Orville Moody
| Orville Moody | |
|---|---|
| — Golfer — | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Orville James Moody |
| Nickname | Sarge |
| Born | December 9, 1933 Chickasha, Oklahoma |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Allen, Texas |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st) |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Career | |
| College | University of Oklahoma |
| Turned professional | 1967 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions Tour |
| Professional wins | 26 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 1 |
| Champions Tour | 11 |
| Other | 14 |
| Best results in major championships (wins: 1) |
|
| Masters Tournament | T18: 1970 |
| U.S. Open | Won: 1969 |
| The Open Championship | T11: 1978 |
| PGA Championship | T7: 1969 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| PGA Player of the Year | 1969 |
Orville James Moody (December 9, 1933 – August 8, 2008) was an American professional golfer who won numerous tournaments in his career. He won the 1969 U.S. Open, the last champion in the 20th century to win through local and sectional qualifying.[1][2]
Contents
Early life
Moody was born in Chickasha, Oklahoma, the youngest of 10 children.[3] The son of a golf course superintendent, he began his career at Capitol Hill High School in Oklahoma City, winning the 1952 state high school golf championship. After attempting college for a few weeks at the University of Oklahoma, Moody joined the U.S. Army. He was able to continue playing golf while in uniform, winning the All-Service championship and three Korea Opens. He spent 14 years in the Army, heading up maintenance supervision and instruction at all Army golf courses.[4]
Professional golf career
Moody gave up his military career in favor of a trial run at the PGA Tour in 1967. His nickname on the Tour was "Sarge" because he rose to the rank of sergeant in the Army.[4]
Moody had limited success on the PGA Tour prior to 1969. In April 1969, he took part in a four-way playoff at the Greater Greensboro Open won by Gene Littler.[5]
The 1969 U.S. Open was played in June at the Cypress Creek Course of the Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas. Defending champion Lee Trevino picked Moody to win, saying, "He's one helluva player."[6] Moody won by one stroke over Deane Beman, Al Geiberger and Bob Rosburg with a 72-hole score of 281. He was named PGA Player of the Year for 1969.[7]
The U.S. Open win was the only PGA Tour victory for Moody in 266 career events, although he earned five second-place finishes.[8] He toured Japan, played in a few tournaments and eventually took a club pro job in Sulphur Springs, Texas.[4] Moody was troubled by poor putting during his early pro years.
His career on the Senior PGA Tour (now known as the Champions Tour) was dramatically different. After turning 50, he won three of his first five tournaments and finished fifth on the money list on his way to a total of 11 Senior PGA Tour victories. In 1989, he became only the fourth man to win both the U.S. Open and the U.S. Senior Open. Moody went to a long putter after becoming a senior golfer, and this method improved his putting significantly.
Moody had triple bypass heart surgery prior to the 1995 season, but still managed to play in 29 events.
Later life
Moody continued to play in charity and other golf events up until 2007. He died in 2008 in Allen, Texas from complications of a stroke he had earlier suffered[8] and/or complications from multiple myeloma. He was survived by his wife, Beverly, their son and three daughters, and eight grandchildren.[3]
Professional wins (26)
PGA Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jun 15, 1969 | U.S. Open | +1 (71-70-68-72=281) | 1 stroke | Deane Beman, Al Geiberger, Bob Rosburg |
PGA Tour playoff record (0–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1969 | Greater Greensboro Open | Julius Boros, Gene Littler, Tom Weiskopf |
Littler won with birdie on fifth extra hole Weiskopf eliminated with par on first hole |
| 2 | 1973 | Bing Crosby Pro-Am | Raymond Floyd, Jack Nicklaus |
Nicklaus won with birdie on first extra hole |
Other wins (6)
This list is incomplete
- 1958 Korea Open
- 1959 Korea Open
- 1960 Korea Open
- 1969 World Series of Golf
- 1971 Hassan II Golf Trophy, Hong Kong Open
Senior PGA Tour wins (11)
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (3–4)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1984 | Daytona Beach Seniors Golf Classic | Arnold Palmer, Dan Sikes |
Won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 2 | 1985 | Citizens Union Senior Golf Classic | Lee Elder, Dan Sikes, Walt Zembriski |
Elder won with birdie on third extra hole Moody eliminated with birdie on second hole |
| 3 | 1988 | Senior Players Reunion Pro-Am |  Bob Charles, Don Massengale, Bobby Nichols |
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 4 | 1989 | Southwestern Bell Classic | Bobby Nichols |
Lost to birdie on third extra hole |
| 5 | 1989 | Northville Long Island Classic | Butch Baird, Frank Beard, Don Bies |
Baird won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 6 | 1989 | Gatlin Brothers Southwest Senior Classic | George Archer, Jimmy Powell |
Archer won with par on second extra hole |
| 7 | 1992 | Franklin Showdown Classic | Bob Betley |
Won with birdie on eighth extra hole |
Senior major championship is shown in bold.
Other senior wins (8)
- 1984 Viceroy Panama Open
- 1987 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Bruce Crampton)
- 1988 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Bruce Crampton)
- 1995 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Jimmy Powell)
- 1996 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Jimmy Powell)
- 1999 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Jimmy Powell)
- 2005 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Jimmy Powell)
- 2006 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Jimmy Powell)
Major championships
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | U.S. Open | 3 shot deficit | +1 (71-70-68-72=281) | 1 stroke | Deane Beman, Al Geiberger, Bob Rosburg |
Results timeline
| Tournament | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | 1 |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T16 |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T7 |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T18 | T20 | CUT | CUT | 44 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | CUT | T27 | T15 | CUT | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T11 | T19 | CUT |
| PGA Championship | T41 | CUT | WD | T30 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP |
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
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| U.S. Open | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 3 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 |
| Totals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 23 | 12 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 4 (1969 U.S. Open – 1970 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (twice)
Champions Tour major championships
Wins (2)
| Year | Championship | Winning Score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Mazda Senior Tournament Players Championship | −17 (67−69−64−71=271) | 2 strokes | Charles Coody |
| 1989 | U.S. Senior Open | −9 (72−73−64−70=279) | 2 strokes | Frank Beard |
U.S. national team appearances
Professional
- World Cup: 1969 (winners)
See also
References
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External links
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Wikinews has related news: Orville Moody, 1969 U.S open winner dies at age 74 |
- Orville Moody at the PGA Tour official site
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