Bill Mehlhorn

Bill Mehlhorn
— Golfer —
Personal information
Full name William Earl Mehlhorn
Nickname Wild Bill
Born (1898-12-02)December 2, 1898
Elgin, Illinois
Died April 5, 1989(1989-04-05) (aged 90)
Miami, Florida
Nationality  United States
Spouse Velva Ivo (aka Virginia Raye)
Children Carol, Janet, Katherine, Patricia
Career
Turned professional 1920
Former tour(s) PGA Tour
Professional wins 22
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour 20
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament T33: 1937
U.S. Open 3rd/T3: 1924, 1926
The Open Championship T8: 1926
PGA Championship 2nd: 1925

William Earl Mehlhorn (December 2, 1898 – April 5, 1989) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in its early days, and was at his best in the 1920s.

Mehlhorn was born in Elgin, Illinois[1] and lived a majority of his life in Seaford, New York when not traveling. He often wore cowboy hats on the course and was nicknamed "Wild Bill." He won 20 times on the PGA Tour, but did not win a major championship. Only a handful of golfers have won more often on the PGA Tour without claiming a major. He finished 14 times in the top-10 at majors. His best finish was runner-up to Walter Hagen at the PGA Championship in 1925. Mehlhorn competed on the first Ryder Cup team in 1927 as well as the inaugural Masters Tournament in 1934. He was a gallery favorite because of his uncanny accuracy from tee to green, but his game was undermined by problems with putting: the yips.

Mehlhorn also designed and plotted several golf courses across the country, including Pensacola, Florida's Osceola Golf Course.

Mehlhorn retired and moved to Miami, Florida with his family, where he coached golf at Florida International University with Bobby Shave during his later years. Mehlhorn and Shave wrote the book, Golf Secrets Exposed, in the early 1980s to summarize Mehlhorn's golf secrets and insight. Two versions of the book have been published since Mehlhorn's death.

Professional wins

PGA Tour wins (20)

Other wins

Results in major championships

Tournament 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929
U.S. Open WD T27 DNP 4 T8 3 T15 T3 5 T49 T55
The Open Championship NT DNP T16 DNP DNP DNP DNP T8 CUT T9 T36
PGA Championship R32 R16 DNP DNP DNP R32 2 DNP R32 R32 R16
Tournament 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937
Masters Tournament NYF NYF NYF NYF WD T35 DNP T33
U.S. Open T9 T4 T35 DNP T37 DNP DNP T50
The Open Championship DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
PGA Championship R32 R16 DNP DNP R32 DNP SF R64

NYF = Tournament not yet founded
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10

Summary

Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2
U.S. Open 0 0 2 5 7 8 15 14
The Open Championship 0 0 0 0 2 3 5 4
PGA Championship 0 1 1 2 5 11 12 12
Totals 0 1 3 7 14 22 35 32

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Elgin Sports Hall of Fame profile". Retrieved December 24, 2013.

External links

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