From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ralph J. Guldahl (November 22, 1911 – June 11,
1987) was an American professional golfer who was one of the top players in the sport
for three years in the late 1930s.
Guldahl was born in Dallas, Texas. A 1930
graduate of Dallas' Woodrow Wilson
High School,[1] he
started playing on the professional tournament circuit in 1931 and
won an event in his rookie season. In 1933, at the age of 21, he
went into the last hole of the U.S. Open tied for the lead with Johnny Goodman. A
par would have taken him into a playoff, but he made bogey and
finished second. After further frustrating failures Guldahl quit
the sport temporarily in 1935 and became a car salesman. He made a
comeback part way through the 1936 PGA Tour season. He won the prestigious Western Open and
finished second on the money list. He went on to win the Western
Open in 1937 and 1938 as well.
Guldahl won three major championships. He
claimed the U.S. Open title in 1937 and 1938. He
became the last person to win the U.S. Open while wearing a necktie
during play in 1938.[2] He was
runner up at the Masters in
both 1937 and 1938, before taking that title in 1939. He played on
the 1937 Ryder Cup
team.
Guldahl's game then fell apart and he did not win after 1940.
Two-time PGA champion Paul Runyan commented, "It's the most
ridiculous thing, really. He went from being temporarily the
absolute best player in the world to one who couldn't play at all."
One popular theory is that when he wrote an instructional book, he
overanalyzed his swing and it fell apart. He played occasionally in
the 1940s but then quit tournament golf for good and spent the rest
of his working life as a club professional. In 1959, he became a
golf instructor at Braemar Country Club in Tarzana, California, where he work until
his death in 1987.
Guldahl was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in
1981. He died in Sherman Oaks,
California.
PGA Tour
wins (16)
Major championships are
shown in bold.
Major
Championships
Wins
(3)
Results
timeline
NYF = Tournament not yet founded
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF, F = Round in which player lost in PGA
Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
See also
References
United States
Sam Snead
Wikis
Map
Search
