Gardner Dickinson

Gardner Edward Dickinson, Jr. (September 14, 1927 – April 19, 1998) was an American professional golfer.
Born in Dothan, Alabama, Dickinson was a student of Ben Hogan and crafted his swing in the Hogan tradition. He played college golf at Louisiana State, where he and teammate Jay Hebert led the Tigers to the national title in 1947. In a long PGA Tour career, he won seven times between 1956 and 1971. In his last win, the 1971 Atlanta Classic, he beat Jack Nicklaus in a sudden-death playoff.
During his PGA Tour career, Dickinson competed in 12 Masters Championships. His best finish came in 1973, when he tied for tenth. He played on the 1967 and 1971 Ryder Cup teams. With a 9–1–0 match record, Dickinson holds the record for best winning percentage (minimum of seven matches). In team Ryder Cup play, he never lost a match with partner Arnold Palmer (5–0).
Dickinson was one of the founders of the Senior PGA Tour (now Champions Tour). He authored the book Let 'er Rip — a lengthy, bitey rant in which he opines on everything from golf officials and his fellow players to topical issues such as how young people dress. He also designed the 36-hole Frenchman's Creek Club in Palm Beach, Florida.
Dickinson later taught the game to players such as LPGA great JoAnne Carner and his future wife Judy Clark, who is a former player and president of the LPGA Tour.
After a long illness, he died at age 70 in Tequesta, Florida in 1998. Dickinson was voted into the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
Quote by Gardner Dickinson - "They say golf is like life, but don't believe them. Golf is more complicated than that."

PGA Tour wins (7)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Dec 2, 1956	West Palm Beach Open	−8 (73-68-67=208)	3 strokes	Sam Snead
2	Sep 2, 1957	Insurance City Open Invitational	−12 (66-68-68-70=272)	2 strokes	George Bayer
3	Dec 9, 1962	Coral Gables Open Invitational	−10 (70-66-67-71=274)	1 stroke	Bill Collins, Don Fairfield
4	Jun 25, 1967	Cleveland Open Invitational	−9 (68-66-67-70=271)	4 strokes	Miller Barber, Homero Blancas
5	Mar 10, 1968	Doral Open Invitational	−13 (65-71-67-72=275)	1 stroke	Tom Weiskopf
6	May 18, 1969	Colonial National Invitation	−2 (71-68-73-66=278)	1 stroke	Gary Player
7	Jun 6, 1971	Atlanta Classic	−13 (68-68-69-70=275)	Playoff	Jack Nicklaus

PGA Tour playoff record (1–2)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1956	Fort Wayne Open	Bill Trombley, Art Wall, Jr.	Wall won with birdie on first extra hole
2	1969	Greater Jacksonville Open	Raymond Floyd	Lost to birdie on first extra hole
3	1971	Atlanta Classic	Jack Nicklaus	Won with par on first extra hole

Other wins (4)

• 1952 Florida Open
• 1956 Miami Beach Open
• 1965 Haig & Haig Scotch Foursome (with Ruth Jessen)
• 1978 Legends of Golf (with Sam Snead)

DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10

Summary

• Most consecutive cuts made – 10 (1964 PGA – 1968 Masters)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (four times)