Dave Douglas (golfer)

Dave Douglas
Dave Douglas
Personal information
Full name	David Douglas
Born	January 1, 1918; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	November 16, 1978 (aged 60); Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, U.S.
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight	165 lb (75 kg; 11.8 st)
Sporting nationality	United States
Career
Status	Professional
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour
Professional wins	8
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	8
Best results in major championships;
Masters Tournament	5th: 1951
PGA Championship	T5: 1950, 1953
U.S. Open	T6: 1949, 1951
The Open Championship	DNP

David Douglas (January 1, 1918 – November 16, 1978) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1940s and 1950s.

Early life

Douglas was the son of Alec Douglas, a golf professional originally from Scotland. At the time of David's birth Alec was the professional at Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the early 1920s Alec became the professional at the newly opened Rock Manor Golf Club in Wilmington, Delaware and remained the professional there until retiring in 1957.^[1] Douglas turned professional in 1939 and was the club professional at the Newark Country Club in Newark, Delaware from 1940 to 1942. He qualified for the 1940 U.S. Open but failed to make the cut. After serving in the army in World War II he became an assistant professional to his father at Rock Manor.^[2] At 6' 2" tall and 165 pounds, he was lean and lanky and was known for his smooth swing.

Professional career

Douglas won eight tournaments on the PGA Tour between 1947 and 1954.^[3] He had his first win at the Orlando Open in December 1947. After the 72 holes he was tied on 274 with Jimmy Demaret and Herman Keiser.^[4] There was an 18-hole playoff the following day. Douglas and Demaret were again tied on 71 with Keiser taking 73. There was then a sudden-death playoff with Douglas winning with a birdie 3 at the first extra hole.^[5]

Douglas was a member of the American 1953 Ryder Cup team. He finished one place out of the qualifying places but with Ben Hogan and Dutch Harrison declining their invitations, he got a place along with Fred Haas.^[6] The match was played at the Wentworth Club in England. Douglas played with Ed Oliver in the first-day foursomes, winning 2 & 1.^[7] He played against Bernard Hunt in the singles on the second-day. The match was the last to finish. The American team led 6–5 and had retained the cup, but Douglas need to halve his match to give the Americans a clear win. Hunt had won the 12th, 13th, 16th and 17th holes to be dormie-one. At the last, Hunt's second shot was in the trees but he managed to get his third shot to the back of the green. He putted to 4 feet and, with Douglas taking 5, needed to hole the putt to win the match. He missed and so the USA won 6½ to 5½.^[8]

In October 1954 Douglas was a late replacement in the Lakes International Cup. Ed Furgol was part of the original American team of four but withdrew because an injured right arm.^[9] Australia won the cup for the first time, winning the match 7–5.^[10]

In 1957 Douglas became the club professional at St. Louis Country Club in Missouri and played less tournament golf from that date.^[2] He left that position in 1974 and moved to Terre du Lac Golf and Country Club, also in Missouri. He was briefly at Wedgewood Country Club, Missouri in 1978.^[2]

Death

Douglas died on cancer in November 1978 at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.^[2] He was inducted into the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame earlier the same year, although he was unable to attend.^[2]

Professional wins (8)

PGA Tour wins (8)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Dec 8, 1947	Orlando Open	−10 (66-72-70-66=274)	Playoff	Jimmy Demaret, Herman Keiser
2	Feb 13, 1949	Texas Open	−16 (65-72-66-65=268)	1 stroke	Sam Snead
3	Sep 5, 1949	Ozark Open	−16 (68-69-66=203)	3 strokes	Jim Ferrier
4	Jan 15, 1950	Bing Crosby Pro-Am	−2 (75-67-72=214)	Shared title with Jack Burke Jr., Smiley Quick and Sam Snead
5	Apr 14, 1952	Greater Greensboro Open	−7 (73-64-71-69=277)	1 stroke	Bobby Locke
6	Jun 8, 1952	Ardmore Open	−1 (70-68-69-72=279)	2 strokes	Dutch Harrison
7	Jul 11, 1953	Canadian Open	−11 (68-70-69-66=273)	1 stroke	Wally Ulrich
8	Mar 7, 1954	Houston Open	−11 (70-71-69-67=277)	2 strokes	Cary Middlecoff

PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponents	Result
1	1947	Orlando Open	Jimmy Demaret, Herman Keiser	Won with birdie on first extra hole after 18-hole playoff; Douglas: E (71), Demaret: E (71), Keiser: + 2 (73)
2	1951	Kansas City Open	Doug Ford, Cary Middlecoff	Middlecoff won 18-hole playoff; Middlecoff: −4 (68), Douglas: E (72), Ford: E (72)

Results in major championships

Tournament	1940	1942	1943	1944	1945	1947	1948	1949
Masters Tournament			NT	NT	NT
U.S. Open	CUT	NT	NT	NT	NT	T39	T45	T6
PGA Championship			NT					R16

Tournament	1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959
Masters Tournament	T49	5	T30		T53
U.S. Open	T36	T6	CUT	CUT		T47	T34	CUT		CUT
PGA Championship	QF	R64	R32	QF	R64	R32			CUT

Tournament	1960	1961	1962
Masters Tournament			CUT
U.S. Open	T33	T14	T28
PGA Championship			CUT

Note: Douglas never played in The Open Championship.

Top 10

Did not play

NT = no tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

Tournament	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	1	1	1	5	4
U.S. Open	0	2	3	15	10
The Open Championship	0	0	0	0	0
PGA Championship	2	3	5	9	7
Totals	3	6	9	29	21

Most consecutive cuts made – 11 (1947 U.S. Open – 1952 Masters)
Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1950 PGA – 1951 U.S. Open)

U.S. national team appearances

Ryder Cup: 1953 (winners)
Hopkins Trophy: 1952 (winners), 1954 (winners)
Lakes International Cup: 1954 (winners)

References

^ "Rock Manor's 1st pro dies". The Morning News. January 6, 1970. p. 21.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Katzman, Izzy (November 17, 1978). "Dave Douglas, Pro Golfer, Dies at 60". The News Journal. p. 1.
^ Barkow, Al (November 1989). The History of the PGA TOUR. Copyright PGA Tour. Doubleday. p. 253. ISBN 0-385-26145-4.
^ "Keiser Gains Golf Playoff". Youngstown Vindicator. Associated Press. December 8, 1947. p. 10.
^ "Douglas Wins Orlando Playoff". Youngstown Vindicator. Associated Press. December 9, 1947. p. 18.
^ "Burkema, Turnesa Take Ryder Cup Team births". Austin American-Statesman. 5 Aug 1953. p. 21.
^ "First blood to US – A lead of two in Ryder Cup – Brave golf by Daly and Bradshaw". The Times. 3 October 1953. p. 4.
^ "Great Britain just fail in Ryder Cup match – Last two singles tip scale in favour of U.S.". The Times. 5 October 1953. p. 3.
^ "1860 more miles to go". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney). New South Wales, Australia. 26 October 1954. p. 28. Retrieved 7 January 2020 – via Trove.
^ "Pickworth Was The Star – Australia's First Lakes Golf victory". Sunday Times (Perth). Western Australia. 7 November 1954. p. 24. Retrieved 7 January 2020 – via Trove.