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Ken Venturi
Personal information
Full nameKenneth Venturi
NicknameKen
Born(1931-05-15)May 15, 1931
San Francisco, California
DiedMay 17, 2013(2013-05-17) (aged 82)
Rancho Mirage, California
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
Sporting nationality United States
ResidenceRancho Mirage, California
SpouseKathleen M. Venturi
Children2 sons, 2 step-daughters, 2 step-sons
Career
CollegeSan Jose State College
Turned professional1956
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins15
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour14
Best results in major championships
(wins: 1)
Masters Tournament2nd: 1956. 1960
PGA ChampionshipT5: 1959, 1964
U.S. OpenWon: 1964
The Open ChampionshipCUT: 1973
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame2013 (member page)
PGA Player of the Year1964
Sports Illustrated
Sportsman of the Year		1964

Kenneth Venturi (born May 15, 1931 - May 17, 2013) was an American retired professional golfer and golf broadcaster. He won 14 events on the PGA Tour including one major, the 1964 U.S. Open. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2013.

Early years and amateur career

Venturi was born in San Francisco, California. He learned to play golf at an early age, and developed his game at Harding Park Golf Course and other public courses in the area. In the early 1950s, Venturi was a pupil of Byron Nelson, and was also influenced by playing partner Ben Hogan. He won the California State Amateur Championship in 1951 and 1956, serving in the Army in Korea in the interim. Venturi first gained national attention in 1956 while still an amateur; he finished second in that year's Masters, one shot behind Jack Burke, Jr., after leading from the first round. Venturi shot a final-round 80 in very windy conditions, and relinquished a four-shot lead, which prevented him from winning outright and thus becoming the first amateur to do so in the history of The Masters. Years later it would be compared to Greg Norman's back nine collapse in 1996.

Professional career

Venturi was a regular winner during his early years on the PGA Tour after turning pro at the end of 1956. He again come close to winning the Masters in 1958 and 1960, both times being edged out by Arnold Palmer.

After suffering minor injuries in an automobile accident in 1961, Venturi's swing, and thus his career, began to slide. This slump lasted until 1964 when, for no reason even Venturi could fathom, he began playing well again. After a couple of high finishes, Venturi reached the pinnacle of his comeback by winning the 1964 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club, after nearly collapsing in the 100-degree heat during the then 36-hole final day. He received that year's Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" award and PGA Player of the Year award. He played on the 1965 Ryder Cup team. Venturi received the 1998 Old Tom Morris Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, GCSAA's highest honor.

Broadcasting career

After 1964, Venturi's career again took a blow when he was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome in both wrists. After several surgeries his condition was reversed, but he was never able to regain his past form. After retiring from the Tour in 1967 with a total of 14 career wins, Venturi spent the next 35 years working as a color commentator and lead analyst for CBS Sports — the longest such stint in sports broadcasting history, made remarkable by the fact that he suffered from severe stuttering early in life. He retired from broadcasting in June 2002.

Other ventures

Acting

Venturi appeared as himself in the 1996 film Tin Cup. In the film, he is a commentator at the U.S. Open being held at a fictional course in North Carolina. In one scene, Venturi is shown voicing his opinion that the film's protagonist, Roy McAvoy (Kevin Costner), should lay-up on a long par-5 rather than try to reach the green in two shots. McAvoy, who has decided to go for it, is then shown saying, "This is for Venturi up in the booth thinking I should lay-up." His caddy, played by Cheech Marin, sarcastically responds, "Yeah, what does he know? He only won this tournament before you were born."

Venturi has described the late actor and singer Frank Sinatra as his best friend and former roommate.

Golf course design and instructional schools

In 1990, Venturi redesigned and renovated the Eagle Creek Golf & Country Club course near Naples, Florida. He has also lent his name to a series of instructional schools.

Honors

In 2004, after some controversy, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to Venturi. In 2013, he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in the lifetime achievement category.

Amateur wins

Professional wins

PGA Tour wins (14)

Other wins (1)

Major championships

Wins (1)

Year Championship 54 holes Winning score Margin Runner-up
1964 U.S. Open 2 shot deficit –2 (72-70-66-70=278) 4 strokes United States Tommy Jacobs

Results timeline

Amateur

Tournament 1953 1954 1955 1956
The Masters DNP T16 DNP 2 LA
U.S. Open CUT DNP DNP 8 LA
The Open Championship DNP DNP DNP DNP
The Amateur Championship DNP DNP R64 DNP

Professional

Tournament 1957 1958 1959
The Masters T13 T4 CUT
U.S. Open T6 T35 T38
The Open Championship DNP DNP DNP
PGA Championship DNP T20 T5
Tournament 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
The Masters 2 T11 T9 34 DNP CUT 16 T21 T50 CUT
U.S. Open T23 DNP DNP DNP 1 CUT T17 T28 CUT CUT
The Open Championship DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
PGA Championship 9 T37 T51 DNP T5 DNP T15 T11 T48 DNP
Tournament 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974
The Masters DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
U.S. Open DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT
The Open Championship DNP DNP DNP CUT DNP
PGA Championship DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP

LA = Low Amateur
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
DNQ = Did not qualify for match play portion of U.S. Amateur
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10

Source for The Masters: www.masters.com

Source for U.S. Open: USGA Championship Database

Source for British Open: www.opengolf.com

Source for 1955 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, June 2, 1955, pg. 4.

Source for PGA Championship: PGA Championship Media Guide

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

Professional

See also

References

  1. "Ken Venturi, former US Open champion, dies at 82". SFgate.com. May 17, 2013. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
  2. "World Golf Hall of Fame adds Venturi to 2013 class". PGA Tour. October 8, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  3. ^ Mackin, Tom (June 13, 2011). "Ken Venturi, the '64 Open champ, says golf was a different game in his era". Golf Magazine. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  4. ^ Kelley, Brent. "Ken Venturi biography". About.com. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  5. ^ Terrill, Joey (December 2004). "My shot: Ken Venturi". Golf Digest. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  6. "Course Information". Eagle Creek Golf & Country Club. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  7. The controversy arose between Gerhard Frenzel, the founder of the Walk of Stars, and the City of Palm Springs over whether Venturi qualified for a Star under the Palm Springs Walk of Stars Foundation's contract with the city. See: "Palm Springs Walk of Stars Under Dispute." AP Online. Press Association, Inc. 2004. Retrieved January 13, 2013 from HighBeam Research
  8. Palm Springs Walk of Stars by date dedicated

External links

U.S. Open champions
† indicates the event was won in a playoff; ‡ indicates the event was won wire-to-wire; # indicates the event was won by an amateur; 1942–1945 cancelled due to World War II
PGA and PGA Tour Players of the Year
PGA Players of the Year
PGA Tour Players of the Year
United States Ryder Cup team – 1965
United States
Won: 19.5 – 12.5
Johnny Pott: Made the team, but did not participate in the event due to a back injury.
United States Presidents Cup team – 2000
United States
Won: 21.5 – 10.5
Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year

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