Edward Joseph Furgol (March 24, 1917 – March 6, 1997) was an American professional golfer, the winner of the U.S. Open in 1954.[1]
| Ed Furgol | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Furgol, circa 1953 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Edward Joseph Furgol | ||
| Born | March 24, 1917 New York Mills, New York, U.S. | ||
| Died | March 6, 1997 (aged 79) Miami Shores, Florida, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 13 st) | ||
| Sporting nationality |  United States | ||
| Spouse | Helen | ||
| Career | |||
| Turned professional | 1945 | ||
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Senior PGA Tour | ||
| Professional wins | 11 | ||
| Number of wins by tour | |||
| PGA Tour | 6 | ||
| Other | 5 | ||
| Best results in major championships (wins: 1) | |||
| Masters Tournament | T5: 1963 | ||
| PGA Championship | T3: 1956 | ||
| U.S. Open | Won: 1954 | ||
| The Open Championship | T19: 1955 | ||
| Achievements and awards | |||
| |||
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
editthis list may be incomplete
Professional wins (11)
editPGA Tour wins (6)
edit| 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  George Fazio
| |
| 2 | Feb 8, 1954 | Phoenix Open | −12 (71-68-65-68=272) | Playoff | Cary Middlecoff
|
| 3 | Jun 19, 1954 | U.S. Open | +4 (71-70-71-72=284) | 1 stroke | Gene Littler
|
| 4 | Aug 19, 1956 | Miller High Life Open | −15 (63-66-71-65=265) | 4 strokes | Gene Littler
|
| 5 | Sep 9, 1956 | Rubber City Open | −17 (69-68-68-66=271) | 1 stroke | Arnold Palmer
|
| 6 | Jan 20, 1957 | Agua Caliente Open | −8 (72-67-70-71=280) | Playoff | Al Besselink
|
PGA Tour playoff record (2–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1954 | Phoenix Open | Cary Middlecoff
|
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1956 | Motor City Open | Bob Rosburg
|
Lost to par on first extra hole |
| 3 | 1957 | Agua Caliente Open | Al Besselink
|
Won with par on second extra hole |
Other wins (5)
editMajor championships
editWins (1)
edit| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | U.S. Open | 1 shot lead | +4 (71-70-71-72=284) | 1 stroke | Gene Littler
|
Results timeline
edit| 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 |
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
edit| 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
edit- Ryder Cup: 1957
- Canada Cup: 1955 (winners, individual winner)
- Lakes International Cup: 1954 (withdrew)
- Hopkins Trophy: 1955 (winners)
References
edit- ^ a b "Ed Furgol, 79; pro golfer overcame injury". New York Times. (obituary). March 12, 1997. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
- ^ Robertson, Orlo (June 21, 1954). "Silent Ed is new Open golf champ". Sarasota Journal. Florida. Associated Press. p. 7.
- ^ DeGange, John (July 3, 1954). "Ins and Outs". The Day. New London, Connecticut. p. 12.
- ^ Barkow, Al (November 1989). The History of the PGA TOUR. Copyright PGA Tour. Doubleday. p. 68. ISBN 0-385-26145-4.
- ^ "Furgol dies at the age of 79". Lakeland Ledger. Florida. March 12, 1997. p. C3.
- ^ "Fazio, Furgol Tie For Crosby Crown". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. January 13, 1947. p. 8.
- ^ "Middlecoff, Furgol Look At 272 In Phoenix Open". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. February 8, 1954. p. 7.
- ^ "Furgol Wins Playoff in Phoenix Open". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. February 9, 1954. p. 7.
- ^ Grimsley, Will (June 20, 1954). "Furgol wins Open in dramatic finish". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. p. 1-sports.
- ^ "Furgol Wins With 265". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. August 20, 1956. p. 6.
- ^ "Furgol Wins With 271". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. September 10, 1956. p. 7.
- ^ "Furgol Wins Caliente In Playoff". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. January 21, 1957. p. 6.