William Timothy Britton (born November 13, 1955) is an American

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf p ...

who played on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also ...

for fifteen years during the 1980s and 1990s. Britton was born and raised on

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey b ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, and attended

Monsignor Farrell High School Monsignor Farrell High School is an American Catholic high school for boys, located in the Oakwood section of Staten Island, New York. Opened in 1961, the school is named in honor of Monsignor Joseph Farrell, a Catholic priest, as well as a re ...

. He played college golf at

Miami Dade College Miami Dade College (Miami Dade, MDC or Dade) is a public college in Miami, Florida. Founded in 1959, it has a total of eight campuses and twenty-one outreach centers throughout Miami-Dade County. It is the largest college in the Florida College S ...

, and in 1975 he won the

National Junior College Athletic Association The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...

Championship. He received an athletic scholarship to attend the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

, where he played for coach

Buster Bishop Bernays Emery "Buster" Bishop (1920 – November 19, 2004) was an American college golf coach. Bishop was best known for leading the Florida Gators men's golf team of the University of Florida to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NC ...

Florida Gators men's golf The Florida Gators men's golf team represents the University of Florida in the sport of golf. The Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They play their hom ...

team in

National Collegiate Athletics Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

(NCAA) competition in 1976 and 1977.
Florida Men's Golf 2011 Media Supplement
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 34, 39, 41 (2010). Retrieved July 11, 2011. Britton graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree in health and human performance in 1979. He was mentored by

Jim Albus James Christian Albus (born June 18, 1940) is an American professional golfer. Albus was born in Staten Island, New York. He attended New Dorp High School, and went on to Bucknell University, where he was a successful baseball player. It was w ...

, a club professional and six-time winner on the

Champions Tour PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and the Champions Tour) is a men's professional senior golf tour, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour. History and format The Senior PGA Championship, founded in 1937, was for many year ...

. Britton is a two-time winner of the

Metropolitan Amateur The Metropolitan Amateur or Met Amateur is an amateur golf tournament organized by the Metropolitan Golf Association. It has been played annually since 1899 and is one of the oldest amateur golf tournaments in the United States along with the U.S. ...

, and was the two-time defending champion when the tournament was held at Century Country Club in

Purchase, New York Purchase is a hamlet in the town and village of Harrison, in Westchester County, New York, United States. One myth explains that its name is derived from Harrison's purchase, where John Harrison was to be granted as much land as he could ride i ...

, in 1977. He advanced to the quarterfinals at Century, and played Lou Mattiace, the father of future PGA Tour player

Len Mattiace Leonard Earl Mattiace (; born October 15, 1967) is an American professional golfer, formerly of the PGA Tour and now playing on the PGA Tour Champions. Mattiace was born in Mineola, New York. He attended Nease High School in Ponte Vedra, Florida ...

. In a memorable match, Mattiace dethroned the Staten Island native on the 18th green, 1-up. Britton then turned professional in 1979 and joined the PGA Tour in 1980. During his 15 years on the Tour, Britton won once and had 23 top-10 finishes. His best finishes in majors came in 1990: T-7 at

The Masters The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply The Masters, or the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, the Masters is the first ma ...

and 4th in the

PGA Championship The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It is one of the four men's major championships ...

. After his years as a touring pro were over, Britton became a teaching pro and author in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

. He has published articles for ''The Met Golfer'', ''New Jersey Golfer'' and ''Sports Illustrated''. He has been named one of the "Top Ten Teachers" in New Jersey by ''

Golf Digest ''Golf Digest'' is a monthly golf magazine published by Warner Bros. Discovery through its sports unit under its Warner Bros. Discovery Golf division. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competi ...

''. He was New Jersey Section PGA's Player of the Year in 2002, and Senior Player of the Year in 2006. He has played in a limited number of

PGA Tour Champions PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and the Champions Tour) is a men's professional senior golf tour, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour. History and format The Senior PGA Championship, founded in 1937, was for many year ...

events, playing his last event in 2017. Britton has been inducted into the Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame. He currently serves as the head men's golf coach for

Monmouth University Monmouth University is a private university in West Long Branch, New Jersey. Founded in 1933 as Monmouth Junior College, it became Monmouth College in 1956 and Monmouth University in 1995 after receiving its charter. There are about 4,400 full ...

Amateur wins (4)

*1975

, National Junior College Championship *1976

*1979

Azalea Invitational The Azalea Invitational is an annual amateur golf tournament. It has been played since 1946 at the Country Club of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. Several past champions have subsequently gained membership to the PGA Tour, including maj ...

Professional wins (5)

PGA Tour wins (1)

*''Note: The 1989 Centel Classic was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.'' PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

Other wins (4)

*1979

Metropolitan Open The Metropolitan Open is a golf tournament organized by the Metropolitan Golf Association. In the early 20th century it was one of the top events in the country and was retroactively given PGA Tour-level status. History The tournament has been ...

*1986 Westchester Open *2005

New Jersey PGA Championship The New Jersey PGA Championship is a golf tournament that is the section championship of the New Jersey section of the PGA of America. It has been played annually since 1928 at a variety of courses around the state. The format from 1932 to 1934 and ...

*2006

Results in major championships

Timeline

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

Summary

*Most consecutive cuts made – 3 (1989 PGA – 1990 PGA) *Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1990 Masters – 1990 PGA)

Results in senior major championships

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Britton, Bill American male golfers Florida Gators men's golfers PGA Tour golfers Golfers from New York (state) Miami Dade College alumni Monsignor Farrell High School alumni Sportspeople from Staten Island People from Rumson, New Jersey 1955 births Living people