Gay Brewer
Personal information
Full name	Gay Robert Brewer, Jr.
Born	(1932-03-19)March 19, 1932 Middletown, Ohio
Died	August 31, 2007(2007-08-31) (aged 75) Lexington, Kentucky
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
Nationality	United States
Children	Erin, Kelly
Career
Turned professional	1956
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour Champions Tour
Professional wins	17
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	10
Champions Tour	1
Other	5 (regular) 1 (senior)
Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 1)
Masters Tournament	Won: 1967
U.S. Open	5th/T5: 1962, 1964
The Open Championship	T6: 1968
PGA Championship	T7: 1972

Gay Robert Brewer, Jr. (March 19, 1932 – August 31, 2007) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and won the 1967 Masters Tournament.

Brewer was born in Middletown, Ohio, and raised in Lexington, Kentucky. As an amateur, Brewer won the Kentucky State Boys Golf Championship in three consecutive years from 1949–1951. In 1949, he also won the U.S. Junior Amateur Golf Championship, the most prestigious amateur event for golfers under the age of eighteen. In 1952, Brewer won the Southern Amateur.

Brewer turned professional in 1956. Playing on the PGA Tour in 1965, he won the Hawaiian Open, the first ever PGA event held in that state. At the 1966 Masters Tournament, he bogeyed the final hole to finish in a three-way tie for the lead after regulation play but ended up finishing third to Jack Nicklaus following an 18-hole playoff. He came back to win the prestigious event the next year, scoring a one stroke victory over lifelong friend Bobby Nichols in the first live television broadcast of a golf tournament from the United States to Europe. Brewer called winning the 1967 Masters "the biggest thrill I've had in golf".^[1] He went on to become a member of the 1967 Ryder Cup winning team. That same year at the Pensacola Open, he set a PGA Tour record for the best 54-hole total on a par-72 course. His score of 25-under par is a record that still stands over forty years later. In the direct opposite vein, at the 1969 Danny Thomas-Diplomat Classic he tied the record for a player having the largest lead (six strokes) with 18 holes to play and then losing.

Brewer's 1966 performances earned him the Golf Digest's Most Improved Golfer award and his 1967 performances earned him the cover of the August 7th issue of Sports Illustrated magazine. He won the 1972 Canadian Open and was again part of the U.S. team that won the 1973 Ryder Cup.

Overall, Brewer was victorious in 10 tour events during his career. He was known for his jovial personality and his unusual golf swing.^[1] Brewer joined the Senior PGA Tour and won the 1984 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf tournament with Billy Casper and at age sixty-three he won the 1995 MasterCard Champions Championship. His final competitive round was at the 2001 Masters Tournament.^[1]

In 2006, Brewer was voted to the University of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2007, the golf course in Lexington where he learned to play was renamed the "Gay Brewer Jr. Course at Picadome."

Brewer died at his home in Lexington, Kentucky from lung cancer.^[2] At the time of his death, he was engaged to Alma Jo McGuire.^[3] He is interred at Lexington Cemetery in Lexington.

Amateur wins[link]

This list may be incomplete.

• 1949 Kentucky State Boys, U.S. Junior Amateur
• 1950 Kentucky State Boys
• 1951 Kentucky State Boys
• 1952 Southern Amateur

Professional wins (17)[link]

PGA Tour wins (10)[link]

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning Score	Margin of Victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Aug 20, 1961	Carling Open Invitational	-3 (72-72-66-67=277)	1 stroke	Billy Maxwell
2	Nov 26, 1961	Mobile Sertoma Open Invitational	-13 (69-66-74-66=275)	1 stroke	Johnny Pott
3	Dec 3, 1961	West Palm Beach Open Invitational	-14 (69-64-70-71=274)	4 strokes	Arnold Palmer
4	May 5, 1963	Waco Turner Open	-8 (72-70-71-67=280)	1 stroke	Ted Ball
5	Sep 26, 1965	Greater Seattle Open Invitational	-9 (69-72-66-72=279)	Playoff	Doug Sanders
6	Nov 7, 1965	Hawaiian Open	-3 (74-72-67-68=281)	Playoff	Bob Goalby
7	Mar 7, 1967	Pensacola Open Invitational	-16 (65-69-67-71=272)	3 strokes	Bruce Devlin
8	Mar 26, 1967	Pensacola Open Invitational	-26 (66-64-61-71=262)	6 strokes	Bob Keller
9	Apr 9, 1967	Masters Tournament	-8 (73-68-72-67=280)	1 stroke	Bobby Nichols
10	Jul 9, 1972	Canadian Open	-9 (67-70-68-70=275)	1 stroke	Sam Adams, Dave Hill

Other wins (5)[link]

This list is probably incomplete.

• 1951 Kentucky Open (as an amateur)
• 1965 PGA National Four-ball Championship (with Butch Baird)
• 1967 Alcan Golfer of the Year Championship
• 1968 Alcan Golfer of the Year Championship
• 1972 Pacific Masters

Senior PGA Tour wins (1)[link]

• 1984 Citizens Union Senior Golf Classic

Other senior wins (1)[link]

This list is probably incomplete.

• 1984 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Billy Casper)

Major championships[link]

Wins (1)[link]

Year	Championship	54 Holes	Winning Score	Margin	Runner-up
1967	Masters Tournament	2 shot deficit	-8 (73-68-72-67=280)	1 stroke	Bobby Nichols

Results timeline[link]

DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10

See also[link]

Biography portal

• List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins

References[link]

External links[link]

• Gay Brewer at the PGA Tour official site
• Gay Brewer - Obituary and Tribute
• Gay Brewer at Find a Grave

Gay Brewer in the Ryder Cup v t e United States Ryder Cup team – 1967 Julius Boros • Gay Brewer • Billy Casper • Gardner Dickinson • Al Geiberger • Gene Littler • Bobby Nichols • Johnny Pott • Arnold Palmer • Doug Sanders Ben Hogan (non-playing captain) Won: 23.5 – 8.5 v t e United States Ryder Cup team – 1973 Tommy Aaron • Homero Blancas • Gay Brewer • Billy Casper • Dave Hill • Lou Graham • Jack Nicklaus • Arnold Palmer • Juan "Chi-Chi" Rodríguez • J. C. Snead • Lee Trevino • Tom Weiskopf Jack Burke, Jr. (non-playing captain) Won: 19 – 13

Billy Casper is also the name of the protagonist of A Kestrel for a Knave.

Billy Casper
The 1958 and 2007 Buick Open champs, Billy Casper (left) and Brian Bateman, help start the tournament's 50th anniversary season.
Personal information
Full name	William Earl Casper, Jr.
Nickname	Buffalo Bill
Born	(1931-06-24) June 24, 1931 (age 81) San Diego, California
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg; 13.9 st)
Nationality	United States
Career
College	University of Notre Dame
Turned professional	1954
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour Champions Tour
Professional wins	68
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	51 (7th all time)
European Tour	1
Champions Tour	9
Other	6 (regular) 1 (senior)
Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 3)
Masters Tournament	Won: 1970
U.S. Open	Won: 1959, 1966
The Open Championship	4th: 1968
PGA Championship	2nd/T2: 1958, 1965, 1971
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame	1978 (member page)
PGA Player of the Year	1966, 1970
PGA Tour leading money winner	1966, 1968
Vardon Trophy	1960, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968

William Earl Casper, Jr. (born June 24, 1931) is an American professional golfer who was one of the most prolific tournament winners on the PGA Tour from the mid 1950s to the mid 1970s.

Early years[link]

Casper was born in San Diego, California.^[1] His father started him in golf at age five.^[2] He turned professional in 1954.^[3]

Professional career[link]

Casper had 51 PGA Tour wins in his career, placing 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. He was a member of the United States team in the Ryder Cup 8 times—in 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.

On the senior circuit, Casper earned nine Senior PGA Tour (now the Champions Tour) wins from 1982 to 1989, including two senior majors.

Legacy[link]

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 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 the best putter of his era by many.^[4]

Casper is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He and his wife Shirley have 11 children, 6 of whom are adopted.

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.^[5]

Casper's grandson, Mason Casper, is on the Utah Valley University golf team. Mason qualified for NCAA post-season play in 2012.^[6]

Other ventures[link]

Golf course design and management[link]

After his professional career, Casper has been a designer for many golf courses such as The Highlands, The Palm and Eagle Crest in Sun City Summerlin, Nevada. His management company is the 2nd largest operator of golf courses in the United States, and currently manages more than 125 golf facilities.^[7]

Acting[link]

Casper had a cameo appearance in the movie, Now You See Him, Now You Don't.

Billy's Kids[link]

Casper is active in charitable work for children and hosts fundraisers including an annual tournament at San Diego Country Club for "Billy's Kids".

Trivia[link]

During the Swiss Open at Crans-sur-Sierre in 1971 Casper made a double eagle at the 14th hole. In 2006, when celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Crans Golf Club, a plate to commemorate this was placed next to the 14th tee. A similar plate was put at the 9th hole, where Tadd Fujikawa made a double eagle in 2007.

Professional wins (68)[link]

PGA Tour wins (51)[link]

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning Score	Margin of Victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Jul 15, 1956	Labatt Open	-14 (68-68-67-71=274)	2 strokes	Jimmy Demaret
2	Feb 3, 1957	Phoenix Open Invitational	-9 (68-71-65-67=271)	3 strokes	Cary Middlecoff, Mike Souchak
3	Apr 28, 1957	Kentucky Derby Open Invitational	-7 (68-68-71-70=277)	1 stroke	Peter Thomson
4	Jan 12, 1958	Bing Crosby National Pro-Am Golf Championship	-11 (71-66-69-71=277)	4 strokes	Dave Marr
5	Mar 11, 1958	Greater New Orleans Open Invitational	-10 (69-70-70-69=278)	Playoff	Ken Venturi
6	Jun 23, 1958	Buick Open Invitational	-3 (70-73-71-71=285)	1 stroke	Ted Kroll, Arnold Palmer
7	Jun 13, 1959	U.S. Open	+2 (71-68-69-74=282)	1 stroke	Bob Rosburg
8	Oct 4, 1959	Portland Centennial Open Invitational	-19 (69-64-67-69=269)	3 strokes	Bob Duden, Dave Ragan
9	Nov 15, 1959	Lafayette Open Invitational	-11 (69-64-71-69=273)	4 strokes	George Bayer
10	Nov 22, 1959	Mobile Sertoma Open Invitational	-8 (71-68-68-73=280)	2 strokes	Wes Ellis, Dave Ragan
11	Sep 25, 1960	Portland Open Invitational	-22 (68-67-66-65=266)	2 strokes	Paul Harney
12	Oct 3, 1960	Hesperia Open Invitational	-13 (70-68-67-70=275)	5 strokes	Bob Rosburg
13	Oct 16, 1960	Orange County Open Invitational	-8 (70-68-69-69=276)	1 stroke	Charlie Sifford
14	Sep 24, 1961	Portland Open Invitational	-15 (68-71-67-67=273)	1 stroke	Dave Hill
15	Mar 25, 1962	Doral C.C. Open Invitational	-5 (70-67-75-71=283)	1 stroke	Pete Bondeson
16	Apr 15, 1962	Greater Greensboro Open	-5 (69-70-68-68=275)	1 stroke	Mike Souchak
17	May 27, 1962	500 Festival Open Invitation	-20 (66-67-67-64=264)	1 stroke	George Bayer, Jerry Steelsmith
18	Oct 14, 1962	Bakersfield Open Invitational	-16 (69-71-65-67=272)	4 strokes	Tony Lema
19	Jan 20, 1963	Bing Crosby National Pro-Am	-4 (73-66-68-69=276)	1 stroke	Dave Hill, Bob Rosburg, Art Wall, Jr.
20	Aug 18, 1963	Insurance City Open Invitational	-13 (67-68-71-65=271)	1 stroke	George Bayer
21	Mar 22, 1964	Doral Open Invitational	-11 (70-70-67-70=277)	1 stroke	Jack Nicklaus
22	May 10, 1964	Colonial National Invitation	-1 (72-67-70-7=279)	4 strokes	Tommy Jacobs
23	Sep 27, 1964	Greater Seattle Open Invitational	-15 (68-67-66-64=265)	2 strokes	Mason Rudolph
24	Nov 1, 1964	Almaden Open Invitational	-9 (68-70-73-68=279)	Playoff	Pete Brown, Jerry Steelsmith
25	Feb 7, 1965	Bob Hope Desert Classic	-12 (70-70-69-67-72=348)	1 stroke	Tommy Aaron, Arnold Palmer
26	Jul 4, 1965	Western Open	-14 (70-66-70-64=270)	2 strokes	Jack McGowan, Chi Chi Rodriguez
27	Jul 25, 1965	Insurance City Open Invitational	-10 (70-72-66-66=274)	Playoff	Johnny Pott
28	Oct 23, 1965	Sahara Invitational	-15 (66-66-68-69=269)	3 strokes	Billy Martindale
29	Jan 16, 1966	San Diego Open Invitational	-16 (70-66-68-64=268)	4 strokes	Tommy Aaron, Tom Weiskopf
30	Jun 20, 1966	U.S. Open	-2 (69-68-73-68=278)	Playoff	Arnold Palmer
31	Jun 26, 1966	Western Open	-1 (69-72-72-70=283)	3 strokes	Gay Brewer
32	Jul 31, 1966	500 Festival Open Invitation	-11 (69-70-68-70=277)	3 strokes	R. H. Sikes
33	Jul 3, 1967	Canadian Open	-5 (69-70-71-69=279)	Playoff	Art Wall, Jr.
34	Sep 27, 1967	Carling World Open	-3 (74-68-70-69=281)	Playoff	Al Geiberger
35	Jan 28, 1968	Los Angeles Open	-10 (70-67-68-69=274)	3 strokes	Arnold Palmer
36	Apr 8, 1968	Greater Greensboro Open	-17 (65-67-69-66=267)	4 strokes	George Archer, Gene Littler, Bobby Nichols
37	May 19, 1968	Colonial National Invitation	-5 (68-71-68-68=275)	5 strokes	Gene Littler
38	Jun 9, 1968	500 Festival Open Invitation	-8 (70-71-69-70=280)	1 stroke	Frank Beard, Mike Hill
39	Sep 8, 1968	Greater Hartford Open Invitational	-18 (68-65-67-66=266)	3 strokes	Bruce Crampton
40	Nov 4, 1968	Lucky International Open	-15 (68-65-70-66=269)	4 strokes	Raymond Floyd, Don Massengale
41	Feb 9, 1969	Bob Hope Desert Classic	-15 (71-68-71-69-66=345)	3 strokes	Dave Hill
42	Jun 8, 1969	Western Open	-8 (72-69-68-67=276)	4 strokes	Rocky Thompson
43	Sep 28, 1969	Alcan Open	-12 (70-68-70-66=274)	1 stroke	Lee Trevino
44	Jan 11, 1970	Los Angeles Open	-8 (68-68-68-72=276)	Playoff	Hale Irwin
45	Apr 12, 1970	Masters Tournament	-9 (72-68-68-71-69=279)	Playoff	Gene Littler
46	Jul 19, 1970	IVB-Philadelphia Golf Classic	-14 (68-67-71-68=274)	3 strokes	Terry Wilcox
47	Aug 24, 1970	AVCO Golf Classic	-12 (64-70-71-71=276)	1 stroke	Bruce Crampton, Tom Weiskopf
48	Oct 24, 1971	Kaiser International Open Invitational	-19 (67-65-69-68=269)	4 strokes	Fred Marti
49	Jul 1, 1973	Western Open	-12 (67-69-67-69=272)	1 stroke	Larry Hinson, Hale Irwin
50	Sep 3, 1973	Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open	-20 (67-65-68-64=264)	1 stroke	Bruce Devlin
51	May 18, 1975	First NBC New Orleans Open	-17 (67-68-66-70=271)	2 strokes	Peter Oosterhuis

Source^[8]

PGA Tour playoff record (8-8)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1958	Greater New Orleans Open Invitational	Ken Venturi	Won with eagle on second extra hole
2	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 hole Steelsmith eliminated in 18-hole playoff (Casper:68, Brown:68, Steelsmith:73)
4	1965	San Diego Open Invitational	Wes Ellis	Lost on first extra hole
5	1965	Insurance City Open Invitational	Johnny Pott	Won with birdie on first extra hole
6	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 hole
9	1967	Hawaiian Open	Dudley Wysong	Lost to par on first extra hole
10	1968	Bing Crosby National Pro-Am	Bruce Devlin, Johnny Pott	Lost to Pott who made birdie on the first extra hole
11	1969	Kaiser International Open Invitational	George Archer, Don January, Jack Nicklaus	Lost to Nicklaus birdie on second extra hole January eliminated with par on first hole
12	1970	Los Angeles Open	Hale Irwin	Won with birdie on first extra hole
13	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 hole
15	1972	Byron Nelson Golf Classic	Juan "Chi-Chi" Rodriguez	Lost to birdie on first extra hole
16	1975	World Open Golf Championship	Jack Nicklaus	Lost to par on first extra hole

European Tour wins (1)[link]

• 1975 Italian Open

Other wins (6)[link]

This list is incomplete.

• 1958 Brazil Open
• 1959 Brazil Open
• 1973 Hassan II Golf Trophy
• 1974 Trophée Lancôme (France, unofficial European Tour event)
• 1975 Hassan II Golf Trophy
• 1977 Mexican Open

Senior PGA Tour wins (9)[link]

• 1982 (2) Shootout at Jeremy Ranch, Merrill Lynch/Golf Digest Commemorative Pro-Am
• 1983 (1) U.S. Senior Open
• 1984 (1) Senior PGA Tour Roundup
• 1987 (2) Del E. Webb Arizona Classic, Greater Grand Rapids Open
• 1988 (2) Vantage at The Dominion, Mazda Senior Tournament Players Championship
• 1989 (1) Transamerica Senior Golf Championship

Senior major championships are shown in bold.

Other senior wins (1)[link]

• 1984 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Gay Brewer)

Major championships[link]

Wins (3)[link]

Year	Championship	54 Holes	Winning Score	Margin	Runner-up
1959	U.S. Open	3 shot lead	-2 (71-68-69-74=282)	1 stroke	Bob Rosburg
1966	U.S. Open (2)	3 shot deficit	-2 (69-68-73-68=278)	Playoff 1	Arnold Palmer
1970	Masters Tournament	1 shot lead	-9 (72-68-68-71=279)	Playoff 2	Gene Littler

¹ Defeated Arnold Palmer in an 18-hole playoff - Casper 69 (-1), Palmer 73 (+3).
² Defeated Gene Littler in an 18-hole playoff - Casper 69 (-3), Littler 74 (+2).

Results timeline[link]

DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10

Champions Tour major championships[link]

Wins (2)[link]