Karl Kaspar Keffer (1882 – October 22, 1955) was a Canadian professional

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 ...

er. He won the Canadian Open twice, in 1909 and 1914, and remained the only Canadian-born winner of the national open until 2023. Keffer was born in Tottenham, Ontario. He was the head professional at the

Royal Ottawa Golf Club The Royal Ottawa Golf Club is a private golf club located in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It was founded in 1891, and has made major contributions to the development of Canadian golf right from its early years, hosting many important championships an ...

for over thirty years until his retirement in 1943 due to ill health, and was a founder member of the PGA of Canada. Until 1942, he also worked as the professional at

Jekyll Island Club The Jekyll Island Club was a private club on Jekyll Island, on Georgia's Atlantic coast. It was founded in 1886 when members of an incorporated hunting and recreational club purchased the island for $125,000 (about $3.1 million in 2017) from Jo ...

Jekyll Island Jekyll Island is an island located in Glynn County, Georgia, United States. It is one of the Sea Islands and one of the Golden Isles of Georgia barrier islands. The island is owned by the State of Georgia and run by a self-sustaining, self-g ...

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during the winters. His biggest achievements as a tournament player came in the national open championship, which he won twice, in 1909 and 1914, and finished as runner-up in 1919. He also won the provincial opens of

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

and

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. Keffer has been widely recognised for his achievements and contributions to golf, highlighted by his induction into the

Canadian Golf Hall of Fame The Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum and hall of fame covering the history of the game of golf in Canada, and celebrating the careers and accomplishments of the most significant contributors to the game in that country. Operated b ...

in 1986. He has also been inducted into the PGA of Canada, Ontario Golf and Quebec Golf halls of fame.

Professional wins

* 1909 Canadian Open * 1914 Canadian Open * 1919

Manitoba Open The Manitoba Open is a golf tournament on PGA Tour Americas that is held in Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Populat ...

* 1926 Quebec Open

References

External links

Karl Keffer
at the

website
Karl Keffer
at the PGA of Canada Hall of Fame website
Karl Keffer
at the Golf Ontario website
Karl Keffer
at the Golf Quebec website {{DEFAULTSORT:Keffer, Karl Canadian male golfers Golfing people from Ontario 1882 births 1955 deaths People from New Tecumseth Sportspeople from Simcoe County