Robert W. Duden (September 5, 1920 – March 22, 1995) was 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 ...

in the 1950s and 1960s.

Career

A lifelong resident of

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, Duden compiled a remarkable record in sectional

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

competition. He won over fifty tournaments in a 40-year career that included 23 Pacific Northwest Section events. These include a record seven wins of the Pacific Northwest Senior PGA Championship; he won the

Oregon Open The Oregon Open is the Oregon state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Pacific Northwest section of the PGA of America. The tournament was first played in 1905 and has been played annually ...

a record eight times. In competition on the

, Duden's best showings were three runner-up finishes between 1959 and 1964. His best finish in a major championship was T-46 at the 1954 U.S. Open. Duden invented and patented the croquet style putter, which he named "The Dude." When other well-known professionals like

Sam Snead Samuel Jackson Snead (; May 27, 1912 – May 23, 2002) was an American professional golfer who was one of the top players in the world for the better part of four decades (having won PGA of America and Senior PGA Tour events over six decades) an ...

adopted this revolutionary putting technique, its popularity began to surge; however, the

USGA The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the United States national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the rules ...

banned it when traditionalists like Bobby Jones objected. Duden had 22 holes-in-one during his career. In his later years, he worked as a teaching pro at Glendoveer Golf Course, where an annual tournament bears his name.

Awards and honors

* In 1993, Duden was inducted into the Pacific Northwest Section PGA Hall of Fame * In 1995, Duden was inducted into the

Oregon Sports Hall of Fame The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall. Operated by the Oregon Sports ...

Professional wins

''this list is incomplete''

Regular career wins

*1952

*1953 Oregon Open *1958 Almaden Open *1959 Oregon Open,

Northwest Open The Northwest Open is golf tournament played in the Pacific Northwest, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Pacific Northwest section of the PGA of America. It has been played annually since 1905 at a variety of cou ...

*1960 Washington Open,

Sahara Pro-Am The Sahara Invitational was a PGA Tour event in Nevada from 1958 through 1976, played in Las Vegas and sponsored by the Sahara Hotel. In the first four years, it was the Sahara Pro-Am and an unofficial tour event. Paradise Valley Country Club host ...

British Columbia Open The British Columbia Open, commonly known as the B. C. Open, was a golf tournament that was held in British Columbia, Canada. It was held annually from 1928 until 1993 except for during the Second World War and 1958, when it was cancelled due to ...

*1961

Pacific Northwest PGA Championship The Pacific Northwest PGA Championship is a golf tournament that is the championship of the Pacific Northwest section of the PGA of America, which includes Oregon, Washington, northern Idaho, western Montana, and Alaska. The tournament began in 193 ...

, British Columbia Open *1962 Oregon Open *1963

*1965 Willow Park Pro-Am (Canada) *1966 Pacific Northwest PGA Championship *1967 Oregon Open *1968

*1969 Oregon Open, Washington Open *1970 Oregon Open, Washington Open, Pacific Northwest PGA Championship *1973 Oregon Open *1977 Pay Less Classic

Senior wins

''this list is incomplete'' *1971 Pacific Northwest Senior PGA Championship *1973 Pacific Northwest Senior PGA Championship *1975 Pacific Northwest Senior PGA Championship *1976 Pacific Northwest Senior PGA Championship *1978 Pacific Northwest Senior PGA Championship *1979 Pacific Northwest Senior PGA Championship *1982 Pacific Northwest Senior PGA Championship

U.S. national team appearances

PGA Cup The PGA Cup is a men's golf competition for club professionals played between a Great Britain and Ireland team and a United States team. The winning team is presented with the Llandudno Trophy. The competition is run by the British PGA and the P ...

: 1977 (tie)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duden, Bob American male golfers PGA Tour golfers Golfers from Portland, Oregon 1920 births 1995 deaths 20th-century American sportsmen