Bruce Crampton
| Bruce Crampton | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Bruce Crampton with family 1970.jpg Crampton with wife Joan and two-years-old son Jay after winning the 1970 Westchester Classic | |||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born | 28 September 1935 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | ||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg) | ||||
| Sporting nationality | File:Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia | ||||
| Career | |||||
| Turned professional | 1953 | ||||
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions Tour | ||||
| Professional wins | 45 | ||||
| Number of wins by tour | |||||
| PGA Tour | 14 | ||||
| PGA Tour Champions | 20 (Tied-10th all-time) | ||||
| Other | 9 (regular) 2 (senior) | ||||
| Best results in major championships | |||||
| Masters Tournament | T2: 1972 | ||||
| PGA Championship | 2nd: 1973, 1975 | ||||
| U.S. Open | 2nd: 1972 | ||||
| The Open Championship | T13: 1956 | ||||
| Achievements and awards | |||||
| |||||
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Bruce Crampton (born 28 September 1935) is an Australian professional golfer.
Early life and amateur career
Crampton was born in Sydney, New South Wales, and attended Kogarah High School from 1948 to 1950. In August 1953 he reached final of the New South Wales Amateur Championship, losing 5&4 to Harry Berwick.[1] In October, he led the Lakes Open after two rounds. According to Norman Von Nida, he was "probably" the first amateur in roughly 15 years, since Jim Ferrier, "to lead a big tournament after two rounds." Von Nida also stated that, "Crampton proves my prediction that he would become one of the greatest players Australia has produced."[2]
Professional career
Crampton turned professional in late 1953, becoming an assistant to Billy McWilliam at Beverley Park in Sydney.[3] His decision to turn professional came soon after he had been left out of the Australian amateur team to tour Britain in 1954 and play in the Commonwealth Tournament at St Andrews.[4] Crampton won the Vardon Trophy for the player with the lowest stroke average on the PGA Tour in 1973 and 1975. He had 14 career wins on the PGA Tour between 1961 and 1975 and was runner up in four major championships – one Masters, one U.S. Open, and two PGA Championships – all to Jack Nicklaus. He was ranked among the top five golfers in the world in both 1972 and 1973, according to Mark McCormack's world golf rankings. His other regular career victories included the Australian Open, New Zealand PGA Championship, Far East Open and the Philippine Open. As a senior, he won 20 times on the Champions Tour, and topped the money list in 1986.
Awards and honors
Crampton was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2001.[5]
Professional wins (45)
PGA Tour wins (14)
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PGA Tour playoff record (0–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1970 | Houston Champions International | United States Gibby Gilbert | Lost to par on third extra hole |
| 2 | 1974 | B.C. Open | United States Richie Karl | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
PGA Tour satellite wins (1)
- 1968 West End Classic
Other wins (8)
this list may be incomplete
- 1954 New Zealand PGA Championship
- 1956 Australian Open, Speedo Tournament
- 1957 Pelaco Tournament
- 1958 North Coast Open
- 1959 Far East Open, Philippine Open
- 1971 Wills Masters
Senior PGA Tour wins (20)
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*Note: The 1986 Pepsi Senior Challenge was shortened to 36 holes due to rain. Senior PGA Tour playoff record (2–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1988 | United Hospitals Classic | United States Billy Casper | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1990 | GTE North Classic | United States Mike Hill | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 3 | 1993 | PGA Seniors' Championship | United States Tom Wargo | Lost to par on second extra hole |
| 4 | 1997 | Cadillac NFL Golf Classic | South Africa Hugh Baiocchi | Won with birdie on third extra hole |
Other senior wins (2)
- 1987 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Orville Moody)
- 1988 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Orville Moody)
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T21 | T26 | CUT | |
| U.S. Open | T19 | CUT | ||
| The Open Championship | T13 | T39 | T34 | |
| PGA Championship |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T16 | CUT | T29 | T11 | T21 | T11 | T17 | T49 | T13 | |
| U.S. Open | T38 | T22 | T45 | T5 | T14 | T32 | T57 | T46 | T6 | |
| The Open Championship | ||||||||||
| PGA Championship | T17 | T3 | T56 | T20 | T43 | T26 | T23 | T15 |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T38 | T18 | T2 | T43 | T11 | CUT | 27 |
| U.S. Open | T30 | T49 | 2 | CUT | T23 | CUT | |
| The Open Championship | T18 | CUT | |||||
| PGA Championship | T6 | T57 | T24 | 2 | T48 | 2 | T38 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 19 | 16 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 17 | 14 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 15 | 15 |
| Totals | 0 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 28 | 56 | 49 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 33 (1961 U.S. Open – 1973 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (twice)
Team appearances
Amateur
- Australian Men's Interstate Teams Matches (representing New South Wales): 1953
Professional
- World Cup (representing Australia): 1957, 1963, 1964, 1967, 1972
- Slazenger Trophy (representing British Commonwealth and Empire): 1956
- Vicars Shield (representing New South Wales): 1956 (winners)
See also
References
- ↑ "Berwick's first N.S.W. title". The Sun (Sydney). No. 2625. New South Wales, Australia. 16 August 1953. p. 31. Retrieved 17 February 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ↑ "Oct 16, 1953, page 44 - The Daily Telegraph at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- ↑ "Crampton now pro". The Sun (Sydney). No. 13644. New South Wales, Australia. 2 November 1953. p. 27. Retrieved 17 February 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ↑ "Turn pro' advices Von Nida". The Daily Telegraph. Vol. XVIII, no. 186. New South Wales, Australia. 26 October 1953. p. 20. Retrieved 17 February 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ↑ "Bruce Crampton". Sport Australia Hall of Fame. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
External links
- File:Commons-logo.svg Media related to Bruce Crampton at Wikimedia Commons
- {{PGATour player}} template missing ID and not present in Wikidata.
- Bruce Crampton at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame
