Quick Facts
Biography
Victor J. Ghezzi (October 19, 1910 – May 30, 1976) was an American professional golfer. (Birth year sometimes listed as 1911 or 1912)
Born in Rumson, New Jersey, Ghezzi won 11 times on the PGA Tour, including one major title, the 1941 PGA Championship, where he defeated Byron Nelson in 38 holes in the finals. He was selected for three Ryder Cup teams, 1939, 1941, and 1943, but each was canceled due to World War II. During the war, Ghezzi enlisted in the U.S. Army and began his training in early 1942.
At the U.S. Open in 1946, he was in an 18-hole Sunday morning playoff with Lloyd Mangrum and Nelson. It ended in a three-way tie, forcing another 18 holes. Mangrum won that afternoon round by a single stroke over both Ghezzi and Nelson.
Ghezzi was elected to the PGA of America's hall of fame in 1965. He died of cancer at age 65 the Miami Heart Institute in Miami Beach, Florida.
Professional wins
PGA Tour wins (11)
- 1935 (2) Los Angeles Open, Calvert Open
- 1936 (2) Hollywood Open, New Jersey PGA Championship
- 1937 (1) Lake Placid Open
- 1938 (3) North and South Open, Inverness Invitational Four-Ball (with Sam Snead), Hershey Four-Ball (with Ben Hogan)
- 1941 (1) PGA Championship
- 1947 (1) Greater Greensboro Open
- 1948 (1) Dapper Dan-Alcoma Tournament
Major championship is shown on bold.
Other wins
this list may be incomplete
- 1935 Maryland Open
- 1937 New Jersey State Open
- 1939 New Jersey PGA Championship
- 1943 New Jersey State Open
- 1944 New Jersey State Open
- 1949 New Jersey PGA Championship
Major championships
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | Winning score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | PGA Championship | 38 holes | Byron Nelson |
Note: The PGA Championship was match play until 1958
Results timeline
| Tournament | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | NYF | NYF | T25 | 8 | T15 | T8 | T10 | T12 |
| U.S. Open | T45 | CUT | 20 | T18 | T20 | T11 | T29 | |
| The Open Championship | ||||||||
| PGA Championship | R32 | R32 | R16 | R32 | R16 | R16 | R32 |
| Tournament | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T39 | T6 | NT | NT | NT | T12 | 21 | T18 | T35 | |
| U.S. Open | 15 | 19 | NT | NT | NT | NT | T2 | T6 | T14 | T37 |
| The Open Championship | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | T18 | |||
| PGA Championship | R32 | 1 | R32 | NT | QF | R32 | SF | R64 |
| Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T14 | WD | T30 | WD | T29 | T53 | T29 | CUT | CUT | CUT |
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | CUT | T38 | ||||||
| The Open Championship | ||||||||||
| PGA Championship | R64 | R16 | R16 | R64 | R32 | R128 | R64 | T56 |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | CUT | |||||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | ||||||||
| The Open Championship | ||||||||||
| PGA Championship | CUT | CUT | T57 | CUT | WD | T49 | WD |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | ||||
| U.S. Open | ||||
| The Open Championship | ||||
| PGA Championship | WD | WD |
NYF = tournament not yet founded
NT = no tournament
WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 25 | 17 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 19 | 13 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| PGA Championship | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 16 | 31 | 24 |
| Totals | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 37 | 76 | 55 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 36 (1934 PGA – 1950 PGA)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1936 PGA – 1937 PGA)