Quick Facts
LeoBiography
Douglas Michael Ford Sr. (born Douglas Michael Fortunato; August 6, 1922 – May 14, 2018) was an American professional golfer and two-time major golf champion. Ford turned professional in 1949, later going on to win the 1955 PGA Championship and the 1957 Masters Tournament. He was also a member of four Ryder Cup teams (1955, 1957, 1959, and 1961) and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011.
Early life
Ford was born in West Haven, Connecticut, on August 6, 1922. During World War II, he served in the Coast Guard Air Division.
Ford recalled later in life that he showed enough promise as a baseball player that he received a contract offer from the New York Yankees. While he was considering the offer, his father asked how long he might expect to play baseball. When Doug said that he might expect to play professional baseball for about 10 years, his father responded, "Why don't you stay with the golf. You'll last forever."
Professional career
Ford turned professional in 1949 and won for the first time in 1952 at the Jacksonville Open.
The win in Jacksonville was an unusual one. At the end of regulation play, Ford and Sam Snead were tied for the lead. An 18-hole playoff was scheduled for the next day but rather than play, Snead forfeited. The forfeit stemmed from a ruling Snead received during the tournament's second round of play. On the 10th hole, Snead's drive landed behind an out-of-bounds stake. While Chick Harbert, who was playing with Snead, thought the ball was out-of-bounds, a rules official ruled differently due to the starter not telling players the stakes had been moved since the previous day's play had ended. Afterwards, Snead explained why he forfeited even though Ford suggested they play sudden-death for the title. "I want to be fair about it. I don't want anyone to think I took advantage of the ruling."
Ford's first major title was the PGA Championship in 1955, which was contested at match play. He defeated Cary Middlecoff in the 36-hole final, 4 and 3. Ford was that season's PGA Player of the Year. In 1957, he holed out from a plugged lie in the bunker, on the final hole, to come from behind and beat Sam Snead by three strokes at the Masters Tournament. The last of his 19 PGA Tour wins came in 1963. Ford played on four Ryder Cup teams: 1955, 1957, 1959, and 1961.
Ford played in 49 Masters Tournaments, a record that stood until Arnold Palmer played in his 50th tournament three years later. His final Masters was in 2001 at age 78; he withdrew after an opening-hole double-bogey and was asked not to participate in future tournaments.
At the age of 88, Ford still regularly played casual golf.
Personal life
Ford died in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, on May 14, 2018, at the age of 95.
Honors and awards
- In 1972, Ford was inducted into the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame
- In 1992, Ford was inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame
- In 2011, Ford was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame
Professional wins (34)
PGA Tour wins (19)
| Legend |
|---|
| Major championships (2) |
| Other PGA Tour (17) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar 24, 1952 | Jacksonville Open | −8 (69-68-70-73=280) | Playoff | Sam Snead |
| 2 | Apr 19, 1953 | Virginia Beach Open | −14 (63-65-67-67=262) | 2 strokes | Ansel Snow |
| 3 | Aug 23, 1953 | Labatt Open | −15 (67-69-64-65=265) | 5 strokes | Walter Burkemo |
| 4 | Dec 13, 1953 | Miami Open | −8 (68-67-70-67=272) | 4 strokes | Sam Snead |
| 5 | Apr 5, 1954 | Greater Greensboro Open | −1 (71-69-73-70=283) | Playoff | Marty Furgol |
| 6 | Aug 22, 1954 | Fort Wayne Open | −18 (70-69-66-65=270) | 3 strokes | Mike Souchak |
| 7 | Jul 26, 1955 | PGA Championship | 4 and 3 | Cary Middlecoff | |
| 8 | Aug 7, 1955 | All American Open | −11 (69-69-69-70=277) | 3 strokes | Leo Biagetti |
| 9 | Sep 26, 1955 | Carling Golf Classic | −12 (70-69-68-69=276) | 1 stroke | Art Wall Jr. |
| 10 | Jan 7, 1957 | Los Angeles Open | −4 (69-71-71-69=280) | 1 stroke | Jay Hebert |
| 11 | Apr 7, 1957 | Masters Tournament | −5 (72-73-72-66=283) | 3 strokes | Sam Snead |
| 12 | Jun 30, 1957 | Western Open | −5 (69-71-67-72=279) | Playoff | George Bayer, Gene Littler, Billy Maxwell |
| 13 | Mar 16, 1958 | Pensacola Open Invitational | −10 (70-65-70-73=278) | 2 strokes | Ken Venturi, Art Wall Jr. |
| 14 | Jun 20, 1959 | Canadian Open | −12 (68-69-69-70=276) | 2 strokes | Dow Finsterwald, Art Wall Jr., Bo Wininger |
| 15 | May 29, 1960 | 500 Festival Open Invitation | −14 (66-68-68-68=270) | 2 strokes | Jerry Barber |
| 16 | May 28, 1961 | 500 Festival Open Invitation (2) | −11 (69-69-67-68=273) | Playoff | Arnold Palmer |
| 17 | Jan 22, 1962 | Bing Crosby National Pro-Am | −2 (70-73-69-74=286) | Playoff | Joe Campbell |
| 18 | Jun 24, 1962 | Eastern Open Invitational | −9 (69-65-73-72=279) | 1 stroke | Bob Goalby |
| 19 | Jul 6, 1963 | Canadian Open (2) | −4 (69-67-74-70=280) | 1 stroke | Al Geiberger |
PGA Tour playoff record (5–7)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1951 | Texas Open | Dutch Harrison | Lost 18-hole playoff; Harrison: −4 (67), Ford: −3 (68) |
| 2 | 1951 | Kansas City Open | Dave Douglas, Cary Middlecoff | Middlecoff won 18-hole playoff; Middlecoff: −4 (68), Douglas: E (72), Ford: E (72) |
| 3 | 1952 | Jacksonville Open | Sam Snead | Won after concession before playoff |
| 4 | 1953 | Greater Greensboro Open | Sam Snead, Earl Stewart, Art Wall Jr. | Stewart won with par on first extra hole after 18-hole playoff; Stewart: −2 (68), Snead: −2 (68), Ford: E (70), Wall: +2 (72) |
| 5 | 1954 | Greater Greensboro Open | Marty Furgol | Won 18-hole playoff; Ford: +1 (72), Furgol: +4 (75) |
| 6 | 1955 | Rubber City Open | Jackson Bradley, Jack Burke Jr., Henry Ransom | Ransom won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 7 | 1955 | Philadelphia Daily News Open | Ted Kroll | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 8 | 1956 | Western Open | Mike Fetchick, Jay Hebert, Don January | Fetchick won 18-hole playoff; Fetchick: −6 (66), Hebert: −1 (71), Ford: E (72), January: +3 (75) |
| 9 | 1957 | Rubber City Open Invitational | Arnold Palmer | Lost to birdie on sixth extra hole |
| 10 | 1957 | Western Open | George Bayer, Gene Littler, Billy Maxwell | Won with par on third extra hole Littler and Maxwell eliminated by par on first hole |
| 11 | 1961 | 500 Festival Open Invitation | Arnold Palmer | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 12 | 1962 | Bing Crosby National Pro-Am | Joe Campbell | Won with par on first extra hole |
Other wins (12)
- 1956 Metropolitan Open
- 1957 Panama Open, Metropolitan PGA Championship, Westchester PGA Championship
- 1958 Metropolitan PGA Championship
- 1959 Eldorado Professional (tied with Sam Snead)
- 1960 Metropolitan PGA Championship
- 1961 Westchester Open, Westchester PGA Championship
- 1963 Westchester Open, Metropolitan PGA Championship, Westchester PGA Championship
Other senior wins (3)
- 1981 Merrill Lynch/Golf Digest Commemorative Pro-Am
- 1987 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Jerry Barber)
- 1996 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Art Wall Jr.)
Sources:
Playoff record
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1981 | Michelob-Egypt Temple Senior Classic | Don January | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
Major championships
Wins (2)
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | PGA Championship | n/a | 4 & 3 | Cary Middlecoff | |
| 1957 | Masters Tournament | 3 shot deficit | −5 (72-73-72-66=283) | 3 strokes | Sam Snead |
Results timeline
| Tournament | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T21 | T21 | T33 | T6 | 1 | T2 | T25 | ||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | 41 | T19 | T21 | T35 | T7 | T9 | T17 | 34 | T5 |
| The Open Championship | |||||||||||
| PGA Championship | 1 | R32 | R16 | T11 | T11 |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T25 | T32 | T44 | T11 | T46 | T31 | T17 | T31 | T48 | CUT |
| U.S. Open | T33 | T6 | T8 | CUT | CUT | CUT | ||||
| The Open Championship | T24 | |||||||||
| PGA Championship | T7 | T5 | 5 | T27 | CUT | T20 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | T46 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | WD |
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | ||||||||
| The Open Championship | ||||||||||
| PGA Championship | CUT | CUT | CUT | T56 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | CUT | WD | CUT | WD | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT |
| U.S. Open | ||||||||||
| The Open Championship | ||||||||||
| PGA Championship | CUT | WD |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | WD | CUT | CUT | WD | WD | CUT | CUT | WD | WD |
| U.S. Open | ||||||||||
| The Open Championship | ||||||||||
| PGA Championship |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 |
|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | WD | WD |
| U.S. Open | ||
| The Open Championship | ||
| PGA Championship |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Source:
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 49 | 17 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 19 | 12 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| PGA Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 27 | 11 |
| Totals | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 13 | 27 | 96 | 41 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 31 (1951 U.S. Open – 1963 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 4 (1955 U.S. Open – 1956 U.S. Open)
U.S. national team appearances
- Ryder Cup: 1955 (winners), 1957, 1959 (winners), 1961 (winners)
- Hopkins Trophy: 1952 (winners), 1953 (winners), 1956 (winners)
