Orville Moody
| Orville Moody | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Orville James Moody |
| Nickname | Sarge |
| Born | December 9, 1933 Chickasha, Oklahoma |
| Died | August 8, 2008 (aged 74) 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 | 25 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 1 |
| Champions Tour | 11 |
| 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]
Moody was born in Chickasha, Oklahoma. 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 Korean Opens. He spent 14 years in the Army, heading up maintenance supervision and instruction at all Army golf courses.[3]
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.[3]
Moody's 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.[4]
The 1969 U.S. Open was played in June at the Cypress Creek Course of the Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas. Before the tournament began, defending champion Lee Trevino picked Moody to win. Trevino saying "He's one helluva player."[5] Moody won by one stroke over Deane Beman, Al Geiberger and Bob Rosburg with a 72-hole score of 281.[6]
It was the only PGA Tour victory for Moody, who was also named PGA Player of the Year for 1969. He toured Japan, played in a few tournaments and eventually took a club pro job in Sulphur Springs, Texas.[3]
His luck 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 had triple bypass heart surgery prior to the 1995 season, but still managed to play in 29 events. He died in 2008 from complications of multiple myeloma.
Contents |
[edit] Professional wins (25)
[edit] 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 |
[edit] Other wins (5)
This list is incomplete
- 1958 Korea Open
- 1959 Korea Open
- 1960 Korea Open
- 1971 Hassan II Golf Trophy, Hong Kong Open
[edit] Senior PGA Tour wins (11)
- 1984 (2) Daytona Beach Seniors Golf Classic, MONY Senior Tournament of Champions
- 1987 (2) Rancho Murieta Senior Gold Rush, GTE Kaanapali Classic
- 1988 (3) Vintage Chrysler Invitational, Senior Players Reunion Pro-Am, Greater Grand Rapids Open
- 1989 (2) Mazda Senior Tournament Players Championship, U.S. Senior Open
- 1991 (1) PaineWebber Invitational
- 1992 (1) Franklin Showdown Classic
Senior major championships are shown in bold.
[edit] 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)
[edit] Major championships
[edit] 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 |
[edit] Results timeline
| Tournament | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | 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
[edit] Champions Tour major championships
[edit] Wins (2)
| Year | Championship | Winning Score | Margin | Runner(s)-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 |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Sports Illustrated, August 18, 2008, p. 22
- ^ "U.S. Open Records - The Last Time It Happened". http://usga.usopen.com/history/usopen-records.html.
- ^ a b c "Orville Moody bio from Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame". http://www.jimthorpeassoc.org/Articles/Orville%20Moody.html.
- ^ Littler gets prize in golf playoff
- ^ Old Sarge cools it
- ^ "U.S. Open History". http://usga.usopen.com/2009/history/pastchamps/1969.html.
[edit] External links
 |
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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