Full name Albert Andrew Watrous Status Professional Height 1.82 m Professional wins 33 Children 2 Role Golfer PGA tour wins 8 | Spouse Agnes J. Watrous Name Al Watrous Former tours PGA TOUR Nationality United States Other 25 Weight 81 kg | |
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Born February 1, 1899
Yonkers, New York ( 1899-02-01 ) Died December 3, 1983, Royal Oak, Michigan, United States | ||
Al Watrous - Michigan Golf Hall of Fame - Class of 1982
Albert Andrew Watrous (February 1, 1899 – December 3, 1983) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1920s and 1930s.
Contents
- Al Watrous Michigan Golf Hall of Fame Class of 1982
- Early life
- 1926 Open Championship
- Legacy and death
- PGA Tour wins 8
- Other wins
- Senior wins
- Results in major championships
- Summary
- References
Early life
Born in Yonkers, New York, of Polish descent, 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. 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. 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. 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.
PGA Tour wins (8)
Source
Other wins
Note: This list is probably incomplete.Senior wins
Results in major championships
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