Herman Keiser
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Herman W. Keiser (October 7, 1914 – December 24, 2003) was an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour who won the 1946 Masters Tournament. He was born in Springfield, Missouri and was the golf professional at courses in Portage and Akron, Ohio.
In 1942, Keiser interrupted his career to join the United States Navy, serving aboard the USS Cincinnati during World War II. He was discharged in 1945 and returned to play on the PGA Tour. Despite the long layoff, he earned second place finishes to Sam Snead at the Greater Greensboro Open to Buck White at the Memphis Invitational and twice to leading money winner Ben Hogan at both the Dallas Invitational and the Phoenix Open. However, he achieved golfing immortality at the 1946 Masters Tournament when he took the lead on the third hole and never looked back, defeating Hogan by one stroke to earn $2,500 in first prize money. The following year Keiser was part of the American team that won the Ryder Cup.
Herman Keiser retired in the 1950s having won five tournaments during his PGA career. He returned to live in Ohio where he purchased a driving range. He died in Akron in 2003 from complications of Alzheimer's disease at the age of 89.
[edit] PGA Tour wins (5)
- 1942 (1) Miami Biltmore International Four-Ball (with Chandler Harper)
- 1946 (3) The Masters, Knoxville Invitational, Richmond Open
- 1947 (1) Esmeralda Open
Major championship is shown in bold.
[edit] Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | T23 | NT | NT | NT | 1 | T24 | T10 | T11 |
| U.S. Open | DQ | T26 | NT | NT | NT | NT | T38 | DNP | T14 | CUT |
| The Open Championship | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | T17 | T33 | DNP | NT | DNP | DNP | T33 | T33 | T33 | T33 |
| Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | T14 | T39 | DNP | DNP | DNP | T56 | DNP | CUT | CUT | CUT |
| U.S. Open | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | T33 | DNP | DNP | T33 | DNP | DNP | T17 | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | CUT | CUT | WD | 45 | CUT | WD | CUT | CUT | CUT | WD |
| U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | CUT | WD | CUT | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | WD |
| U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP |
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
DQ = Disqualified
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
