Roberto De Vicenzo | |
---|---|
— Golfer — | |
Personal information | |
Full name | Roberto De Vicenzo |
Born |
Villa Ballester, Argentina |
14 April 1923
Nationality | Argentina |
Career | |
Turned professional | 1938 |
Retired | 2006 |
Former tour(s) |
PGA Tour Senior PGA Tour |
Professional wins | 230+ |
Number of wins by tour | |
PGA Tour | 8 |
PGA Tour Champions | 2 |
Other | 221+ |
Best results in major championships (wins: 1) |
|
Masters Tournament | 2nd: 1968 |
U.S. Open | T8: 1958 |
The Open Championship | Won: 1967 |
PGA Championship | T5: 1954 |
Achievements and awards | |
World Golf Hall of Fame | 1989 (member page) |
Bob Jones Award | 1970 |
Olimpia Award | 1967, 1970 |
Roberto De Vicenzo (born 14 April 1923) is a former professional golfer from Argentina. He won more than 230 tournaments worldwide in his career including eight on the PGA Tour and most famously the 1967 Open Championship.
De Vicenzo was born in Villa Ballester, a northern suburb of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. He was raised in the Villa Pueyrredón neighborhood of Buenos Aires, and acquired the game of golf as a caddie. He developed his skills at the Ranelagh Golf Club, and later relocated to the town of the same name.
He won his first Argentine tournament, the Abierto del Litoral, in 1942; his first World Cup in 1953; and a major tournament, The Open Championship, in 1967. De Vicenzo is best remembered for his misfortune in the 1968 Masters Tournament. On the par-4 17th hole, Roberto De Vicenzo made a birdie, but playing partner Tommy Aaron inadvertently entered a 4 instead of 3 on the scorecard. He did not check the scorecard for the error before signing it, and according to the Rules of Golf the higher score had to stand and be counted. If not for this mistake, De Vicenzo would have tied for first place with Bob Goalby, and the two would have met in an 18-hole playoff the next day. His quote afterwards became legendary for its poignancy: "What a stupid I am!"