Billy Casper

In his youth, Casper started as a caddie and emerged from the junior golf hotbed of San Diego, 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 putting and short-game skill, Casper overcame his distance disadvantages against longer-hitting competitors such as Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus with creative shot-making, and golf-course management abilities. Casper developed his style by relying on solid technique, determination, concentration, and perseverance. 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.

• Fullname — William Earl Casper Jr. • Nickname — Buffalo Bill • Born — 24 June 1931 • Birthplace — San Diego, California, U.S. • Died — 7 February 2015 • Place of death — Springville, Utah, U.S. • Weight — 195 lb • Nationality — United States • Children — 11 • College — University of Notre Dame • Yearpro — 1954 • Extour — * PGA Tour • Champions Tour • Prowins — 72 • Pgawins — 51 (7th all time) • Eurowins — 1 • Champwins — 9 • Otherwins — * 10 (regular) • 1 (senior) • Majorwins — 3 • Masters — Won: 1970 • Usopen — Won: 1959, 1966 • Open — 4th: 1968 • Pga — 2nd/T2: 1958, 1965, 1971 • Wghofid — billy-casper • Wghofyear — 1978 • Award1 — Vardon Trophy • Year1 — 1960, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968 • Award2 — PGA Tour money list winner • Year2 — 1966, 1968 • Award3 — PGA Player of the Year • Year3 — 1966, 1970

Casper was born in San Diego, California. He grew up in Chula Vista, California. His father started him in golf at age five. Casper caddied during his youth at San Diego Country Club to earn money for golf.

Casper spent one semester at the University of Notre Dame on a golf scholarship, after graduating from Chula Vista 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. After graduating from Notre Dame, he turned professional in 1954.

• Illustration — Gene Littler (right) congratulates Casper with winning the 1970 Masters Tournament 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. 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.

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. Casper died at age 83 in 2015 of a heart attack at his home in Springville, Utah. 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.

• Illustration — Casper in 2010 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. Chula Vista Golf Course, designed by Casper, is a par 73 with three par 5's on the front nine and two on the back. 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. BCG annually hosts the "World's Largest Golf Outing" – a national golf outing fundraiser benefiting military charities.

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

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

• Legend • Major championships (3) • Other PGA Tour (48) • 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 12, 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 14, 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 (2) — −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 (3) — −15 (68-71-67-67=273) — 1 stroke — Dave Hill • 15 — Mar 26, 1962 — Doral C.C. Open Invitational — −5 (70-67-75-71=283) — 1 stroke — Pete Bondeson • 16 — Apr 15, 1962 — Greater Greensboro Open — −9 (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 (2) — −3 (73-65-73-74=285) — 1 stroke — Dave Hill, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, 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 (2) — −11 (70-70-67-70=277) — 1 stroke — Jack Nicklaus • 22 — May 10, 1964 — Colonial National Invitation — −1 (72-67-70-70=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 3, 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 Rodríguez • 27 — Jul 25, 1965 — Insurance City Open Invitational (2) — −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) — −2 (69-68-73-68=278) — Playoff — Arnold Palmer • 31 — Jun 26, 1966 — Western Open (2) — −1 (69-72-72-70=283) — 3 strokes — Gay Brewer • 32 — Jul 31, 1966 — 500 Festival Open Invitation (2) — −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 4, 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 (2) — −17 (65-67-69-66=267) — 4 strokes — George Archer, Gene Littler, Bobby Nichols • 37 — May 19, 1968 — Colonial National Invitation (2) — −5 (68-71-68-68=275) — 5 strokes — Gene Littler • 38 — Jun 9, 1968 — 500 Festival Open Invitation (3) — −8 (70-71-69-70=280) — 1 stroke — Frank Beard, Mike Hill • 39 — Sep 8, 1968 — Greater Hartford Open Invitational (3) — −18 (68-65-67-66=266) — 3 strokes — Bruce Crampton • 40 — Nov 3, 1968 — Lucky International Open — −15 (68-65-70-66=269) — 4 strokes — Raymond Floyd, Don Massengale • 41 — Feb 9, 1969 — Bob Hope Desert Classic (2) — −15 (71-68-71-69-66=345) — 3 strokes — Dave Hill • 42 — Jun 8, 1969 — Western Open (3) — −8 (72-69-68-67=276) — 4 strokes — Rocky Thompson • 43 — Sep 28, 1969 — Alcan Open — −14 (70-68-70-66=274) — 1 stroke — Lee Trevino • 44 — Jan 11, 1970 — Los Angeles Open (2) — −8 (68-68-68-72=276) — Playoff — Hale Irwin • 45 — Apr 13, 1970 — Masters Tournament — −9 (72-68-68-71=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 — −11 (68-67-73-69=277) — 1 stroke — Rod Funseth, 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 (4) — −12 (67-69-67-69=272) — 1 stroke — Larry Hinson, Hale Irwin • 50 — Sep 3, 1973 — Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open (4) — −20 (67-65-68-64=264) — 1 stroke — Bruce Devlin • 51 — May 18, 1975 — First NBC New Orleans Open (2) — −17 (67-68-66-70=271) — 2 strokes — Peter Oosterhuis PGA Tour playoff record (8–8) • No. — Year — Tournament — Opponent(s) — Result • 1 — 1958 — Greater New Orleans Open Invitational — Ken Venturi — Won with an eagle on the second extra hole • 2 — 1961 — Buick Open — Jack Burke Jr., Johnny Pott — Burke won 18-hole playoff; Burke: −1 (71), Casper: +2 (74), Pott: +2 (74) • 3 — 1964 — Almaden Open Invitational — Pete Brown, Jerry Steelsmith — Won with a birdie on the third extra hole after 18-hole playoff; Casper: −4 (68), Brown: −4 (68), Steelsmith: +1 (73) • 4 — 1965 — San Diego Open Invitational — Wes Ellis — Lost to a birdie on the first extra hole • 5 — 1965 — Insurance City Open Invitational — Johnny Pott — Won with a birdie on the first extra hole • 6 — 1966 — U.S. Open — Arnold Palmer — Won 18-hole playoff; Casper: −1 (69), Palmer: +3 (73) • 7 — 1967 — Canadian Open — Art Wall Jr. — Won 18-hole playoff; Casper: −6 (65), Wall: −2 (69) • 8 — 1967 — Carling World Open — Al Geiberger — Won with a par on the first extra hole • 9 — 1967 — Hawaiian Open — Dudley Wysong — Lost to par on the first extra hole • 10 — 1968 — Bing Crosby National Pro-Am — Bruce Devlin, Johnny Pott — Pott won with a birdie on the first extra hole • 11 — 1969 — Kaiser International Open Invitational — George Archer, Don January, Jack Nicklaus — Nicklaus won with birdie on second extra hole January eliminated by birdie on first hole • 12 — 1970 — Los Angeles Open — Hale Irwin — Won with a birdie on the first extra hole • 13 — 1970 — Masters Tournament — Gene Littler — Won 18-hole playoff; Casper: −3 (69), Littler: +2 (74) • 14 — 1971 — Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open — Bob Lunn — Lost to a birdie on the fourth extra hole • 15 — 1972 — Byron Nelson Golf Classic — Chi-Chi Rodríguez — Lost to a birdie on the first extra hole • 16 — 1975 — World Open Golf Championship — Jack Nicklaus — Lost to par on the first extra hole Source:

• No. — Date — Tournament — Winning score — Margin of victory — Runner-up • 1 — Oct 19, 1975 — Italian Open — −2 (74-69-70-73=286) — 1 stroke — Brian Barnes

• No. — Date — Tournament — Winning score — Margin of victory — Runner-up • 1 — Sep 14, 1958 — Brazil Open — −14 (67-66-67-70=270) — 9 strokes — Leopoldo Ruiz • 2 — Nov 30, 1958 — Havana Invitational — −10 (68-66-76-68=278) — 2 strokes — Bo Wininger • 3 — Oct 25, 1958 — Brazil Open (2) — −4 (67-67-66-68=268) — 6 strokes — Mário Gonzalez • 4 — Nov 13, 1977 — Mexican Open — −6 (68-67-68-71=274) — 3 strokes — Gay Brewer

• 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 Masashi Ozaki • 2 — Dec 9, 1973 — Hassan II Golf Trophy — −4 (69-70-73-76=288) — 5 strokes — Rod Funseth • 3 — Oct 6, 1974 — Trophée Lancôme — −5 (66-74-70-73=283) — 3 strokes — Hale Irwin • 4 — Oct 13, 1974 — Lancia d'Oro — −5 (68-69-72=209) — 5 strokes — Bobby Cole • 5 — Dec 14, 1975 — Hassan II Golf Trophy (2) — −8 (72-71-73-68=284) — 11 strokes — Tommy Aaron, Ron Cerrudo • 6 — Mar 14, 1976 — Gran Premio Is Molas — +4 (74-71-70-77=292) — Playoff — Lanny Wadkins

• Legend • Senior PGA Tour major championships (2) • Other Senior PGA Tour (7) • No. — Date — Tournament — Winning score — Margin of victory — Runner(s)-up • 1 — Aug 28, 1982 — Shootout at Jeremy Ranch — −9 (74-71-69-65=279) — 1 stroke — Miller Barber, Don January • 2 — Sep 19, 1982 — Merrill Lynch/Golf Digest Commemorative Pro-Am — −10 (68-7-68=206) — Playoff — Bob Toski • 3 — Jul 25, 1983 — U.S. Senior Open — +4 (73-73-69-73=288) — Playoff — Rod Funseth • 4 — Apr 22, 1984 — Senior PGA Tour Roundup — −14 (68-69-65=202) — 2 strokes — Bob Stone • 5 — Mar 15, 1987 — Del E. Webb Arizona Classic — −15 (68-65-68=201) — 5 strokes — Bob Charles, Dale Douglass • 6 — Jun 28, 1987 — Greater Grand Rapids Open — −13 (69-68-63=200) — 3 strokes — Miller Barber • 7 — May 8, 1988 — Vantage at The Dominion — −14 (70-68-67=205) — 1 stroke — Chi-Chi Rodríguez • 8 — Jun 12, 1988 — Mazda Senior Tournament Players Championship — −10 (69-68-74-67=278) — 2 strokes — Al Geiberger • 9 — Oct 22, 1989 — Transamerica Senior Golf Championship — −9 (69-70-68=207) — 3 strokes — Al Geiberger Senior PGA Tour playoff record (2–3) • No. — Year — Tournament — Opponent(s) — Result • 1 — 1981 — U.S. Senior Open — Arnold Palmer, 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 — Bob Toski — Won with a birdie on the fourth extra hole • 3 — 1983 — Gatlin Brothers Seniors Golf Classic — Don January — Lost to par on the fifth extra hole • 4 — 1983 — U.S. Senior Open — Rod Funseth — Won with birdie on first extra hole after 18-hole playoff; Casper: +4 (75), Funseth: +4 (75) • 5 — 1988 — United Hospitals Classic — Bruce Crampton — Lost to a birdie on the first extra hole

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

• 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 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).

• 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 CUT = missed the half-way cut WD = withdrew "T" = tied

• 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)

• Year — Championship — Winning score — Margin — Runner-up • 1983 — United States Senior Open — +4 (73-69-73-73=288) — Playoff 1 — Rod Funseth • 1988 — Mazda Senior Tournament Players Championship — −10 (69-68-74-67=278) — 2 strokes — 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.

Professional • Ryder Cup: 1961 (winners), 1963 (winners), 1965 (winners), 1967 (winners), 1969 (winners), 1971 (winners), 1973 (winners), 1975 (winners), 1979 (winners, non-playing captain)