Lloyd Mangrum
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Lloyd Eugene Mangrum (August 1, 1914 – November 17, 1973) was an American golfer. A Texan, he was known for his smooth swing and his relaxed demeanour on the course.
Mangrum was born in Trenton, Texas. He became a professional golfer at age fifteen, working as an assistant to his brother Ray, the head professional at Cliff-Dale Country Club in Dallas. He joined the PGA Tour in 1937 and went on to win 36 events on the Tour. He might have won more if his career had not been interrupted by service in World War II. While training for the D-Day landings, Mangrum was offered the professional's job at the army's Fort Meade golf course, which would have kept him out of combat, but he declined. He won two Purple Hearts and was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge. His best years on tour came after the war. He led the PGA Tour money list in 1951 and won the Vardon Trophy for the lowest scoring average on the tour in 1951 and 1953.
Mangrum's only major championship win came at the 1946 U.S. Open, though he was runner-up in four majors and third in five more. He lost in playoffs at the 1940 and 1950 U.S. Opens. He finished in the top ten at The Masters Tournament ten consecutive years. In 1940 he shot a tournament record 64 in the opening round of The Masters, a record that stood for decades until Nick Price shot a 63 in 1986.
Mangrum played for the United States in the Ryder Cup in 1947, 1949, 1951 and 1953. On the last occasion he was a playing captain. He had a record of six wins, two losses, and no ties, including three wins, one loss, and no ties in singles matches.
Mangrum died in Apple Valley, California of a heart attack in 1973. It was the 12th he had suffered. Mangrum's reputation has been overshadowed by the other stars of his era such as Sam Snead and Byron Nelson. At the 1996 Masters, Nelson conducted a test. "I asked three young pros if they ever heard of Lloyd Mangrum, and they never had." Nelson commented, "Lloyd's the best player who's been forgotten since I've been playing golf." In 1998 Mangrum was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Contents |
[edit] PGA Tour wins (36)
- 1940 (1) Thomasville Open
- 1941 (1) Atlantic City Open
- 1942 (3) New Orleans Open, Seminole Victory Golf Tournament, Inverness Four-Ball (with Lawson Little)
- 1946 (1) U.S. Open
- 1947 (2) National Capital Open, Albuquerque Open
- 1948 (7) Bing Crosby Pro-Am, Lower Rio Grande Open, Greater Greensboro Open, Zooligans' Open, All American Open, World Championship of Golf, Utah Open Invitational
- 1949 (4) Los Angeles Open, Tucson Open, Motor City Open (tie with Cary Middlecoff), All American Open
- 1950 (5) Fort Wayne Open, Motor City Open, Eastern Open, Kansas City Open, Palm Beach Round Robin
- 1951 (4) Los Angeles Open, Tucson Open, Wilmington Azalea Open, St. Paul Open
- 1952 (2) Phoenix Open, Western Open
- 1953 (4) Los Angeles Open, Bing Crosby Pro-Am Invitational, Phoenix Open, All American Open
- 1954 (1) Western Open
- 1956 (1) Los Angeles Open
Major championship is shown in bold.
[edit] International wins (4)
- 1946 Argentine Open
- 1952 Philippine Open
- Adelaide (Australia), Ampol (Australia)
[edit] Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | CUT | DNP | T56 |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | 2 | T9 | DNP | NT | NT | NT | T16 | T8 | T4 | T2 |
| U.S. Open | T5 | T10 | NT | NT | NT | NT | 1 | T23 | T21 | T14 |
| The Open Championship | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | T3 | T9 | NT | DNP | DNP | T33 | T5 | T17 | T3 |
| Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | 6 | T3 | 6 | 3 | T4 | 7 | T4 | T28 | CUT | CUT |
| U.S. Open | 2 | T4 | T10 | 3 | T3 | DNP | DNP | CUT | T37 | DNP |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | T24 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | T5 | T9 | T17 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | 43 | CUT | T33 |
| U.S. Open | T23 | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP |
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
