Ed Furgol

Ed Furgol
Furgol, circa 1953
Personal information
Full nameEdward Joseph Furgol
Born(1917-03-24)March 24, 1917
New York Mills, New York, U.S.
DiedMarch 6, 1997(1997-03-06) (aged 79)
Miami Shores, Florida, U.S.
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight180 lb (82 kg; 13 st)
Sporting nationality United States
SpouseHelen
Career
Turned professional1945
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Senior PGA Tour
Professional wins11
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour6
Other5
Best results in major championships
(wins: 1)
Masters TournamentT5: 1963
PGA ChampionshipT3: 1956
U.S. OpenWon: 1954
The Open ChampionshipT19: 1955
Achievements and awards
PGA Player of the Year1954

Edward Joseph Furgol (March 24, 1917 – March 6, 1997) was an American professional golfer, the winner of the U.S. Open in 1954.[1]

At age twelve, Furgol injured his left elbow when he fell off a set of parallel bars at a playground. Despite several surgeries, the elbow never healed correctly and was left with a crooked arm ten inches (25 cm) shorter as a result. On the recommendation of his doctors, he took up golf.[2][3]

A Polish American born in New York Mills, New York, Furgol won six times on the PGA Tour, including one major championship, the 1954 U.S. Open. He also played on the Ryder Cup team in 1957. Although he was from the same town as fellow tour player Marty Furgol (1916–2005), they were not related.[4] Furgol died at age 79 in Miami Shores, Florida.[1][5]

Amateur wins

this list may be incomplete

Professional wins (11)

PGA Tour wins (6)

Legend
Major championships (1)
Other PGA Tour (5)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner-up
1 Jan 12, 1947 Bing Crosby Pro-Am −3 (72-69-72=213) Shared title with United States George Fazio
2 Feb 8, 1954 Phoenix Open −12 (71-68-65-68=272) Playoff United States Cary Middlecoff
3 Jun 19, 1954 U.S. Open +4 (71-70-71-72=284) 1 stroke United States Gene Littler
4 Aug 19, 1956 Miller High Life Open −15 (63-66-71-65=265) 4 strokes United States Gene Littler
5 Sep 9, 1956 Rubber City Open −17 (69-68-68-66=271) 1 stroke United States Arnold Palmer
6 Jan 20, 1957 Agua Caliente Open −8 (72-67-70-71=280) Playoff United States Al Besselink

PGA Tour playoff record (2–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 1954 Phoenix Open United States Cary Middlecoff Won with birdie on first extra hole
2 1956 Motor City Open United States Bob Rosburg Lost to par on first extra hole
3 1957 Agua Caliente Open United States Al Besselink Won with par on second extra hole

Other wins (5)

Sources:[6][7][8][9][10][11][12]

Major championships

Wins (1)

Year Championship 54 holes Winning score Margin Runner-up
1954 U.S. Open 1 shot lead +4 (71-70-71-72=284) 1 stroke United States Gene Littler

Results timeline

Tournament 1946 1947 1948 1949
Masters Tournament T44 T6 T47
U.S. Open T12 T13 T45 CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship
Tournament 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
Masters Tournament T15 T38 T24 T24 6 CUT CUT
U.S. Open CUT CUT CUT CUT 1 T45 T4 CUT CUT CUT
The Open Championship T19
PGA Championship R64 R64 R16 R32 R16 SF R128 T48 CUT
Tournament 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966
Masters Tournament CUT CUT CUT T5 CUT CUT
U.S. Open CUT CUT CUT T38 T14 CUT CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship CUT T13 T33 T49
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1959 PGA Championship)
R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 0 0 0 1 3 6 16 9
U.S. Open 1 0 0 2 2 5 21 8
The Open Championship 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1
PGA Championship 0 0 1 1 3 5 13 11
Totals 1 0 1 4 8 17 51 29
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 11 (1953 PGA – 1957 Masters)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1956 U.S. Open – 1957 Masters)

U.S. national team appearances

References

  1. ^ a b "Ed Furgol, 79; pro golfer overcame injury". New York Times. (obituary). March 12, 1997. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  2. ^ Robertson, Orlo (June 21, 1954). "Silent Ed is new Open golf champ". Sarasota Journal. Florida. Associated Press. p. 7.
  3. ^ DeGange, John (July 3, 1954). "Ins and Outs". The Day. New London, Connecticut. p. 12.
  4. ^ Barkow, Al (November 1989). The History of the PGA TOUR. Copyright PGA Tour. Doubleday. p. 68. ISBN 0-385-26145-4.
  5. ^ "Furgol dies at the age of 79". Lakeland Ledger. Florida. March 12, 1997. p. C3.
  6. ^ "Fazio, Furgol Tie For Crosby Crown". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. January 13, 1947. p. 8.
  7. ^ "Middlecoff, Furgol Look At 272 In Phoenix Open". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. February 8, 1954. p. 7.
  8. ^ "Furgol Wins Playoff in Phoenix Open". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. February 9, 1954. p. 7.
  9. ^ Grimsley, Will (June 20, 1954). "Furgol wins Open in dramatic finish". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. p. 1-sports.
  10. ^ "Furgol Wins With 265". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. August 20, 1956. p. 6.
  11. ^ "Furgol Wins With 271". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. September 10, 1956. p. 7.
  12. ^ "Furgol Wins Caliente In Playoff". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. January 21, 1957. p. 6.