Frank Soldan "Bud" Holscher (December 27, 1930 – June 2, 2021) was an American former

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 ...

. He won the 1954 Labatt Open.

Early life and amateur career

Holscher was born on December 27, 1930, in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

. He attended Santa Monica Junior College, where he was a member of the

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 ...

team. He won the 1950 California State Junior College Championship.

Professional career

Holscher turned professional in mid-1953, while in the navy, and became eligible for prize money in PGA events from the start of 1954. In the first event of 1954, the

Los Angeles Open The Genesis Invitational is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour in Southern California, first played in 1926 as the Los Angeles Open. Other previous names include Genesis Open, Northern Trust Open and Nissan Open. Played annually in ...

, he finished tied for 4th place and won $1,075. In August he won the Labatt Open at Scarboro Golf and Country Club,

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. He trailed Wally Ulrich by 7 strokes after three rounds but won after a final round of 63, finishing 4 strokes ahead of

Doug Ford Douglas Robert Ford Jr. (born November 20, 1964) is a Canadian politician and businessman who has served as the 26th and current premier of Ontario and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party since 2018. He represents the Toronto rid ...

and

Dick Mayer Alvin Richard Mayer (August 28, 1924 – June 2, 1989) was an American professional golfer. Early life Mayer was born in Stamford, Connecticut. He apprenticed with renowned player and teacher Claude Harmon at the Winged Foot Golf Club in suburba ...

. In November, he won the Hawaiian Open, a non-tour event, by 5 strokes from

Tommy Bolt Thomas Henry Bolt (March 31, 1916 – August 30, 2008) was an American professional golfer. He did not join the PGA Tour until he was in his thirties, but he went on to win 15 PGA Tour titles, including the 1958 U.S. Open. He played in the Ryder ...

. In February 1955, Holscher led the

Tucson Open The Tucson Open was a golf tournament in Arizona on the PGA Tour from 1945 to 2006 PGA Tour, 2006, played annually in the winter in Tucson, Arizona, Tucson. It was last held at the Omni Hotels & Resorts, Omni Tucson National Golf Resort in late F ...

after three rounds but Tommy Bolt won after a last round 65, leaving Holscher tied with

Art Wall Jr. Arthur Jonathan Wall Jr. (November 25, 1923 – October 31, 2001) was an American professional golfer, best known for winning the Masters Tournament in 1959. Early life and amateur career Wall was born and raised in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. He ...

as runners-up. In 1955 he also had his best finish in a major championship, tied for 7th at the U.S. Open, and was runner-up in the

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 ...

two weeks later. He had a chance to force a playoff with

Dow Finsterwald Dow Henry Finsterwald, Sr. (September 6, 1929 – November 4, 2022) was an American professional golfer who is best known for winning the 1958 PGA Championship, 1958 PGA Championship. He won 11 Tour titles between 1955 and 1963, played on four Ry ...

, but his two-foot par putt on the 72nd hole that would have taken the duo to overtime lipped out. In June 1956, he finished runner-up in the Philadelphia Daily News Open after losing at the second hole of a sudden-playoff to Dick Mayer.

Professional wins (5)

PGA Tour wins (1)

PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

Other wins (4)

*1954 Hawaiian Open *1960

California State Open The California State Open is the California state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Southern California section of the PGA of America. It was first played in 1900 and has been played at a ...

Southern California PGA Championship The Southern California PGA Championship is a golf tournament that is the championship of the Southern California section of the PGA of America. The Southern California section was formed in 1924, and the tournament was first played that year. It ...

*1965

Results in major championships

''Note: Holscher never played in

The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

.''
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holscher, Bud American male golfers PGA Tour golfers Golfers from California Sportspeople from Santa Monica, California 1930 births Living people 20th-century American sportsmen