Billy Kratzert
| Billy Kratzert | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | William August Kratzert |
| Nickname | Bill or Billy |
| Born | June 29, 1952 Quantico, Virginia |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st) |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Residence | Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida |
| Career | |
| College | University of Georgia |
| Turned professional | 1974 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions Tour |
| Professional wins | 5 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 4 |
| Best results in Major Championships |
|
| Masters Tournament | T5: 1978 |
| U.S. Open | T6: 1978 |
| The Open Championship | CUT: 1978 |
| PGA Championship | T12: 1978 |
William August Kratzert (born June 29, 1952) is an American professional golfer and sportscaster, who has played on both the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.
Kratzert was born in Quantico, Virginia[1] when his father was in the service but spent most of his youth in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he attended Elmhurst High School. His father was head pro for over 20 years at the Fort Wayne Country Club.[2] Kratzert won the Indiana State Amateur at age 16.[3] He attended the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia[1] and was a distinguished member of the golf team – an All-American in 1973 and 1974.[2] Kratzert graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) degree in 1974. He turned pro in that same year[1]. Kratzert, after two failed attempts at earning his Tour card, quit golf and worked as a forklift operator.[4] After eight months at that job, Kratzert returned to golf and succeeded on his third attempt in 1976 to get his PGA Tour card.[2]
Kratzert won four PGA Tour events in his career.[3] His most successful years in professional golf were 1977–1980 when he finished in the top-12 on the money list in three of those 4 years.[2] Kratzert's best year for Majors was 1978, when he finished with a T-5 in The Masters and a T-6 in the U.S. Open.[5] His career earnings exceed US$1.4 million.[2] He continued to play on the PGA Tour until 1997, when he went to work as a television golf commentator.
Since turning 50 in June 2002, Kratzert has played some on the Champions Tour; his best finish in this venue is T10 at the 2003 Royal Caribbean Golf Classic.[3] The main focus of his work continues to be as a course reporter for various media outlets including CBS, ESPN,[2] TNT and the PGA Tour Radio network.
Kratzert was inducted into the Indiana Golf Hall of Fame in 1993.[2] He lives in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida with his wife and three children. His sister, Cathy Gerring, is also a professional golfer and has won three times on the LPGA Tour.
Contents |
[edit] Amateur wins
- 1968 Indiana Amateur
[edit] Professional wins
[edit] PGA Tour wins
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 7, 1976 | Walt Disney World National Team Championship (with Woody Blackburn) |
-28 (63-68-63-66=260) | Playoff | Gay Brewer & Bobby Nichols |
| 2 | Aug 7, 1977 | Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open | -19 (66-66-64-69=265) | 3 strokes | Grier Jones, Larry Nelson |
| 3 | Jul 13, 1980 | Greater Milwaukee Open | -22 (67-66-67-66=266) | 4 strokes | Howard Twitty |
| 4 | Oct 28, 1984 | Pensacola Open | -14 (67-66-71-66=270) | 2 strokes | Ken Brown, John Mahaffey |
PGA Tour playoff record (1-1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1976 | Walt Disney World National Team Championship (with Woody Blackburn) |
Gay Brewer & Bobby Nichols |
Won with birdie on third extra hole |
| 2 | 1978 | Hawaiian Open | Hubert Green |
Lost to par on second extra hole |
[edit] Other wins
- 1970 Indiana Open (as an amateur)
[edit] References
- ^ a b c "Profile on PGA Tour's official site". http://www.pgatour.com/players/00/16/48/. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Bill Kratzert won four events and earned more than $1 million on the PGA Tour". Fort Wayne News-Sentinel. http://fwnextweb1.fortwayne.com/ns/sports/top50/kratzert.php. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
- ^ a b c "Biographical information on PGA Tour's official site". http://www.pgatour.com/players/s/?/00/16/48/media. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
- ^ Kratzert Patches Up His Life And His Game
- ^ "Golf Major Championships". http://golfmajorchampionships.com/players?player=339.
[edit] External links
- Billy Kratzert at the PGA Tour official site
- American male golfers
- Georgia Bulldogs men's golfers
- PGA Tour golfers
- Champions Tour golfers
- Golf writers and broadcasters
- Golfers from Virginia
- Golfers from Indiana
- Golfers from Florida
- American sports announcers
- People from Prince William County, Virginia
- People from Fort Wayne, Indiana
- People from St. Johns County, Florida
- 1952 births
- Living people
