Al Watrous

Al Watrous
— Golfer —

Watrous, c. 1978
Personal information
Full name Albert Andrew Watrous
Born (1899-02-01)February 1, 1899
Yonkers, New York
Died December 3, 1983(1983-12-03) (aged 84)
Royal Oak, Michigan
Height 5 ft 11.5 in (1.82 m)
Weight 178 lb (81 kg; 12.7 st)
Nationality  United States
Spouse Agnes J. Watrous
Children 2
Career
Status Professional
Former tour(s) PGA Tour
Professional wins 34
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour 8
Other 26
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament 7th: 1937
U.S. Open T8: 1923
The Open Championship 2nd: 1926
PGA Championship T3: 1935
Achievements and awards
National Polish-American
Sports Hall of Fame		 1979
Michigan Golf Hall of Fame 1982

Albert Andrew Watrous (February 1, 1899 – December 3, 1983)[1][2] was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1920s and 1930s.

Early life

Born in Yonkers, New York, of Polish descent,[3] Watrous moved to Michigan at an early age and played on the first two Ryder Cup teams in 1927 and 1929. Watrous was the club pro at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan for 37 years.[4] Watrous had tremendous success in Michigan events, winning the Michigan PGA Championship nine times and the Michigan Open six times.

1926 Open Championship

Watrous never won a major championship, but came very close in the 1926 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club. Playing with Bobby Jones in the final round, and tied with him, Watrous hit the green in two shots on the difficult par-4 17th hole, with Jones in trouble after his tee shot finished in sandy dunes and tall grass far left of the fairway. But from this very difficult position, Jones hit one of the greatest recovery shots in golf history from 175 yards, as his ball finished on the green nearer than Watrous', who three-putted, and finished second to Jones.[5] Watrous did win the PGA Seniors Championship three times after he turned 50.

He became a General Motors executive after his days as a player and club pro were over.

Legacy and death

On June 14, 1979, Watrous was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.[4] In 1982, he was inducted with the charter class at the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame. A collegiate golf tournament named in his honor, the Al Watrous Memorial Intercollegiate Invitational, was first played in 2009.

Watrous died on December 3, 1983 in Royal Oak, Michigan.[2]

Professional wins

PGA Tour wins (8)

Source[7]

Other wins

Note: This list is probably incomplete.

Senior wins

Results in major championships

Tournament 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929
U.S. Open 32 37 T8 WD T13 WD T18 T41 T32
The Open Championship DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 2 DNP DNP T7
PGA Championship DNP R32 R64 R16 R32 R32 DNP R16 SF
Tournament 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939
Masters Tournament NYF NYF NYF NYF T11 34 T29 7 T27 25
U.S. Open T17 T15 T35 T13 T14 T33 T32 CUT DNP DNP
The Open Championship DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
PGA Championship R16 DNP R32 DNP QF SF DNP R32 DNP R16
Tournament 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
Masters Tournament T21 32 DNP NT NT NT T32 DNP DNP DNP
U.S. Open CUT 52 NT NT NT NT T43 DNP DNP DNP
The Open Championship NT NT NT NT NT NT DNP DNP DNP DNP
PGA Championship R32 DNP DNP NT DNP DNP DNP R64 R64 DNP
Tournament 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
Masters Tournament DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
U.S. Open DNP T35 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
The Open Championship DNP DNP DNP DNP T42 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
PGA Championship R32 DNP DNP R64 DNP R64 DNP R64 DNP DNP
Tournament 1960 1961
Masters Tournament DNP DNP
U.S. Open DNP CUT
The Open Championship DNP DNP
PGA Championship DNP CUT

NYF = Tournament not yet founded
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10

Summary

Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 0 0 0 0 1 4 9 9
U.S. Open 0 0 0 0 1 7 22 17
The Open Championship 0 1 0 1 2 2 3 3
PGA Championship 0 0 2 3 7 14 21 20
Totals 0 1 2 4 11 27 55 49

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Social Security Death Index". http://www.genealogybank.com. Retrieved May 3, 2015. External link in |website= (help)
  2. 1 2 "Albert Watrous in the U.S. Social Security Death Index (1935-2014)". http://www.ancestry.com. External link in |website= (help);
  3. ↑ Elliott, Len; Kelly, Barbara (1976). Who's Who in Golf. New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House. p. 197. ISBN 0-87000-225-2.
  4. 1 2 "Bio from Polish National Sports Hall of Fame and Museum". Archived from the original on 2010-10-12. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
  5. ↑ The World Atlas of Golf (second ed.). London: Mitchell Bazely. 1988.
  6. ↑ "Canadian Open -- Past Winners". http://www.pgatour.com. Retrieved May 3, 2015. External link in |website= (help)
  7. ↑ Barkow, Al (November 1989). The History of the PGA TOUR. Doubleday. pp. 237–8, 253. ISBN 0-385-26145-4.
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