Roberto De Vicenzo
Roberto De Vicenzo was a professional golfer from Argentina. He has won a record 230 professional tournaments worldwide in his career including eight on the PGA Tour and most famously the 1967 Open Championship. He is perhaps best remembered for signing an incorrect scorecard that kept him out of a playoff for the 1968 Masters Tournament.
Biography
De Vicenzo was born in Villa Ballester, a northern suburb of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. He was raised in the Villa Pueyrredón neighborhood of Buenos Aires, and acquired the game of golf as a caddie. He developed his skills at the Ranelagh Golf Club, and later relocated to the town of the same name.He won his first Argentine tournament, the Abierto del Litoral, in 1942; his first World Cup in 1953; and a major tournament, The Open Championship, in 1967. De Vicenzo is best remembered for his misfortune in the 1968 Masters Tournament. On the par-4 17th hole, Roberto De Vicenzo made a birdie, but playing partner Tommy Aaron inadvertently entered a 4 instead of 3 on the scorecard. He did not check the scorecard for the error before signing it, and according to the Rules of Golf the higher score had to stand and be counted. If not for this mistake, De Vicenzo would have tied for first place with Bob Goalby, and the two would have met in an 18-hole playoff the next day. His quote afterwards became legendary for its poignancy: "What a stupid I am!"
In 1970 he was voted the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf.
De Vicenzo subsequently found great success in the early days of the Senior PGA Tour, winning the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf two times and the inaugural U.S. Senior Open in 1980. He also won the 1974 PGA Seniors' Championship, and represented Argentina 15 times in the Canada Cup/World Cup, leading Argentina to victory in 1953.
De Vicenzo was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1989, and officially retired on 12 November 2006, at age 83 with over 200 international victories. The Museum of Golf in Argentina in Berazategui was founded because of his hard work. It was named in his honor upon its completion in 2006.
De Vicenzo died 1 June 2017 at the age of 94.
Professional wins (230)
PGA Tour wins (8)
- 1951 Palm Beach Round Robin, Inverness Invitational Four-Ball
- 1957 Colonial National Invitation, All American Open
- 1966 Dallas Open Invitational
- 1967 The Open Championship
- 1968 Houston Champions International
- one more win between 1960 and 1969
European circuit wins (9)
- 1948 North British-Harrogate Tournament
- 1950 Dutch Open, Belgian Open, Open de France
- 1960 Open de France
- 1964 Open de France, German Open
- 1966 Spanish Open
- 1967 The Open Championship
Argentine Tour wins (132)
- 1942 Abierto del Litoral
- 1943 Center Open, Westinhouse Grand Prix
- 1944 Argentine PGA Championship, Argentine Open, Cirio Grand Prix
- 1945 Argentine PGA Championship, Cirio Grand Prix, Bahía Blanca Open
- 1946 Palermo Grand Prix, Abierto del Litoral, South Open, La Plata Open, Masllorens Grand Prix
- 1947 Argentine PGA Championship, Abierto del Litoral, South Open, Cirio Grand Prix, Ranelagh Open, Masllorens Grand Prix, Alvear Grand Prix, San Isidro Open, Mailly Grand Prix, America Cup
- 1948 Argentine PGA Championship, Cirio Grand Prix, Masllorens Grand Prix, Ranelagh Open, La Plata Open
- 1949 Argentine PGA Championship, Argentine Open, Abierto del Litoral, Ituzaingo Grand Prix, Masllorens Grand Prix, San Isidro Open
- 1950 Masllorens Grand Prix, Ituzaingo Grand Prix, San Isidro Open, San Martin Grand Prix
- 1951 Argentine PGA Championship, Argentine Open, Msllorens Grand Prix, Alvear Grand Prix, San Isidro Open
- 1952 Argentine Open, San Isidro Open
- 1953 Argentino Grand Prix
- 1954 Alvear Grand Prix, San Martin Grand Prix
- 1958 Argentine Open
- 1960 Argentine PGA Championship, Charles Of the Ritz Grand Prix, Siam Grand Prix
- 1961 Ranelagh Open
- 1962 Argentine Masters, North Open, Center Open, South Open, Branca Grand Prix, Suixtill Grand Prix
- 1963 Branca Grand Prix, Tortugas Grand Prix
- 1964 Argentine Masters, Argentine PGA Championship, Minerva Grand Prix, Jockey Club Rosario Open
- 1965 Argentine PGA Championship, Argentine Open, Center Open, Rio Cuarto Open, Acantilados Grand Prix, Jockey Club Rosario Open
- 1966 Argentine Masters, Argentine PGA Championship, North Open, Ranser Grand Prix
- 1967 Argentine Open, Center Open, South Open, Ranelagh Open, Ranser Grand Prix, Pindapoy Grand Prix
- 1968 Abierto del Litoral, Ranelagh Open, Acantilados Grand Prix, Peugeot Grand Prix
- 1969 Argentine PGA Championship, Norpatagonico Open, Ranelagh Open, Glustora Grand Prix, Lomas Open, Kanmar Grand Prix
- 1970 Argentine Open, Argentine Masters, Ranelagh Open, Old Smuggler Grand Prix
- 1971 Argentine PGA Championship, Acantilados Grand Prix, La Cumbre Open, Pinamar Open, Santa Teresita Open
- 1972 Argentine PGA Championship, Center Open, South Open, Ranelagh Open, Acantilados Grand Prix
- 1973 Center Open, South Open, North Open, Lomas Open
- 1974 Argentine PGA Championship, Argentine Masters, Argentine Open, Center Open, North Open, San Martin Grand Prix, Charles of the Ritz Grand Prix, Los Lagartos Grand Prix
- 1975 Jockey Club Rosario Open, Charles of the Ritz Grand Prix
- 1976 Velox Grand Prix, Metropolitano Open
- 1977 Argentine PGA Championship, South Open, Velox Grand Prix
- 1978 South Open, San Martin Grand Prix, Sidesa Grand Prix
- 1979 Acantilados Grand Prix, Sidesa Grand Prix
- 1983 North Open
- 1985 Argentine PGA Championship
Other wins (3)
- 1953 Canada Cup
- 1962 Canada Cup
- 1970 World Cup
South American wins (60)
- 1946 Chile Open, Viña del Mar Open
- 1947 Cali Open
- 1948 Uruguay Open
- 1949 Uruguay Open
- 1951 Cali Open, Bogota Open, Barranquilla Open, Mexican Open
- 1952 Panama Open, Santo Domingo Open
- 1953 Panama Open, Mexican Open, Peru Open
- 1954 Brazil Open, Peru Open, Barranquilla Open Bogota Open
- 1955 Mexican Open, PGA of Mexico, Medellin Open
- 1956 Jamaica Open, Barranquilla Open, Bogota Open, PGA of Mexico
- 1957 Brazil Open, Jamaica Open
- 1958 Peru Open, Medellin Open, PGA of Mexico
- 1959 PGA of Mexico
- 1960 Brazil Open, Barranquilla Open, Bogota Open
- 1961 Chile Open, Colombian Open, Barranquilla Open
- 1962 Barranquilla Open
- 1963 Brazil Open
- 1964 Brazil Open, Uruguay Open, Bogota Open
- 1965 Los Lagartos Open
- 1966 Los Lagartos Open
- 1968 Los Lagartos Open
- 1969 PGA of Mexico, Los Lagartos Open
- 1970 Itanhanga Open
- 1971 Panama Open
- 1972 Caracas Open, San Pablo Open, Rio Grande Open
- 1973 Panama Open, Caracas Open, Brazil Open
- 1974 Panama Open, Raleigh Cup
- 1978 Santiago Open
- 1979 Santo Tome Open, Oro Negro Open
Senior PGA Tour wins (2)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
1 | 1986 | Denver Post Champions of Golf | Gary Player | Lost to par on fourth extra hole |
Senior major championship is shown in bold.
Other senior wins (16)
this list may be incomplete- 1974 PGA Seniors' Championship, World Senior Championship
- 1979 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf
- 1983 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, Doug Sanders Classic
- 1986 Conmmemorative Pro-Am
- 1987 Argentine Senior Open, Pontevedra Classic, Digital Classic
- 1988 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division, Vintage Championship Invitational, Pages Classic
- 1989 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division, Vantage Championship
- 1991 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division
- 1992 Center Senior Argentine Open
Major championships
Wins (1)
Results timeline
CUT = missed the half-way cutR16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" = tied
Summary
- Most consecutive cuts made – 14
- Longest streak of top-10s – 3
Champions Tour major championships