Frederick L. Wampler (October 17, 1923 – April 27, 1985) 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 ...

and the Senior PGA Tour.

Early life and amateur career

Wampler was born in

Bedford, Indiana Bedford is a city in Shawswick Township and the county seat of Lawrence County, Indiana, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 13,792. That is up from 13,413 in 2010. Bedford is the principal city of the Bedford, IN Micropo ...

. He played on the

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

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 from 1948 to 1950. In 1950, he won the NCAA individual championship, was selected as Purdue's first

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

and won the Big Ten individual title for the third consecutive year. Wampler still shares the Big Ten tournament record for lowest individual round with a 64 in the fourth round of the 1950 Big Ten Championships. A veteran of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Wampler served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

in the Pacific prior to enrolling at Purdue University.

Professional career

Wampler's only PGA Tour win came at the 1954

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 runner-up to

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 ...

in the 1956

Greater Greensboro Open The Wyndham Championship is a professional golf tournament in North Carolina on the PGA Tour. It is played annually in Greensboro and was originally the Greater Greensboro Open. History Founded in 1938 as the Greater Greensboro Open, it was usu ...

on the second hole of a sudden death playoff. Like most golfers of his generation, he earned his living primarily as a club professional. Starting in 1965, he served 17 years as the head pro at Denver Country Club. On the Senior PGA Tour, Wampler finished runner-up twice in the Senior PGA Championship. In 1975, he lost on the first playoff hole to

Charlie Sifford Charles Luther Sifford (June 2, 1922 – February 3, 2015) was an American professional golfer who was the first African American to play on the PGA Tour. He won the Greater Hartford Open in 1967 and the Los Angeles Open in 1969. He also won the ...

and in 1976, he finished five strokes behind Pete Cooper.

Death

Wampler died at the age of 61 after an 18-year battle with chronic leukemia.

Awards and honors

* In 1972, Wampler was inducted into the Indiana Golf Hall of Fame * In 1997, Wampler was inducted into the Purdue University Sports Hall of Fame * In 1997, Wampler was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame

Amateur wins

*1947 Indiana Amateur *1948 Big 10 Championship *1949 Indiana Amateur, Big 10 Championship *1950 Big 10 Championship, NCAA Championship

Professional wins (10)

PGA Tour wins (1)

PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

Other wins (9)

''This list may be incomplete'' *1950 Indiana Open (as an amateur) *1952 Long Island Open *1953 Manchester Open *1962 St. Clair Open *1966 Colorado PGA Championship *1968 Colorado PGA Championship *1973 Colorado PGA Championship *1974 Colorado PGA Championship *1983 Indiana Senior Open

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wampler, Fred American male golfers Purdue Boilermakers men's golfers PGA Tour golfers PGA Tour Champions golfers Golfers from Indiana United States Navy personnel of World War II People from Bedford, Indiana 1923 births 1985 deaths 20th-century American sportsmen