Frank Stranahan
| Frank Stranahan | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Frank Richard Stranahan |
| Born |
August 5, 1922 Toledo, Ohio |
| Died | June 23, 2013 (aged 90) West Palm Beach, Florida |
| Nationality |
 United States
|
| Residence | West Palm Beach, Florida |
| Spouse | Ann |
| Children | Frank Jr., Jimmy, Lance |
| Career | |
| College |
University of Miami Harvard University University of Pennsylvania |
| Turned professional | 1954 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Professional wins | 9 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 6 |
| Other | 3 |
| Best results in major championships (wins: 2) |
|
| Masters Tournament | T2: 1947 |
| U.S. Open | T10: 1958 |
| The Open Championship | T2: 1947, 1953 |
| PGA Championship | DNP |
| U.S. Amateur | 2nd: 1950 |
| British Amateur | Won: 1948, 1950 |
Frank Richard Stranahan (August 5, 1922 – June 23, 2013) was an American sportsman. He had significant success in both amateur and professional golf. He was ranked number one in his weight class in powerlifting, from 1945 to 1954, and he became known on the golf course and off as the "Toledo strongman" long before the modern game of golf and fitness. After he retired from tournament golf in the early 1960s, he became a prolific long-distance runner, competing in 102 marathons.
Stranahan was born in Toledo, Ohio in 1922. He was born into a very wealthy family; his father, R. A. Stranahan, was the founder of the highly successful Champion Spark Plug company. Frank's father's millions allowed Frank to concentrate on golf, and while in his teens he set a goal of becoming the best golfer in the world. He grew up playing the famous Inverness Club in Toledo, and won several club championships there.
Stranahan received instruction as a junior at Inverness in the early 1940s from Byron Nelson, the club's professional, who was also playing the PGA Tour at that time. Nelson retired in 1946 after one of the greatest competitive careers in golf history. Stranahan played college golf for the University of Miami. Nelson later mentored several other young players who went on to significant competitive success, including World Golf Hall of Fame members Ken Venturi and Tom Watson, as well as Marty Fleckman (1965 NCAA champion, with one Tour win).
During his amateur golf career, spanning from 1936 to 1954, Stranahan won over 70 amateur tournaments, and several Open events as well, competing against professionals. Stranahan was able to remain amateur by forgoing the prize money he could have won as a professional, due to his family wealth. His greatest accomplishments included appearing as a finalist in over a dozen national championships, winning seven. He won two major championships (as they were counted at the time): the 1948 and 1950 British Amateurs. Stranahan was runner-up in five other major championships, including the British Amateur, the Masters Tournament, The Open Championship, and the U.S. Amateur. He won the Canadian Amateur Championship in 1947 and 1948. He won the Tam O'Shanter All-American Amateur six consecutive years from 1948 to 1953; this was a significant extravaganza hosted by impresario George S. May. His globetrotting allowed him to compete in over 200 tournaments across three continents during his amateur career.
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Wikipedia