1970 BILLY CASPER GOLF VINTAGE PHOTO 8X10 WESTCHESTER GOLF CLASSIC for Sale

1970 BILLY CASPER GOLF VINTAGE PHOTO 8X10 WESTCHESTER GOLF CLASSIC For Sale

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1970 BILLY CASPER GOLF VINTAGE PHOTO 8X10 WESTCHESTER GOLF CLASSIC:
$258.79

BILLY CASPER AT THE WESTCHESTER CLASSIC GOLF- FINALY DAY . A VINTAGE PHOTO FROM 1970 MEASURING 8X10 INCHES.Billy Casper, one of the most prolific PGA TOUR winners in history and long considered among the sport’s finest putters, suffered a heart attack and died Saturday at his home in Springville, Utah. He was 83.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Casper\'s son Bob said in an email that his father had spent five weeks after Thanksgiving in the hospital battling pneumonia. He had been able to return home, though, and was undergoing rehabilitation four days a week.
His condition worsened late last week, however. His wife of 62 years, Shirley, and other members of his family were with Casper when he passed away.
Between 1956 until 1975, Casper won 51 PGA TOUR titles -- including three major championships -- and led the money list in 1966 and 1968. His 51 career victories place him seventh on the TOUR’s all-time victories list.
“Billy Casper was one of the greatest winners in PGA TOUR history and was a dominant player for the better part of three decades,” PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem said. “We remember his three major championships and his incredible work on the greens that made him one of the best putters of his generation.
“Beyond his career as a player, though, we will remember Billy as tremendous husband and father, a man devoted to family, charitable pursuits and his religion. He truly has left us with a lasting legacy.\"
Casper won at least one PGA TOUR title for 16 consecutive years and earned titles in three different decades. He also enjoyed 14 seasons where he won at least two tournaments, the high mark coming in 1968 when he earned six tournament titles.
\"Billy Casper changed my life\"Robert Harris, Director of Sports and Recreation at The Greenbrier, recalls how a chance encounter with Billy Casper in 1969 turned into a life-changing, and lifelong, friendship. More
Born in San Diego, California, on June 24, 1931, Casper learned to play the game on the family farm in New Mexico. He turned professional in 1954 and won his first TOUR title two years later, at the Labatt Open in Canada.
During his career, Casper claimed five Vardon Trophies for low scoring average and was an eight-time U.S. Ryder Cup member. He won his first seven Ryder Cup matches to start his career, and he amassed 23 1/2 total points -- still a U.S. Ryder Cup record. Overall, he compiled an all-time 20-10-7 record, including a 6-2-2 mark in singles’ play.
Casper also captained the U.S. squad to victory over Europe in 1979.In 1959, Casper broke through for his first major championship -- winning the U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in New York. He won his second U.S. Open in thrilling fashion at San Francisco’s Olympic Club in 1966. Trailing Arnold Palmer by seven shots with nine holes to play, Casper came from behind to tie Palmer and force a playoff. He then beat Palmer in the 18-hole extra session the following day. The victory is still one of the most unlikely in U.S. Open history.As recounted in his autobiography \"The Big Three and Me,\" Casper said he stood on the 10th tee during the final round and said to Palmer, “I’d like to finish second.” Casper said Palmer replied, “I’ll do everything I can to help you.”
Casper wrote further, “[The 1966 U.S. Open] was destined to go down in history as the Open Arnold Palmer blew -- a bookend to his seven-stroke come-from-behind charge to win in 1960 -- but to my mind, and this is how I suspect Arnold would prefer to view it as well, it will always be the Open I won.”
Casper added a Green Jacket to his closet when he won the 1970 Masters Tournament in the event\'s last 18-hole playoff over childhood friend and fellow San Diego native Gene Littler. He defeated Littler by five shots.
Due to severe food-allergy issues, Casper became well known for his interesting diet of exotic meats, including caribou, elk, hippopotamus and buffalo. Because of that, he became known as “Buffalo Bill,” and called his golf-course management and communications company, in a nod to his nickname, Buffalo Communications.
After turning 50, Casper captured eight Champions Tour titles, winning his first in his adopted state of Utah, at the Shootout at Jeremy Ranch in Park City. He won his final tournament, the Transamerica Senior Golf Championship, by three strokes over Al Geiberger.The World Golf Hall of Fame inducted Casper in 1978, with Dorothy Campbell Hurd Howe, Bing Crosby, Harold Hilton and Clifford Roberts.
Throughout his career, Casper has been active in charity work in both the San Diego area and in Utah, helping youth through his Billy’s Kids initiatives. Casper said of his foundation, “My focus has always been on the youth of America. I believe that these youngsters, the future of our great country, are our most precious commodity. All our benefactors are terrific organizations dedicated to broadening our children’s views and teaching them invaluable life skills necessary to compete in an ever-changing world.”
Casper is survived by his wife, 11 children, six of whom are adopted, and 71 grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Editor\'s note: Some of Billy Casper\'s contemporaries remember the World Golf Hall of Famer below.
Lee Trevino: I met Billy when I first went out on TOUR and found him be an absolute delight as a gentleman, along with his wife, Shirley. And I knew all his kids. But most of all, I looked at his game. At the time I came out on TOUR, they had The Big Three, Gary (Player), Arnold (Palmer) and Jack (Nicklaus). I actually thought in that era, Billy Casper may have been the best player. But Billy wasn’t with (Mark) McCormack’s group, so he didn’t get that billing. I could talk for days about Billy Casper. He’s probably done as much or more for not only his religion but for charity than anybody. Plus, he won, what, 50-something tournaments? He won major championships. It makes me very happy to tell people that I was one of his friends, that I was a friend of Billy Casper’s.
Jack Nicklaus: From my standpoint, every time I looked up at the leaderboard and I was coming down near the end of the golf tournament, I was trying to find (Arnold) Palmer and (Gary) Player, and I was always trying to find (Billy) Casper. You knew if you found one of those three names on the leaderboard, you better be playing golf if you wanted to win the tournament. Billy was in that group. He was a really good player.
Gary Player: I played a lot with Billy, and I always thought Billy had a wonderful short game. The way he managed the golf course -- he had tremendous course management, which not a lot of people talk about. They talk about elongating, but that’s not what wins golf tournaments; it’s a great short game, the kinds of games we see with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. They are not good drivers of the ball and yet, they’ve been No. 1 and No. 2. Billy had a great short game, managed the course well and he was always a thorough gentleman.
Hale Irwin: Billy has just been a quality guy, and he helped a lot of people for a long time. He really went unrecognized for some great golf. You look at Jack Nicklaus’ years, you look at Arnold Palmer’s years and then you pull out the record book and see what Billy did in those same years and it often exceeded theirs. Billy was really not recognized as one of the truly great players. In my first encounter with Billy, I was in a playoff with him in 1970 at the L.A. Open at Rancho Park. He beat me on the first hole. That helped him at that point top $1 million in career earnings. Ever since then, Billy has been a good friend, and he was one of my first teammates in my first Ryder Cup. Gene Littler I played with in the morning, and Billy I played with in the afternoon.
Dave Stockton: Billy Casper was everything good about being a professional. He was a kind and gentle man -- a great player. It should have been The Big Four when it was actually The Big Three because Casper was an unbelievable player. He had a great short game, and he had a great mind and a whole solid golf game to go with it. He was always positive when you were around him and fun to play with. He probably didn’t stand out as much as some of the guys. But you know the kindness he and Shirley showed with all the kids they adopted. Theirs is a great, touching story about an American family. I was proud to know him, proud to play against him and proud to play with him on the first Ryder Cup team I was on in ’71 in St. Louis. He’s been a great friend and inspiration.
Charles Coody: The first thing I would say about Billy is he was a great player. He always played within himself, he knew his capabilities and he had his shots the way he played them. I’m sure he probably mapped out a course as to how he was going to try to play it during the week. He didn’t vary from that. When he started moving the ball from left to right with the driver, that’s when he really became a great player because he always had the short game, the ability to chip and play the sand shots. And, of course, he was an exceptionally good putter. He didn’t say much during a round. He just stayed within himself and played his game. But on top of all that, Billy was really a good guy, a good family man. He was very kind, very giving, and I always had the highest of admiration for him.
Don January: I called him Trailer Bill. Years ago, he traveled with (Arnold) Palmer, (Gene) Littler and Bud Holscher, and they would pull trailers behind their cars rather than stay in motels -- because there weren’t many motels back then. He did that for a year or two until he finally found out how dangerous that was driving on those little roads we used to drive on. But Billy was a hell of a player. He won 50-plus tournaments and had a hell of a record. That’s a lot of good playing at a lot of different places. I always respected Billy. He learned to drive the ball in the fairway, and he had that marvelous short game. When he learned to drive the ball, well, that’s when he started beating everybody. It seemed he would win four, five, six tournaments every year. Arnold did it. Jack did it. But you can count those guys on your hands the guys who were winning that many tournaments.
Al Geiberger: Billy is a bit older than me, so I followed him onto the TOUR. I was responsible for a couple of his wins, losing in playoffs to him. I felt he never got the credit he deserved, even with all the wins. He was like a machine. He had a unique golf swing but a simple golf swing. I called what he hit a power fade, but the ball kind of acted like a hook. Not many players could hit that low-slider fade. Of course, we all know he was a brilliant putter who did it in a totally different style. He would put his hands way down (on the grip), almost against his left leg. Billy was a wonderful person and a great guy who finally, especially in the last several years, got the credit that was due him, credit he truly deserved. He was a great player and a great person. The Big Three was getting all the attention, and meanwhile Billy was beating them all.
Lee Elder: He was a wonderful person. He was such a close personal friend, I really feel it. The same with Charlie Sifford. To lose two people you\'re close to in a matter of a week is pretty (difficult). (Billy) was equally good as a person as he was a golfer. Billy was always the type of person who always had a welcome for a person with a big smile. It\'s a shame he was not given the (recognition) as a player at the time but coming along in that era with the likes of Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, naturally it was pretty hard even though he was winning as many tournaments. He was one of my favorites and will always be not just because he was my captain (at the 1979 Ryder Cup) but I got a chance to get to know him and he was a wonderful human being. I think his greatest achievement was in 1966 (at the U.S. Open) when he came so far back against the No. 1 player in the world, which was Arnold Palmer. To win that event did a lot for him -- good and bad because a lot of people didn\'t like the fact he beat Arnold and because a lot of people were cheering for him because he won a major championship coming from so far back. It was my second U.S. Open and I played with Johnny Miller ... I walked the back nine with (Billy) when I was done. He his some great shots. He would always kid and say he was lucky, and maybe so but there some skill was involved.BILLY CASPER TIMELINE
Year Milestone1931 Billy Casper was born on June 24, 1931 in San Diego, Calif.1954 Casper turns professional.1956 Casper earns his first PGA TOUR win at the Labatt Open.1959 Casper wins his first major at the 1959 U.S. Open at Winged Foot.1960 Casper captures his first Vardon Trophy. He would go on to earn four more.1961 Casper participates in his first Ryder Cup.1966 Casper rallies from seven strokes down with nine holes to play at the 1966 U.S. Open to tie Arnold Palmer before winning the ensuing 18-hole playoff. He is named the PGA Player of the Year, wins the Byron Nelson Trophy and earns his fifth Vardon Trophy.1968 Casper is the leading money winner and becomes the first player to surpass $200,000 in single-season earnings. He also wins the Vardon Trophy and the Byron Nelson Trophy.1970 Casper becomes the second player to reach $1 million in official TOUR earnings with a win at the Los Angeles Open. He beats Gene Littler in a playoff for the 1970 Masters title, the last 18-hole playoff at Augusta National. Casper is named PGA Player of the Year and wins the Byron Nelson Award.1975 Casper earns his 51st TOUR title by winning the 1975 First NBC New Orleans Open. Plays on his eighth United States Ryder Cup team.1978 Casper is inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.1979 Casper is chosen as the non-playing Ryder Cup Team captain.1981 Casper joins the SENIOR TOUR, now the Champions Tour.1982 Casper earns his first SENIOR TOUR win at The Shootout at Jeremy Ranch. He is also inducted into the PGA Hall of Fame.1983 Casper beats Rod Funseth in an 18-hole playoff for the 1983 U.S. Senior Open title at Hazeltine National Golf Club.1988 Casper wins his second Senior Tour major by defeating Al Geiberger by two strokes at the Mazda Senior TPC.1989 Casper captures the last of his nine Senior Tour titles by winning the Transamerica Senior Golf Championship.2002 Casper finishes T4 in the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf -- Demaret Division.
ecause of an ultra-efficient manner of play and a quiet personality that contrasted with his more famous contemporaries, Billy Casper is perhaps the most underrated star in golf history.
Between 1956 and 1975, Casper won 51 times on the PGA TOUR, a figure surpassed by only Snead, Nicklaus, Palmer, Hogan and Nelson. He won two U.S. Opens and a Masters. He was a member of eight Ryder Cup teams, winning more points, 23.5, than any other American player. He won the Vardon Trophy five times, a record matched only by Lee Trevino. He was the PGA TOUR Player of the Year in 1966 and 1970.
Quote\"I would chip and putt or play sand shots. That was the genesis of my short game.\"In his prime, however, Casper was overshadowed by Palmer, Nicklaus and Gary Player, who were marketed as The Big Three. But from 1964 to 1970, Casper won 27 U.S. events, six more than Palmer and Player combined, and two more than Nicklaus. Casper, of course, did not lack for respect among his peers. “Billy was a killer on the golf course,” said Dave Marr. “He just gave you this terrible feeling he was never going to make a mistake, and then of course he’d drive that stake through your heart with that putter. It was a very efficient operation.” Said Lee Trevino, “When I came up, I focused on Casper. I figured he was twice as good as me, so I watched how he practiced and decided I would practice three times as much as him.”
Casper was born June 24, 1931, in San Diego, Calif., where sports quickly became the center of his life. “When I was in first grade, the kids called me Fatso,” he remembered. “It hurt, but the way I overcame it was to outrun every kid in the class. So I developed a thick skin, and athletics became my way of performing and being accepted.” He caddied at the San Diego C.C. and came out of the same junior golf environment that also produced Gene Littler and Mickey Wright. “I didn’t really worry about form, and to be honest, I was too lazy to go out there and hit the ball,” Casper said. “I would chip and putt or play sand shots. That was the genesis of my short game.”
Among the game’s greatest winners, Casper was the greatest putter. He used a pigeon-toed stance and gave the ball a brisk, wristy pop. Casper’s self-taught swing was distinctive for the way his right foot would slide through impact. Off the tee, it produced a fade that was always in play and approaches that inevitably finished pin high. Whatever shot Casper was playing it was executed with supreme touch and feel. “Billy has the greatest pair of hands God ever gave a human being,” contends Johnny Miller.
FACT
Billy Casper is one of two Hall of Fame members to win five Vardon Trophies.He was also a tremendous competitor. The most enduring memory for those who watched and competed against him in his prime is the serene assurance of the supremely confident athlete who knew he would be at his best when it mattered most. The greatest example of this relentless quality was at the 1966 U.S. Open where he made up seven strokes on the final nine to tie Arnold Palmer and then defeated him in a playoff the next day.
But Casper seemed a ghostly figure. At the peak of his powers, Casper got more attention for his allergies, his conversion to Mormonism, his 11 children (six of them adopted) and his offbeat diet of buffalo meat and organically grown vegetables. At first he was hefty and later lost 70 pounds to drop to 170. When he played, it seemed as if he was in a trance. “It came from my feelings for Hogan,” said Casper, who indeed experimented with self-hypnosis. “He seemed to be in this sort of hypnotic state, and I wanted to be just as focused.” The public would come to know very little of Billy Casper, making him arguably the best modern golfer who never received his due.
William Earl Casper Jr. (June 24, 1931 – February 7, 2015) was an American professional golfer. He was one of the most prolific tournament winners on the PGA Tour from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s.
In his youth, Casper started as a caddie and emerged from the junior golf hotbed of San Diego, where golf could be played year-round, to rank seventh all-time in career Tour wins with 51, across a 20-year period between 1956 and 1975. Fellow San Diegan great Gene Littler was a friend and rival from teenager to senior. Casper won three major championships, represented the United States on a then-record eight Ryder Cup teams, and holds the U.S. record for career Ryder Cup points won. After reaching age 50, Casper regularly played the Senior PGA Tour and was a winner there until 1989. In his later years, Casper successfully developed businesses in golf course design and management of golf facilities.
Casper served as Ryder Cup captain in 1979, was twice PGA Player of the Year (1966 and 1970), was twice leading money winner, and won five Vardon Trophy awards for the lowest seasonal scoring average on the Tour.
Respected for his extraordinary putting and short-game skills, Casper was a superior strategist who overcame his distance disadvantages against longer-hitting competitors such as Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus with moxie, creative shot-making, and clever golf-course management abilities. Never a flashy gallery favorite, Casper developed his own self-contained style, relying on solid technique, determination, concentration, and perseverance.[1]
He converted to the LDS Church in 1966. Casper was inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1978.Contents1 Early years2 Professional career3 Legacy4 Personal life5 Other ventures5.1 Golf course design and management5.2 Acting5.3 Billy\'s Kids5.4 Books6 Professional wins (69)6.1 PGA Tour wins (51)6.2 European Tour wins (1)6.3 Other wins (8)6.4 Senior PGA Tour wins (9)6.5 Other senior wins (1)7 Major championships7.1 Wins (3)7.2 Results timeline7.3 Summary8 Champions Tour major championships8.1 Wins (2)9 U.S. national team appearances10 See also11 References12 Further reading13 External linksEarly yearsCasper was born in San Diego, California.[2] His father started him in golf at age five.[3] Casper caddied during his youth at San Diego Country Club to earn money for golf, and spent one semester at the University of Notre Dame on a golf scholarship, after graduating from high school. He returned to San Diego to marry his wife Shirley in 1952. Casper competed frequently as an amateur against fellow San Diegan Gene Littler.[4] He turned professional in 1954.[5]
Professional careerCasper had 51 PGA Tour wins in his career, with his first coming in 1956. This total places him seventh on the all-time list. His victories helped him finish third in McCormack\'s World Golf Rankings in 1968, 1969 and 1970, the first three years they were published. He won three major championships: the 1959 and 1966 U.S. Opens, and the 1970 Masters Tournament.
He was the PGA Tour Money Winner in 1966 and 1968. He was PGA Player of the Year in 1966 and 1970. Casper won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average five times: 1960, 1963, 1965, 1966, and 1968.
Casper was a member of the United States team in the Ryder Cup eight times: 1961, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1975, and a non-playing captain in 1979. Casper has scored the most points in the Ryder Cup by an American player.
Casper won at least one PGA Tour event for 16 straight seasons, from 1956 to 1971, the third-longest streak, trailing only Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, who each won on Tour in 17 straight years.
On the senior circuit, Casper earned nine Senior PGA Tour (now the Champions Tour) wins from 1982 to 1989, including two senior majors.
LegacyMuch has been written in the annals of golf that Casper was the most underrated star in golf history, and the best modern golfer who never received the accolades he deserved. He was not considered one of the \"Big Three\" — Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player — who are widely credited with popularizing and bringing enormous commercial success to the sport around the world; however, between 1964 and 1970, Casper won 27 tournaments on the PGA Tour, two more than Nicklaus and six more than Palmer and Player combined, during that time period. He is considered by many to have been the best putter of his era.[6]
Casper\'s 20-year period of winning on the PGA Tour—between 1956 and 1975—was an era of extraordinary growth in tournament purses, television coverage and depth of competition. Casper faced legends such as Palmer, Nicklaus, Sam Snead, Cary Middlecoff, Gary Player and Lee Trevino when they were all at or near their peaks.
Casper was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1978. In 2000, he was ranked as the 15th greatest golfer of all time by Golf Digest magazine.[7]
Casper\'s grandson, Mason Casper, played for the Utah Valley University golf team. Mason qualified for NCAA post-season play in 2012.[8]
Personal lifeCasper was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Casper joined the LDS Church in his mid 30s at the height of his golfing career.[9]
Casper died at his home in Springville, Utah of a heart attack on February 7, 2015, aged 83.[10] Casper was survived by his wife of more than 60 years, Shirley Franklin Casper, 11 children, six of whom are adopted, 71 grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren.[11]
Other venturesGolf course design and management
Casper in 2010After his professional career, Casper was a designer for many golf courses, such as The Highlands, The Palm and Eagle Crest in Sun City Summerlin, Nevada. As of 2017, Billy Casper Golf (BCG) is one of the largest privately owned golf course management companies in the United States, with roughly 150 owned or managed courses in their portfolio.[12] Billy Casper Golf annually hosts the \"World\'s Largest Golf Outing\" – a national golf outing fundraiser benefiting military charities.[13]
ActingCasper had a cameo appearance in the movie, Now You See Him, Now You Don\'t.
Billy\'s KidsCasper was active in charitable work for children and hosted fundraisers, including an annual tournament at San Diego Country Club for \"Billy\'s Kids\".
BooksCasper, Billy; Toski, Bob (1966). Golf Shotmaking. Golf Digest/Doubleday. ASIN B0000CN8TV.Casper, Billy; Barkow, Al (1980). The Good Sense of Golf. Prentice-Hall. ISBN 978-0133605112.Casper, Billy; Parkinson, James; Benson, Lee (2012). The Big Three And Me. Genesis Press. ISBN 978-1-58571-628-9.Professional wins (69)
Gene Littler (right) congratulates Casper with winning the 1970 Masters TournamentPGA Tour wins (51)No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin ofvictory Runner(s)-up1 Jul 15, 1956 Labatt Open −14 (68-68-67-71=274) 2 strokes Jimmy Demaret2 Feb 3, 1957 Phoenix Open Invitational −9 (68-71-65-67=271) 3 strokes Cary Middlecoff, Mike Souchak3 Apr 28, 1957 Kentucky Derby Open Invitational −7 (68-68-71-70=277) 1 stroke Peter Thomson4 Jan 12, 1958 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am Golf Championship −11 (71-66-69-71=277) 4 strokes Dave Marr5 Mar 12, 1958 Greater New Orleans Open Invitational −10 (69-70-70-69=278) Playoff Ken Venturi6 Jun 23, 1958 Buick Open Invitational −3 (70-73-71-71=285) 1 stroke Ted Kroll, Arnold Palmer7 Jun 14, 1959 U.S. Open +2 (71-68-69-74=282) 1 stroke Bob Rosburg8 Oct 4, 1959 Portland Centennial Open Invitational −19 (69-64-67-69=269) 3 strokes Bob Duden, Dave Ragan9 Nov 15, 1959 Lafayette Open Invitational −11 (69-64-71-69=273) 4 strokes George Bayer10 Nov 22, 1959 Mobile Sertoma Open Invitational −8 (71-68-68-73=280) 2 strokes Wes Ellis, Dave Ragan11 Sep 25, 1960 Portland Open Invitational −22 (68-67-66-65=266) 2 strokes Paul Harney12 Oct 3, 1960 Hesperia Open Invitational −13 (70-68-67-70=275) 5 strokes Bob Rosburg13 Oct 16, 1960 Orange County Open Invitational −8 (70-68-69-69=276) 1 stroke Charlie Sifford14 Sep 24, 1961 Portland Open Invitational −15 (68-71-67-67=273) 1 stroke Dave Hill15 Mar 26, 1962 Doral C.C. Open Invitational −5 (70-67-75-71=283) 1 stroke Pete Bondeson16 Apr 15, 1962 Greater Greensboro Open −9 (69-70-68-68=275) 1 stroke Mike Souchak17 May 27, 1962 500 Festival Open Invitation −20 (66-67-67-64=264) 1 stroke George Bayer, Jerry Steelsmith18 Oct 14, 1962 Bakersfield Open Invitational −16 (69-71-65-67=272) 4 strokes Tony Lema19 Jan 20, 1963 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am −3 (73-65-73-74=285) 1 stroke Dave Hill, Jack Nicklaus,Gary Player, Bob Rosburg,Art Wall, Jr.20 Aug 18, 1963 Insurance City Open Invitational −13 (67-68-71-65=271) 1 stroke George Bayer21 Mar 22, 1964 Doral Open Invitational −11 (70-70-67-70=277) 1 stroke Jack Nicklaus22 May 10, 1964 Colonial National Invitation −1 (72-67-70-70=279) 4 strokes Tommy Jacobs23 Sep 27, 1964 Greater Seattle Open Invitational −15 (68-67-66-64=265) 2 strokes Mason Rudolph24 Nov 3, 1964 Almaden Open Invitational −9 (68-70-73-68=279) Playoff Pete Brown, Jerry Steelsmith25 Feb 7, 1965 Bob Hope Desert Classic −12 (70-70-69-67-72=348) 1 stroke Tommy Aaron, Arnold Palmer26 Jul 4, 1965 Western Open −14 (70-66-70-64=270) 2 strokes Jack McGowan, Chi Chi Rodriguez27 Jul 25, 1965 Insurance City Open Invitational −10 (70-72-66-66=274) Playoff Johnny Pott28 Oct 23, 1965 Sahara Invitational −15 (66-66-68-69=269) 3 strokes Billy Martindale29 Jan 16, 1966 San Diego Open Invitational −16 (70-66-68-64=268) 4 strokes Tommy Aaron, Tom Weiskopf30 Jun 20, 1966 U.S. Open −2 (69-68-73-68=278) Playoff Arnold Palmer31 Jun 26, 1966 Western Open −1 (69-72-72-70=283) 3 strokes Gay Brewer32 Jul 31, 1966 500 Festival Open Invitation −11 (69-70-68-70=277) 3 strokes R. H. Sikes33 Jul 3, 1967 Canadian Open −5 (69-70-71-69=279) Playoff Art Wall, Jr.34 Sep 4, 1967 Carling World Open −3 (74-68-70-69=281) Playoff Al Geiberger35 Jan 28, 1968 Los Angeles Open −10 (70-67-68-69=274) 3 strokes Arnold Palmer36 Apr 8, 1968 Greater Greensboro Open −17 (65-67-69-66=267) 4 strokes George Archer, Gene Littler,Bobby Nichols37 May 19, 1968 Colonial National Invitation −5 (68-71-68-68=275) 5 strokes Gene Littler38 Jun 9, 1968 500 Festival Open Invitation −8 (70-71-69-70=280) 1 stroke Frank Beard, Mike Hill39 Sep 8, 1968 Greater Hartford Open Invitational −18 (68-65-67-66=266) 3 strokes Bruce Crampton40 Nov 3, 1968 Lucky International Open −15 (68-65-70-66=269) 4 strokes Raymond Floyd, Don Massengale41 Feb 9, 1969 Bob Hope Desert Classic −15 (71-68-71-69-66=345) 3 strokes Dave Hill42 Jun 8, 1969 Western Open −8 (72-69-68-67=276) 4 strokes Rocky Thompson43 Sep 28, 1969 Alcan Open −14 (70-68-70-66=274) 1 stroke Lee Trevino44 Jan 11, 1970 Los Angeles Open −8 (68-68-68-72=276) Playoff Hale Irwin45 Apr 13, 1970 Masters Tournament −9 (72-68-68-71=279) Playoff Gene Littler46 Jul 19, 1970 IVB-Philadelphia Golf Classic −14 (68-67-71-68=274) 3 strokes Terry Wilcox47 Aug 24, 1970 AVCO Golf Classic −11 (68-67-73-69=277) 1 stroke Rod Funseth, Tom Weiskopf48 Oct 24, 1971 Kaiser International Open Invitational −19 (67-65-69-68=269) 4 strokes Fred Marti49 Jul 1, 1973 Western Open −12 (67-69-67-69=272) 1 stroke Larry Hinson, Hale Irwin50 Sep 3, 1973 Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open −20 (67-65-68-64=264) 1 stroke Bruce Devlin51 May 18, 1975 First NBC New Orleans Open −17 (67-68-66-70=271) 2 strokes Peter OosterhuisSource[14]
PGA Tour playoff record (8–8)
No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result1 1958 Greater New Orleans Open Invitational Ken Venturi Won with eagle on second extra hole2 1961 Buick Open Jack Burke, Jr., Johnny Pott Lost an 18-hole playoff (Burke:71, Casper:74, Pott:74)3 1964 Almaden Open Invitational Pete Brown, Jerry Steelsmith Won with birdie on third sudden death playoff holeSteelsmith eliminated in 18-hole playoff (Casper:68, Brown:68, Steelsmith:73)4 1965 San Diego Open Invitational Wes Ellis Lost to birdie on first extra hole5 1965 Insurance City Open Invitational Johnny Pott Won with birdie on first extra hole6 1966 U.S. Open Arnold Palmer Won an 18-hole playoff (Casper:69, Palmer:73)7 1967 Canadian Open Art Wall, Jr. Won an 18-hole playoff (Casper:65, Wall, Jr.:69)8 1967 Carling World Open Al Geiberger Won with par on first extra hole9 1967 Hawaiian Open Dudley Wysong Lost to par on first extra hole10 1968 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am Bruce Devlin, Johnny Pott Pott won with birdie on first extra hole11 1969 Kaiser International Open Invitational George Archer, Don January, Jack Nicklaus Nicklaus won with birdie on second extra holeJanuary eliminated with birdie on first hole12 1970 Los Angeles Open Hale Irwin Won with birdie on first extra hole13 1970 Masters Tournament Gene Littler Won an 18-hole playoff (Casper:69, Littler:74)14 1971 Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open Bob Lunn Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole15 1972 Byron Nelson Golf Classic Chi Chi Rodriguez Lost to birdie on first extra hole16 1975 World Open Golf Championship Jack Nicklaus Lost to par on first extra holeEuropean Tour wins (1)No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin ofvictory Runner-up1 Oct 19, 1975 Italian Open −2 (74-69-70-73=286) 1 stroke Scotland Brian BarnesOther wins (8)This list is incomplete.1958 Brazil Open1959 Brazil Open1971 Miki Gold Cup (tie with Masashi Ozaki)1973 Hassan II Golf Trophy1974 Trophée Lancôme (France, unofficial European Tour event), Lancia d\'Oro1975 Hassan II Golf Trophy1977 Mexican OpenSenior PGA Tour wins (9)No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin ofvictory Runner(s)-up1 Aug 28, 1982 Shootout at Jeremy Ranch −9 (74-71-69-65=279) 1 stroke Miller Barber, Don January2 Sep 19, 1982 Merrill Lynch/Golf Digest Commemorative Pro-Am −10 (68-7-68=206) Playoff Bob Toski3 Jul 25, 1983 U.S. Senior Open +4 (73-73-69-73=288) Playoff Rod Funseth4 Apr 22, 1984 Senior PGA Tour Roundup −14 (68-69-65=202) 2 strokes Bob Stone5 Mar 15, 1987 Del E. Webb Arizona Classic −15 (68-65-68=201) 5 strokes Bob Charles, Dale Douglass6 Jun 28, 1987 Greater Grand Rapids Open −13 (69-68-63=200) 3 strokes Miller Barber7 May 8, 1988 Vantage at The Dominion −14 (70-68-67=205) 1 stroke Chi-Chi Rodríguez8 Jun 12, 1988 Mazda Senior Tournament Players Championship −10 (69-68-74-67=278) 2 strokes Al Geiberger9 Oct 22, 1989 Transamerica Senior Golf Championship −9 (69-70-68=207) 3 strokes Al GeibergerSenior PGA Tour playoff record (2–3)
No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result1 1981 U.S. Senior Open Arnold Palmer, Bob Stone Lost 18-hole playoff (Palmer 70, Stone:74, Casper:77)2 1982 Merrill Lynch/Golf Digest Commemorative Pro-Am Bob Toski Won with birdie on fourth extra hole3 1983 Gatlin Brothers Seniors Golf Classic Don January Lost to par on fifth extra hole4 1983 U.S. Senior Open Rod Funseth Won with birdie on first extra hole after 18-hole playoff (Casper:75, Funseth:75)5 1988 United Hospitals Classic Bruce Crampton Lost to birdie on first extra holeSenior major championships are shown in bold.
Other senior wins (1)1984 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Gay Brewer)Major championshipsWins (3)Year Championship 54 holes Winning score Margin Runner-up1959 U.S. Open 3 shot lead −2 (71-68-69-74=282) 1 stroke Bob Rosburg1966 U.S. Open (2) 3 shot deficit −2 (69-68-73-68=278) Playoff 1 Arnold Palmer1970 Masters Tournament 1 shot lead −9 (72-68-68-71=279) Playoff 2 Gene Littler1 Defeated Palmer in an 18-hole playoff: Casper 69 (−1), Palmer 73 (+3).2 Defeated Littler in an 18-hole playoff: Casper 69 (−3), Littler 74 (+2).
Results timelineTournament 1956 1957 1958 1959Masters Tournament T16 T20 CUTU.S. Open T14 CUT T13 1The Open Championship PGA Championship 2 T17Tournament 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969Masters Tournament 4 T7 T15 T11 T5 T35 T10 T24 T16 T2U.S. Open T12 T17 CUT 4 T17 1 4 T9 T40The Open Championship 4 T25PGA Championship T24 T15 T51 T9 T2 T3 19 T6 T35Tournament 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979Masters Tournament 1 T13 T17 T17 T37 6 8 T14 CUT 43U.S. Open T8 CUT T11 CUT CUT CUT T30 The Open Championship T17 T7 T40 PGA Championship T18 2 T4 T35 T63 T5 T51 T31 CUT CUTTournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989Masters Tournament CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT T57 CUT T50 CUT CUTU.S. Open The Open Championship PGA Championship CUT T67 CUT Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999Masters Tournament CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT WDU.S. Open The Open Championship PGA Championship Tournament 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005Masters Tournament WD CUT WDU.S. Open The Open Championship PGA Championship Win Top 10 Did not playCUT = missed the half-way cutWD = withdrew\"T\" = tied
SummaryTournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts madeMasters Tournament 1 1 0 4 8 18 45 23U.S. Open 2 0 0 4 6 12 20 14The Open Championship 0 0 0 1 2 4 5 5PGA Championship 0 3 1 6 8 13 24 20Totals 3 4 1 15 24 47 94 62Most consecutive cuts made – 27 (1962 PGA – 1971 Masters)Longest streak of top-10s – 4 (twice)Champions Tour major championshipsWins (2)Year Championship Winning score Margin Runner-up1983 United States Senior Open +4 (73-69-73-73=288) Playoff1 Rod Funseth1988 Mazda Senior Tournament Players Championship −10 (69-68-74-67=278) 2 strokes Al Geiberger1 18-hole playoff finished in a tie, Casper (75) to Funseth (75), Casper won with a birdie on the first sudden-death hole.
U.S. national team appearancesProfessional
Ryder Cup: 1961 (winners), 1963 (winners), 1965 (winners), 1967 (winners), 1969 (winners), 1971 (winners), 1973 (winners), 1975 (winners), 1979 (winners, non-playing captain)
Additional AchievenentsSixth on PGA Tour’s All-Time Victories listRyder Cup Team, 1961, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1971 1973, 1975 and Captain 1979Two-time PGA Player of the Year, 1970, 1966Five-time Vardon Trophy Winner, 1968, 1966, 1965, 1963, 1960Inducted in World Golf Hall of Fame, 1978Inducted in PGA Hall of Fame, 1982Over 15 International wins including:Brazilian Open, 1959, 1960;Italian Open, 1975;Mexican Open, 1977Billy was named Golfweek’s Father of the Year for 1996 and was selected as the Memorial Tournament’s honoree that same season.Billy also received the Jimmy Demaret Award at the 1996 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf.Billy was the honoree at the 1997 Nissan Open in Los Angeles.Other interests/companies include:Golf Course designGolf Course ManagementNutrition and Traveling/golf toursLists Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, andSam Snead as his heroesHas been very involved in the annualKing Hassan II Trophy tournament inMorocco and in2001 he was honored by the Moroccan Royal family and made part of their event for life.
The PGA Tour Westchester Classic, also called the Buick Classic for many years, was a golf tournament played at Westchester Country Club, in Rye, New York, from the late 1960s through the first decade of the 2000s.
First played: 1967
Last played at Westchester: 2007
(Note that this tournament still technically exists: The event first called The Barclays and later The Northern Trust is counted by the PGA Tour as a continuation of the Westchester Classic. However, the tournament left Westchester Country Club following 2007, and this article concerns only the original tournament at Westchester CC.)
Vijay Singh won the tournament three times, more than anyone else. Jack Nicklaus won the inaugural tournament plus once more, and was runner-up two other times. Ernie Els is the only back-to-back winner.
Three times in Westchester Classic history, a golfer lost in a playoff then came back the following year to win the tournament: Seve Ballesteros (lost playoff 1987, won 1988), Dennis Paulson (1999/2000), and Padraig Harrington (2004/2005).
Julius Boros\' 1968 win was his 18th and final on the PGA Tour. It came one month after he won the 1968 PGA Championship at age 48, becoming the oldest-ever major champion.
In 1975, Boros, then 55, got into a playoff, but lost to Gene Littler. Littler was 45 years old. Their combined age of 100 is the highest in PGA Tour history for a 2-man playoff. (Had Boros won, he would have become the tour\'s oldest-ever champion.)
Arnold Palmer\'s win in 1971 was his 60th career PGA Tour title, and his third-to-last. The 72-hole scoring record of 261 was set by Bob Gilder in 1982. ... In 1979, Sam Snead set a record for being the oldest golfer to make a PGA Tour cut when he made the cut here at age 67.
Also known as: Westchester Classic (1967-75), American Express Westchester Classic (1976-78), Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic (1979-89), Buick Classic (1990-2004), Barclays Classic (2005-06), The Barclays (2007).
Winners of the Westchester Classic/Buick Classic1967 — Jack Nicklaus, 2721968 — Julius Boros, 2721969 — Frank Beard, 2751970 — Bruce Crampton, 2731971 — Arnold Palmer, 2701972 — Jack Nicklaus, 2701973 — Bobby Nichols, 272 (def. Bob Murphy in playoff)1974 — Johnny Miller, 2691975 — Gene Littler, 271 (def. Julius Boros in playoff)1976 — David Graham, 2721977 — Andy North, 2721978 — Lee Elder, 2741979 — Jack Renner, 2771980 — Curtis Strange, 2731981 — Raymond Floyd, 2751982 — Bob Gilder, 2611983 — Seve Ballesteros, 2761984 — Scott Simpson, 2691985 — Roger Maltbie, 275 (def. George Burns, Raymond Floyd in playoff)1986 — Bob Tway, 2721987 — J.C. Snead, 276 (def. Seve Ballesteros in playoff)1988 — Seve Ballesteros, 276 (def. David Frost, Ken Green, Greg Norman in playoff)1989 — Wayne Grady, 277 (def. Ronnie Black in playoff)1990 — Hale Irwin, 2691991 — Billy Andrade, 2731992 — David Frost, 2681993 — Vijay Singh, 280 (def. Mark Wiebe in playoff)1994 — Lee Janzen, 2681995 — Vijay Singh, 278 (def. Doug Martin in playoff)1996 — Ernie Els, 2711997 — Ernie Els, 2681998 — J.P. Hayes, 201 (shortened due to weather; def. Jim Furyk in playoff)1999 — Duffy Waldorf, 276 (def. Dennis Paulson in playoff)2000 — Dennis Paulson, 276 (def. David Duval in playoff)2001 — Sergio Garcia, 2682002 — Chris Smith, 2722003 — Jonathan Kaye, 271 (def. John Rollins in playoff)2004 — Sergio Garcia, 272 (def. Padraig Harrington, Rory Sabbatini in playoff)2005 — Padraig Harrington, 2742006 — Vijay Singh, 2742007 — Steve Stricker, 268Golf course: Westchester Country Club is in Rye, New York, part of Westchester County, close to the New York-Connecticut border. The private golf club dates to 1922, with two golf courses originally designed by Walter Travis.
Photo credit: \"File:Bob Gilder Plaque at Westchester Country Club 1982.jpg\" by Anthony22 is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0