Sanders | Lost to par on first extra hole |
2 | 1957 | Tucson Open Invitational | Don Whitt | Won 18-hole playoff; Finsterwald: −5 (65), Whitt: −1 (69) |
3 | 1958 | Rubber City Open Invitational | Art Wall Jr. | Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
4 | 1959 | Buick Open Invitational | Art Wall Jr. | Lost 18-hole playoff; Wall: −1 (71), Finsterwald: +1 (73) |
5 | 1959 | Kansas City Open Invitational | Don Fairfield | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
6 | 1962 | Masters Tournament | Arnold Palmer, Gary Player | Palmer won 18-hole playoff; Palmer: −4 (68), Player: −1 (71), Finsterwald: +5 (77) |
Other wins (2)
This list may be incomplete
- 1954 Carolinas Open
- 1955 British Columbia Open
Major championships
Wins (1)
Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1958 | PGA Championship | 2 shot deficit | −4 (67-72-70-67=276) | 2 strokes | Billy Casper |
Results timeline
Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T50 | T46 | T24 | T7 | T17 | T18 | ||||
U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | T28 | T13 | T11 | |||||
PGA Championship | 2 | 1 | 4 |
Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 3 | CUT | 3 | T5 | T9 | T21 | T57 | CUT | ||
U.S. Open | T3 | T6 | T12 | 8 | CUT | CUT | T65 | |||
PGA Championship | T15 | T41 | T11 | T3 | CUT | T63 | T12 | T60 | T48 | T76 |
Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | ||||||||||
U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | ||||||||
PGA Championship | CUT | CUT | T58 | CUT | CUT | T70 | 70 | CUT | CUT |
Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | |||||
U.S. Open | CUT | ||||
PGA Championship | CUT | CUT |
Note: Finsterwald never played in The Open Championship.
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Summary
Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 12 |
U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 15 | 8 |
The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
PGA Championship | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 24 | 15 |
Totals | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 22 | 53 | 35 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 13 (1955 U.S. Open – 1960 PGA)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (twice)
U.S. national team appearances
Professional
- Ryder Cup: 1957, 1959 (winners), 1961 (winners), 1963 (winners), 1977 (non-playing captain, winners)
See also
References
- ^ Ferguson, Doug (November 5, 2022). "Dow Finsterwald, 1958 PGA champion, dies at age 93". Golf Channel.
- ^ "Dow Finsterwald, 11-time PGA Tour winner, dies at age 93". PGA Tour. November 5, 2022.
- ^ "Ohio University Athletics Hall of Fame site". Archived from the original on February 22, 2009. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
- ^ a b c Baines, Gary (February 28, 2008). "Dow Getting His Due". Colorado Golf Journal. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
- ^ "Year by Year History of the PGA Championship – 1958: Bolt was an angel, Dow was a terror". PGA of America. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
- ^ Clifford, Robert A. (May 1, 1996). "Getting Teed off Over Golf Balls". Retrieved November 21, 2013.
External links
- Media related to Dow Finsterwald at Wikimedia Commons
- Dow Finsterwald at the PGA Tour official site
- v
- t
- e
era
- 1916 Jim Barnes
- 1919 Jim Barnes
- 1920 Jock Hutchison
- 1921 Walter Hagen
- 1922 Gene Sarazen
- 1923 Gene Sarazen
- 1924 Walter Hagen
- 1925 Walter Hagen
- 1926 Walter Hagen
- 1927 Walter Hagen
- 1928 Leo Diegel
- 1929 Leo Diegel
- 1930 Tommy Armour
- 1931 Tom Creavy
- 1932 Olin Dutra
- 1933 Gene Sarazen
- 1934 Paul Runyan
- 1935 Johnny Revolta
- 1936 Denny Shute
- 1937 Denny Shute
- 1938 Paul Runyan
- 1939 Henry Picard
- 1940 Byron Nelson
- 1941 Vic Ghezzi
- 1942 Sam Snead
- 1944 Bob Hamilton
- 1945 Byron Nelson
- 1946 Ben Hogan
- 1947 Jim Ferrier
- 1948 Ben Hogan
- 1949 Sam Snead
- 1950 Chandler Harper
- 1951 Sam Snead
- 1952 Jim Turnesa
- 1953 Walter Burkemo
- 1954 Chick Harbert
- 1955 Doug Ford
- 1956 Jack Burke Jr.
- 1957 Lionel Hebert
era
- 1958 Dow Finsterwald
- 1959 Bob Rosburg
- 1960 Jay Hebert
- 1961 Jerry Barber†
- 1962 Gary Player
- 1963 Jack Nicklaus
- 1964‡ Bobby Nichols
- 1965 Dave Marr
- 1966 Al Geiberger
- 1967 Don January†
- 1968 Julius Boros
- 1969‡ Raymond Floyd
- 1970 Dave Stockton
- 1971 Jack Nicklaus
- 1972 Gary Player
- 1973 Jack Nicklaus
- 1974 Lee Trevino
- 1975 Jack Nicklaus
- 1976 Dave Stockton
- 1977 Lanny Wadkins†
- 1978 John Mahaffey†
- 1979 David Graham†
- 1980 Jack Nicklaus
- 1981 Larry Nelson
- 1982‡ Raymond Floyd
- 1983‡ Hal Sutton
- 1984 Lee Trevino
- 1985 Hubert Green
- 1986 Bob Tway
- 1987 Larry Nelson†
- 1988 Jeff Sluman
- 1989 Payne Stewart
- 1990 Wayne Grady
- 1991 John Daly
- 1992 Nick Price
- 1993 Paul Azinger†
- 1994 Nick Price
- 1995 Steve Elkington†
- 1996 Mark Brooks†
- 1997 Davis Love III
- 1998 Vijay Singh
- 1999 Tiger Woods
- 2000‡ Tiger Woods†
- 2001 David Toms
- 2002 Rich Beem
- 2003 Shaun Micheel
- 2004 Vijay Singh†
- 2005 Phil Mickelson
- 2006 Tiger Woods
- 2007 Tiger Woods
- 2008 Pádraig Harrington
- 2009 Y. E. Yang
- 2010 Martin Kaymer†
- 2011 Keegan Bradley†
- 2012 Rory McIlroy
- 2013 Jason Dufner
- 2014 Rory McIlroy
- 2015 Jason Day
- 2016 Jimmy Walker
- 2017 Justin Thomas
- 2018 Brooks Koepka
- 2019 Brooks Koepka
- 2020 Collin Morikawa
- 2021 Phil Mickelson
- 2022 Justin Thomas†
- 2023 Brooks Koepka
- 2024‡ Xander Schauffele