Tony Lema
| Tony Lema | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Anthony David Lema |
| Nickname | Champagne Tony |
| Born |
February 25, 1934 Oakland, California |
| Died | July 24, 1966 (aged 32) Lansing, Illinois |
| Nationality |
 United States
|
| Spouse | Elizabeth R. "Betty" Cline |
| Career | |
| College | None |
| Turned professional | 1955 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Professional wins | 22 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 12 |
| Other | 10 |
| Best results in major championships (wins: 1) |
|
| Masters Tournament | 2nd: 1963 |
| U.S. Open | T4: 1966 |
| The Open Championship | Won: 1964 |
| PGA Championship | T9: 1964 |
Anthony David Lema (February 25, 1934 – July 24, 1966) was an American professional golfer who rose to fame in the mid-1960s and won a major title, the 1964 Open Championship at the Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland. He lost his life two years later at age 32 in an aircraft accident near Chicago.
Born in Oakland, California, Lema's parents were Anthony H. Lema (1899–1937) and Clotilda M. Lema, née Silva (1910–2000), both of Portuguese ancestry. His father died of pneumonia when Tony was three years old, and his widowed mother struggled to raise the family of four children on welfare. He began playing golf as a boy at Lake Chabot municipal golf course and learned different aspects of the game from a variety of people. Noted African-American golf coach Lucius Bateman helped develop his swing and Oakland policeman Ralph Hall taught him course strategy. The golf pros at Lake Chabot, Dick Fry and Bill Burch, trained him on basic golf fundamentals, including the use of a square stance.
At age 17, Lema enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served in Korea. After his discharge from the military in 1955, he obtained work as an assistant to the club professional at a San Francisco golf club.
Eddie Lowery, a wealthy San Francisco businessman, who assisted talented amateur players in the area, helped to sponsor and encourage Lema. Lowery is best known as the 10-year-old caddy of champion Francis Ouimet at the 1913 U.S. Open. Lowery's sponsorship gave Lema $200 a week expense money, to be repaid, in addition to splitting his winnings: Lema received two-thirds, Lowery one-third. One additional detail was that all debts at the end of the year were to be carried forward.
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