George Knudson

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George Alfred Christian Knudson, CM (June 28, 1937 – January 24, 1989) was a Canadian golfer, who still holds the record for the Canadian with the most wins ever on the PGA Tour, with eight career victories.

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, he learned to play golf at the St Charles Golf and Country Club. Between 1961 and 1972 he won eight tournaments on the PGA Tour. He won the Canadian PGA Championship five times and won the World Cup of Golf with Al Balding in 1968. He wrote a book, The Natural Golf Swing (ISBN 0-7710-4534-4) with Lorne Rubenstein.

Knudson tied for second in the 1969 Masters, one shot behind champion George Archer. In seven Masters appearances, Knudson posted three top-10s, including 10th in his 1965 debut and sixth a year later.

In 1988 he was inducted into the Royal Canadian Golf Association Hall of Fame and was made a member of the Order of Canada.

A chain smoker, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He recovered, and was about to make a comeback on the Legends of Golf tournament, but left because he felt weak. The cancer had spread to his brain, and he died at the age of 51.

He was buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto, Ontario.