Billy Casper
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| Billy Casper | |||||||||
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| Personal information | |||||||||
| Full name | William Earl Casper Jr. | ||||||||
| Nickname | Buffalo Bill | ||||||||
| Born | Script error: No such module "person date". San Diego, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | Script error: No such module "person date". Springville, Utah, U.S. | ||||||||
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| Sporting nationality | File:Flag of the United States (Web Colors).svg United States | ||||||||
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Shirley Franklin
(m. 1952) | ||||||||
| Children | 11 | ||||||||
| Career | |||||||||
| College | University of Notre Dame | ||||||||
| Turned professional | 1954 | ||||||||
| Former tourTemplate:Pluralize from text | Page Template:Plainlist/styles.css has no content. | ||||||||
| Professional wins | 72 | ||||||||
| Highest ranking | Template:Infobox golfer/highest ranking | ||||||||
| Number of wins by tour | |||||||||
| PGA Tour | 51 (7th all time) | ||||||||
| European Tour | 1 | ||||||||
| PGA Tour Champions | 9 | ||||||||
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| Best results in major championships (wins: 3) | |||||||||
| Masters Tournament | Won: 1970 | ||||||||
| PGA Championship | 2nd/T2: 1958, 1965, 1971 | ||||||||
| U.S. Open | Won: 1959, 1966 | ||||||||
| The Open Championship | 4th: 1968 | ||||||||
| Achievements and awards | |||||||||
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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,[1][2] where golf could be played year-round, to rank seventh all-time in career Tour wins with 51, across 20 years 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 the 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 self-contained style, relying on solid technique, determination, concentration, and perseverance.[3]
He converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1966. Casper was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1978.
Early life
Casper was born in San Diego, California.[4] He grew up in Chula Vista, California.[5][2] His father started him in golf at age five.[6] Casper caddied during his youth at San Diego Country Club[7] to earn money for golf.
Amateur career
Casper 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.[8] After graduating from Notre Dame, he turned professional in 1954.[9]
Professional career
Casper 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.[10]
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.
Legacy
Much 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 is 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 period. He is considered by many to have been the best putter of his era.[11]
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.[12]
Casper's grandson, Mason Casper, played for the Utah Valley University golf team. Mason qualified for NCAA post-season play in 2012.[13]
Personal life
Casper was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, joining in early 1966 at age 34, at the height of his playing career.[14][15]
Casper died at age 83 in 2015 of a heart attack at his home in Springville, Utah.[16] He 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.[17]
Other ventures
Golf course design and management
After 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. He also designed the Hidden Oaks Golf Course, 9 holes of a beloved Par 3 in a residential neighborhood just north of Santa Barbara, CA. As of 2017. Chula Vista Golf Course, designed by Billy Casper, is a par 73 with three par 5's on the front nine and two on the back.[18] 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.[19] Billy Casper Golf annually hosts the "World's Largest Golf Outing" – a national golf outing fundraiser benefiting military charities.[20]
Acting
Casper had a cameo appearance in the movie, Now You See Him, Now You Don't.
Billy's Kids
Casper was active in charitable work for children and hosted fundraisers, including an annual tournament at San Diego Country Club for "Billy's Kids".
Awards and honors
- In 1978, Casper was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame
- In 2000, he was ranked as the 15th greatest golfer of all time by Golf Digest magazine[12]
Bibliography
- Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Casper, Billy; Toski, Bob (1966). Golf Shotmaking. Golf Digest/Doubleday. ASIN B0000CN8TV.
- Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Casper, Billy; Barkow, Al (1980). The Good Sense of Golf. Prentice-Hall. ISBN 978-0133605112.
- Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Casper, Billy; Parkinson, James; Benson, Lee (2012). The Big Three And Me. Genesis Press. ISBN 978-1-58571-628-9.
Professional wins (72)
PGA Tour wins (51)
| Legend |
|---|
| Major championships (3) |
| Other PGA Tour (48) |
PGA Tour playoff record (8–8)
Source:[21]
European Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 19, 1975 | Italian Open | −2 (74-69-70-73=286) | 1 stroke | Template:Flagicon Brian Barnes |
Latin American wins (4)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 14, 1958 | Brazil Open | −14 (67-66-67-70=270) | 9 strokes | Template:Flagicon Leopoldo Ruiz |
| 2 | Nov 30, 1958 | Havana Invitational | −10 (68-66-76-68=278) | 2 strokes | Template:Flagicon Bo Wininger |
| 3 | Oct 25, 1958 | Brazil Open (2) | −4 (67-67-66-68=268) | 6 strokes | Template:Flagicon Mário Gonzalez |
| 4 | Nov 13, 1977 | Mexican Open | −6 (68-67-68-71=274) | 3 strokes | Template:Flagicon Gay Brewer |
Other wins (6)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 7, 1971 | Miki Gold Cup | −8 (70-70-68=208) | Shared title with Template:Flagicon Masashi Ozaki | |
| 2 | Dec 9, 1973 | Hassan II Golf Trophy | −4 (69-70-73-76=288) | 5 strokes | Template:Flagicon Rod Funseth |
| 3 | Oct 6, 1974 | Trophée Lancôme | −5 (66-74-70-73=283) | 3 strokes | Template:Flagicon Hale Irwin |
| 4 | Oct 13, 1974 | Lancia d'Oro | −5 (68-69-72=209) | 5 strokes | Template:Flagicon Bobby Cole |
| 5 | Dec 14, 1975 | Hassan II Golf Trophy (2) | −8 (72-71-73-68=284) | 11 strokes | Template:Flagicon Tommy Aaron, Template:Flagicon Ron Cerrudo |
| 6 | Mar 14, 1976 | Gran Premio Is Molas[22] | +4 (74-71-70-77=292) | Playoff | Template:Flagicon Lanny Wadkins |
Senior PGA Tour wins (9)
| Legend |
|---|
| Senior PGA Tour major championships (2) |
| Other Senior PGA Tour (7) |
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (2–3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1981 | U.S. Senior Open | Template:Flagicon Arnold Palmer, Template:Flagicon Bob Stone | Palmer won 18-hole playoff; Palmer: E (70), Stone: +4 (74), Casper: +7 (77) |
| 2 | 1982 | Merrill Lynch/Golf Digest Commemorative Pro-Am | Template:Flagicon Bob Toski | Won with a birdie on the fourth extra hole |
| 3 | 1983 | Gatlin Brothers Seniors Golf Classic | Template:Flagicon Don January | Lost to par on the fifth extra hole |
| 4 | 1983 | U.S. Senior Open | Template:Flagicon Rod Funseth | Won with birdie on first extra hole after 18-hole playoff; Casper: +4 (75), Funseth: +4 (75) |
| 5 | 1988 | United Hospitals Classic | Template:Flagicon Bruce Crampton | Lost to a birdie on the first extra hole |
Other senior wins (1)
- 1984 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Gay Brewer)
Major championships
Wins (3)
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | U.S. Open | 3 shot lead | −2 (71-68-69-74=282) | 1 stroke | Template:Flagdeco Bob Rosburg |
| 1966 | U.S. Open (2) | 3 shot deficit | −2 (69-68-73-68=278) | Playoff 1 | Template:Flagdeco Arnold Palmer |
| 1970 | Masters Tournament | 1 shot lead | −9 (72-68-68-71=279) | Playoff 2 | Template:Flagdeco Gene Littler |
1 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 timeline
| Tournament | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T16 | T20 | CUT | |
| U.S. Open | T14 | CUT | T13 | 1 |
| The Open Championship | ||||
| PGA Championship | 2 | T17 |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 4 | T7 | T15 | T11 | T5 | T35 | T10 | T24 | T16 | T2 |
| U.S. Open | T12 | T17 | CUT | 4 | T17 | 1 | 4 | T9 | T40 | |
| The Open Championship | 4 | T25 | ||||||||
| PGA Championship | T24 | T15 | T51 | T9 | T2 | T3 | 19 | T6 | T35 |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 1 | T13 | T17 | T17 | T37 | 6 | 8 | T14 | CUT | 43 |
| U.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 | CUT |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | T57 | CUT | T50 | CUT | CUT |
| U.S. Open | ||||||||||
| The Open Championship | ||||||||||
| PGA Championship | CUT | T67 | CUT |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | WD | |
| U.S. Open | ||||||||||
| The Open Championship | ||||||||||
| PGA Championship |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | WD | CUT | WD | |||
| U.S. Open | ||||||
| The Open Championship | ||||||
| PGA Championship |
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CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" = tied
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 18 | 45 | 23 |
| U.S. Open | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 20 | 14 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 24 | 20 |
| Totals | 3 | 4 | 1 | 15 | 24 | 47 | 94 | 62 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 27 (1962 PGA – 1971 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 4 (twice)
Champions Tour major championships
Wins (2)
| Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | United States Senior Open | +4 (73-69-73-73=288) | Playoff1 | Template:Flagdeco Rod Funseth |
| 1988 | Mazda Senior Tournament Players Championship | −10 (69-68-74-67=278) | 2 strokes | Template:Flagdeco Al Geiberger |
1 The 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 appearances
Professional
- Ryder Cup: 1961 (winners), 1963 (winners), 1965 (winners), 1967 (winners), 1969 (winners), 1971 (winners), 1973 (winners), 1975 (winners), 1979 (winners, non-playing captain)
See also
- List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins
- List of men's major championships winning golfers
- List of longest PGA Tour win streaks
References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Strege, John (August 5, 2017). "San Diego CC recalls Mickey Wright, Billy Casper and a course deserving 'more national acclaim'". Golf Digest. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Benson, Lee (February 8, 2015). "Golf legend Billy Casper dies". Deseret News. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Diaz, Jaime (June 2012). "Out Of The Darkness". Golf Digest. Archived from the original on February 10, 2015.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."PGA Tour profile – Billy Casper". PGA Tour. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Jennewein, Chris (February 8, 2015). "Billy Casper, Golf Legend from Chula Vista, Dies at 83". Times of San Diego. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."PGA Tour Media Guide – Billy Casper". Retrieved January 16, 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kuhlken, Ken (October 1, 1998). "San Diego Country Club - a little history, and some personal stories". San Diego Reader. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Peery, Paul D. (1969). Billy Casper: Winner. Prentice-Hall. ISBN 978-0130762818.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Casper Tops Million Mark". The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. UPI. January 12, 1970. p. 62. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The Lost Icons of Golf: Why Some 20-Win Careers Ended Quietly". BZNews. July 24, 2025. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Billy Casper profile". World Golf Hall of Fame. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Yocom, Guy (July 2000). "50 Greatest Golfers of All Time: And What They Taught Us". Golf Digest. Retrieved December 5, 2007.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Golf: Utah Valley golfer receives NCAA Tournament bid". The Salt Lake Tribune. May 7, 2012.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hoefflin, Walter (September 22, 1966). "Billy Casper faces varied conflicts". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. p. 2D.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Haws, J. B. (2013). The Mormon Image in the American Mind: Fifty Years of Public Perception. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-19-989764-3.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Billy Casper passes away at age 83". PGA Tour. February 8, 2015.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Goldstein, Richard (February 7, 2015). "Billy Casper, Overlooked Titan of Golf, Dies at 83". The New York Times.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Course Details". Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Providing Solutions for Golf Courses & Golf Course Owners". Billy Casper Golf. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."World's Largest Golf Outing a BCG Venture". Billy Casper Golf. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Barkow, Al (1989). The History of the PGA TOUR. Doubleday. pp. 262–3. ISBN 0-385-26145-4.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.McCormack, Mark H. (1977). The World of Professional Golf 1977. Collins. pp. 229–230, 449. ISBN 0002168790.
Further reading
- Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ward, Brooke; Spencer, Jenny (September 18, 2014). "Johnny Lingo Cast, The Jets, and Other Mormon Celebs: Where They Are Now". LDS Living.
External links
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- Billy Casper at the European Tour official siteTemplate:EditAtWikidata
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