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Dick Mayer

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Dick Mayer
Personal information
Full nameAlvin Richard Mayer
Born(1924-08-28)August 28, 1924
Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.
DiedJune 2, 1989(1989-06-02) (aged 64)
Palm Springs, California, U.S.
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight165 lb (75 kg; 11.8 st)
Sporting nationality United States
Career
Turned professional1949
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins7
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour7
Best results in major championships
(wins: 1)
Masters TournamentT4: 1959
PGA Championship5th: 1957
U.S. OpenWon: 1957
The Open ChampionshipDNP
Achievements and awards
PGA Player of the Year1957
PGA Tour
leading money winner
1957

Alvin Richard Mayer (August 28, 1924 – June 2, 1989) was an American professional golfer.

Early life

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Mayer was born in Stamford, Connecticut. He apprenticed with renowned player and teacher Claude Harmon at the Winged Foot Golf Club in suburban New York City.[1]

Professional career

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Mayer won seven times on the PGA Tour, between 1953 and 1965. Mayer almost won the 1954 U.S. Open, but a triple bogey on the final hole left him tied for third, two shots back, as Ed Furgol won.

Mayer's career year was 1957, when he finished the regulation 72 holes of the U.S. Open at Inverness Club tied with defending champion Cary Middlecoff. He won the 18-hole playoff 72 to 79, and his prize was $7,200. He later won $50,000 at the World Championship of Golf, topped the PGA Tour money list with winnings of $65,835, and won the PGA Player of the Year award. He also played on the 1957 Ryder Cup team.

Personal life

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Mayer battled alcoholism, which kept him from winning more often on the Tour.[2] Mayer died at age 64 in Palm Springs, California.

Awards and honors

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In 2008, Mayer was inducted into the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame.

Professional wins (7)

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PGA Tour wins (7)

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Legend
Major championships (1)
Other PGA Tour (6)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 Sep 13, 1953 Eastern Open −9 (69-70-70-70=279) 4 strokes United States Charlie Bassler, United States Doug Ford,
United States Chandler Harper
2 Mar 21, 1954 Miami Beach International Four-Ball
(with United States Tommy Bolt)
−30 (67-61-65-65=258) Playoff United States Julius Boros and United States Dutch Harrison
3 May 22, 1955 Kansas City Open −17 (69-67-68-67=271) 6 strokes United States Chandler Harper, United States Billy Maxwell
4 Jun 24, 1956 Philadelphia Daily News Open −3 (70-65-63-71=269) Playoff United States Bud Holscher
5 Jun 16, 1957 U.S. Open +2 (70-68-74-70=282) Playoff United States Cary Middlecoff
6 Aug 11, 1957 World Championship of Golf −9 (72-69-70-68=279) 1 stroke Canada Al Balding, United States Sam Snead
7 May 16, 1965 Greater New Orleans Open Invitational −15 (72-67-66-68=273) 1 stroke Australia Bruce Devlin, United States Billy Martindale

PGA Tour playoff record (3–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 1952 Miami Open United States Jack Burke Jr. Lost to birdie on fifth extra hole
2 1954 Miami Beach International Four-Ball
(with United States Tommy Bolt)
United States Julius Boros and United States Dutch Harrison Won with birdie on first extra hole
3 1956 Philadelphia Daily News Open United States Bud Holscher Won with par on second extra hole
4 1957 U.S. Open United States Cary Middlecoff Won 18-hole playoff;
Mayer: +2 (72),
Middlecoff: +9 (79)

Major championships

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Wins (1)

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Year Championship 54 holes Winning score Margin Runner-up
1957 U.S. Open 1 shot deficit +2 (70-68-74-70=282) Playoff 1 United States Cary Middlecoff

1 Defeated Middlecoff in an 18-hole playoff: Mayer 72 (+2), Middlecoff 79 (+9).

Results timeline

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Tournament 1948 1949
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open T41
PGA Championship
Tournament 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
Masters Tournament T25 T16 T29 T10 T43 T35 CUT T4
U.S. Open T12 CUT T28 T54 T3 CUT T41 1 T23 CUT
PGA Championship R64 5 T14 CUT
Tournament 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967
Masters Tournament T19 CUT T15 CUT CUT DQ
U.S. Open T42 CUT
PGA Championship CUT

Note: Mayer never played in The Open Championship.

  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1959 PGA Championship)
DQ = disqualified
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" = tied

Summary

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Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 0 0 0 1 2 6 14 9
U.S. Open 1 0 1 2 2 4 13 9
The Open Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
PGA Championship 0 0 0 1 1 2 5 3
Totals 1 0 1 4 5 12 32 21
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 6 (twice)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1957 U.S. Open – 1957 PGA)

U.S. national team appearances

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References

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  1. ^ Harmon, Butch; Eubanks, Steve (2006). The Pro: Lessons About Golf and Life from My Father, Claude Harmon, Sr. Crown. ISBN 978-0307338037.
  2. ^ Sommers, Robert (1995). The U.S. Open: Golf's Most Prestigious Tournament (second ed.).
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