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Billy Kratzert

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Billy Kratzert
Personal information
Full nameWilliam August Kratzert III
NicknameBill or Billy
Born (1952-06-29) June 29, 1952 (age 72)
Quantico, Virginia
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st)
Sporting nationality United States
ResidencePonte Vedra Beach, Florida
Career
CollegeUniversity of Georgia
Turned professional1974
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins5
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour4
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT5: 1978
PGA ChampionshipT12: 1978
U.S. OpenT6: 1978
The Open ChampionshipCUT: 1978

William August Kratzert III (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 (BBA) 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 $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 an on-course reporter for ESPN[6] and Turner Sports. He has also worked with SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio and pgatour.com.

During the 2013 PGA Championship, CBS on-course reporter Peter Kostis was unable to work due to his recovery from cancer surgery. Kratzert, already on site for his Turner Sports duties, filled in on CBS's weekend telecasts. When Mark Rolfing was given a week off from his NBC duties at the 2014 Hero World Challenge, Kratzert was chosen to fill in.

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.

Amateur wins

  • 1968 Indiana Amateur[7]

Professional wins (5)

PGA Tour wins (4)

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 United States Gay Brewer & United States Bobby Nichols
2 Aug 7, 1977 Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open −19 (66-66-64-69=265) 3 strokes United States Grier Jones, United States Larry Nelson
3 Jul 13, 1980 Greater Milwaukee Open −22 (67-66-67-66=266) 4 strokes United States Howard Twitty
4 Oct 28, 1984 Pensacola Open −14 (67-66-71-66=270) 2 strokes United States Ken Brown, United States 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) 		United States Gay Brewer & United States Bobby Nichols Won with birdie on third extra hole
2 1978 Hawaiian Open United States Hubert Green Lost to par on second extra hole

Other wins

References

  1. ^ a b c "Profile on PGA Tour's official site". Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "King of the course: Bill Kratzert won four events and earned more than $1 million on the PGA Tour". Fort Wayne News-Sentinel. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c "Biographical information on PGA Tour's official site". Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  4. ^ Achenbach, Jim (April 7, 1978). "Kratzert Patches Up His Life And His Game". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. p. 1-E. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  5. ^ "Golf Major Championships". Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  6. ^ "ESPN profile". Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  7. ^ "Indiana Amateur Championship". Retrieved July 15, 2015.
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