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Willie Turnesa

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Willie Turnesa
Personal information
Full nameWilliam P. Turnesa
Born(1914-01-20)January 20, 1914
Elmsford, New York, U.S.
DiedJune 16, 2001(2001-06-16) (aged 87)
Sleepy Hollow, New York, U.S.
Sporting nationality United States
Career
CollegeCollege of the Holy Cross
StatusAmateur
Professional wins1
Best results in major championships
(wins: 3)
Masters TournamentT26: 1939
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenT40: 1941
The Open ChampionshipDNP
U.S. AmateurWon: 1938, 1948
British AmateurWon: 1947

William P. Turnesa (January 20, 1914 – June 16, 2001) was an American amateur golfer, best known for winning two U.S. Amateur titles and the British Amateur. He was one of seven famous golfing brothers; Phil (1896-1987), Frank (1898-1949), Joe (1901-1991), Mike (1907-2000), Doug (1909-1972), Jim (1912-1971), and Willie (1914-2001). Willie was the only brother not to turn professional.[1] The family was referred to as a "golf dynasty" in a 2000 New York Times article.[2]

Turnesa was born in Elmsford, New York and lived most of his life there. His older brothers forbade him to turn pro and pooled their money to send him to college.[3] He graduated from Holy Cross in 1938 and won his first U.S. Amateur later that year at Oakmont Country Club.[3]

Turnesa won the British Amateur in 1947 at Carnoustie Golf Links, beating fellow American Dick Chapman 3&2. He won his second U.S. Amateur in 1948 and was runner-up in the 1949 British Amateur, losing to Irishman Max McCready. He won numerous other amateur events, mostly in the New York area.

Turnesa played on three straight winning Walker Cup teams, 1947, 1949, and 1951. He was playing captain on the last team.[4]

Turnesa served as president of both the Metropolitan Golf Association and New York State Golf Association.[4] He co-founded the Westchester Caddie Scholarship Fund in 1956.[4][5]

Turnesa died in Sleepy Hollow, New York.[3]

Tournament wins

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this list is incomplete

Major championships

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Amateur wins (3)

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Year Championship Winning Score Runner-up
1938 U.S. Amateur 8 & 7 United States Pat Abbott
1947 British Amateur 3 & 2 United States Dick Chapman
1948 U.S. Amateur 2 & 1 United States Ray Billows

Results timeline

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Tournament 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939
Masters Tournament NYF 45 T26
U.S. Open T47
U.S. Amateur R16 QF R16 R64 1 R32
British Amateur
Tournament 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
Masters Tournament T47 NT NT NT
U.S. Open T40 NT NT NT NT
U.S. Amateur R16 NT NT NT NT R64 1 SF
British Amateur NT NT NT NT NT NT 1 SF 2
Tournament 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open
U.S. Amateur R32 R128 R128 R32 R64 R32
British Amateur R64 R64

Note: Turnesa never played in the British Open or PGA Championship.

  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

NT = No tournament
NYF = Not yet founded
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Source for The Masters: www.masters.com

Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur: USGA Championship Database

Source for 1948 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 29, 1948, pg. 3.

Source for 1950 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 25, 1950, pg. 9.

Source for 1951 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 24, 1951, pg. 7.

U.S. national team appearances

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Amateur

References

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  1. ^ 7 Famous Brothers And What They Did
  2. ^ Kilgannon, Corey (December 3, 2000). "Recalling a Golf Dynasty: Elmsford's Turnesa Family". The New York Times. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c New York Times obituary
  4. ^ a b c The Turnesa Story
  5. ^ WGA Caddie Scholarship Fund
[edit]
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