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 pr ...

who played on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...

for fifteen years during the 1980s and 1990s.

Early life and amateur career

Britton was born and raised on

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

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

, and attended

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

. He played college golf at

Miami Dade College Miami Dade College (MDC) is a public university, public college located in Miami, Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1959, MDC operates eight campuses and numerous outreach centers throughout Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade Count ...

, and in 1975 he won the

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

Championship. He received an athletic scholarship to attend the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

, 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 ...

's Florida Gators men's golf 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, and 1 in Canada. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and helps ...

(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. Early life and amateur career Albus was born in Staten Island, New York. He attended New Dorp High School, and went on to Bucknell University, where he was a suc ...

, 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, open to golfers age 50 and over, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour. History and format The Senior PGA Championship, f ...

. Britton is a two-time winner of the Metropolitan Amateur, and was the two-time defending champion when the tournament was held at Century Country Club in

Purchase, New York Purchase is a hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set ...

, 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. Early life Mattiace was born in Mineola, New York. He attended Nease High School in Ponte ...

. In a memorable match, Mattiace dethroned the Staten Island native on the 18th green, 1-up.

Professional career

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 as the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four men's major golf championships, men's major championships in Professional golf tours, professional golf. Schedul ...

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. The PGA is one of the four men's major golf champi ...

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

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. 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 TNT Sports unit. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. The magazine started by John F. ...

''. 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, open to golfers age 50 and over, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour. History and format The Senior PGA Championship, f ...

events, playing his last event in 2017. 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, United States. Founded in 1933 as Monmouth Junior College, it became Monmouth College in 1956 and Monmouth University in 1995 after receiving its university charter, c ...

Amateur wins

*1975 Metropolitan Amateur, National Junior College Championship *1976 Metropolitan Amateur *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 Men ...

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 The Westchester Open is a golf tournament organized by the Westchester Golf Association. It has been played annually since 1920 at member clubs in New York or Connecticut. It was considered a PGA Tour event in the 1920s and 1930s. History In 197 ...

*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 a ...

*2006

Results in major championships

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

Awards and honors

* Britton has been inducted into the

Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame The Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame mission is "to recognize those individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to Staten Island sports history, and by virtue of their accomplishments, service, or force of character, have enriched that ...

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 Sportspeople from Rumson, New Jersey 1955 births Living people 20th-century American sportsmen