Roberto De Vicenzo (14 April 1923 – 1 June 2017) was a professional golfer from

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. He won a record 229 professional tournaments worldwide during his career, including seven 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 most famously the 1967 Open Championship. He is perhaps best remembered for signing an incorrect scorecard that kept him out of a playoff for the 1968 Masters Tournament.

Early life

De Vicenzo was born on 14 April 1923 in Villa Ballester, a northern suburb of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was raised in the Villa Pueyrredón neighborhood of Buenos Aires, and acquired the game of golf as a caddie. He developed his skills at the Ranelagh Golf Club, and later relocated to the town of the same name.

Professional career

De Vicenzo won his first Argentine tournament, the Abierto del Litoral, in 1942; his first World Cup in 1953; and a major tournament,

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 ...

, in

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

. De Vicenzo is best remembered for his misfortune in the 1968 Masters Tournament. On the par-4 17th hole, Roberto De Vicenzo made a birdie, but playing partner Tommy Aaron inadvertently entered a 4 instead of 3 on the scorecard. He did not check the scorecard for the error before signing it, and according to the Rules of Golf the higher score had to stand and be counted. If not for this mistake, De Vicenzo would have tied for first place with Bob Goalby, and the two would have met in an 18-hole playoff the next day. His quote afterwards became legendary for its poignancy: "What a stupid I am!" De Vicenzo subsequently found great success in the early days of the Senior PGA Tour, winning the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf two times and the inaugural U.S. Senior Open in 1980. He also won the 1974 PGA Seniors' Championship, and represented Argentina 15 times in the Canada Cup/World Cup, leading Argentina to victory in 1953. He officially retired on 12 November 2006, at age 83 with over 200 international victories.

Personal life

De Vicenzo died 1 June 2017 at the age of 94.

Awards and honors

* In 1970, he was voted the

Bob Jones Award The Bob Jones Award is the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. It is named in honor of Bobby Jones (golfer), Bobby Jones. Winners *1955 Francis Ouimet *1956 William C. C ...

, the highest honor given by the

United States Golf Association 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 rule ...

(USGA) in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf * In 1989, De Vicenzo was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame * The Museum of Golf in Argentina in Berazategui, Argentina was founded because of his hard work. It was named in his honor upon its completion in 2006.

Professional wins (229)

PGA Tour wins (7)

Source:

European circuit wins (9)

*1948 (1) North British-Harrogate Tournament *1950 (3) Dutch Open, Belgian Open, Open de France *1960 (1) Open de France *1964 (2) Open de France, German Open *1966 (1) Spanish Open *1967 (1)

Argentine Tour wins (132)

''this list is incomplete'' *1942 (1) Abierto del Litoral *1943 (2) Center Open, Westinhouse Grand Prix *1944 (3) Argentine PGA Championship, Argentine Open, Cirio Grand Prix *1945 (3) Argentine PGA Championship, Cirio Grand Prix, Bahía Blanca Open *1946 (5) Palermo Grand Prix, Abierto del Litoral, South Open, La Plata Open, Masllorens Grand Prix *1947 (10) Argentine PGA Championship, Abierto del Litoral, South Open, Cirio Grand Prix, Ranelagh Open, Masllorens Grand Prix, Alvear Grand Prix, San Isidro Open, Mailly Grand Prix, America Cup *1948 (5) Argentine PGA Championship, Cirio Grand Prix, Masllorens Grand Prix, Ranelagh Open, La Plata Open *1949 (6) Argentine PGA Championship, Argentine Open, Abierto del Litoral, Ituzaingo Grand Prix, Masllorens Grand Prix, San Isidro Open *1950 (4) Masllorens Grand Prix, Ituzaingo Grand Prix, San Isidro Open, San Martin Grand Prix *1951 (5) Argentine PGA Championship, Argentine Open, Msllorens Grand Prix, Alvear Grand Prix, San Isidro Open *1952 (2) Argentine Open, San Isidro Open *1953 (1) Argentino Grand Prix *1954 (2) Alvear Grand Prix, San Martin Grand Prix *1958 (1) Argentine Open *1960 (3) Argentine PGA Championship, Charles of the Ritz Grand Prix, Siam Grand Prix *1961 (1) Ranelagh Open *1962 (6) Argentine Masters, North Open, Center Open, South Open, Branca Grand Prix, Suixtill Grand Prix *1963 (2) Branca Grand Prix, Tortugas Grand Prix *1964 (4) Argentine Masters, Argentine PGA Championship, Minerva Grand Prix, Jockey Club Rosario Open *1965 (6) Argentine PGA Championship, Argentine Open, Center Open, Rio Cuarto Open, Acantilados Grand Prix, Jockey Club Rosario Open *1966 (4) Argentine Masters, Argentine PGA Championship, North Open, Ranser Grand Prix *1967 (6) Argentine Open, Center Open, South Open, Ranelagh Open, Ranser Grand Prix, Pindapoy Grand Prix *1968 (4) Abierto del Litoral, Ranelagh Open, Acantilados Grand Prix, Peugeot Grand Prix *1969 (6) Argentine PGA Championship, Norpatagonico Open, Ranelagh Open, Glustora Grand Prix, Lomas Open, Kanmar Grand Prix *1970 (4) Argentine Open, Argentine Masters, Ranelagh Open, Old Smuggler Grand Prix *1971 (5) Argentine PGA Championship, Acantilados Grand Prix, La Cumbre Open, Pinamar Open, Santa Teresita Open *1972 (5) Argentine PGA Championship, Center Open, South Open, Ranelagh Open, Acantilados Grand Prix *1973 (4) Center Open, South Open, North Open, Lomas Open *1974 (8) Argentine PGA Championship, Argentine Masters, Argentine Open, Center Open, North Open, San Martin Grand Prix, Charles of the Ritz Grand Prix, Los Lagartos Grand Prix *1975 (2) Jockey Club Rosario Open, Charles of the Ritz Grand Prix *1976 (2) Velox Grand Prix, Metropolitano Open *1977 (3) Argentine PGA Championship, South Open, Velox Grand Prix *1978 South Open, San Martin Grand Prix, Sidesa Grand Prix *1979 (3) Acantilados Grand Prix, Sidesa Grand Prix *1983 (1) North Open *1985 (1) Argentine PGA Championship

Latin America/Caribbean wins (60)

''this list may be incomplete'' *1946 Chile Open (tie with Enrique Bertolino), Viña del Mar Open (Chile) *1947 Cali Open (Colombia) *1948 Uruguay Open *1949 Uruguay Open *1951 Cali Open (Colombia), Bogota Open (Colombia), Barranquilla Open (Colombia), Mexican Open *1952 Panama Open, Santo Domingo Open (Chile) *1953 Panama Open, Mexican Open, Peru Open *1954 Brazil Open, Peru Open, Barranquilla Open (Colombia) Bogota Open (Colombia) *1955 Mexican Open, PGA of Mexico, Medellin Open (Colombia) *1956 Jamaica Open, Barranquilla Open (Colombia), Bogota Open (Colombia), PGA of Mexico *1957 Brazil Open, Jamaica Open *1958 Peru Open, Medellin Open (Colombia), PGA of Mexico *1959 PGA of Mexico *1960 Brazil Open, Barranquilla Open (Colombia), Bogota Open (Colombia) *1961 Chile Open, Colombian Open, Barranquilla Open (Colombia) *1962 Barranquilla Open (Colombia) *1963 Brazil Open *1964 Brazil Open, Uruguay Open, Bogota Open (Colombia) *1965 Los Lagartos Open *1966 Los Lagartos Open *1968 Los Lagartos Open *1969 PGA of Mexico, Los Lagartos Open *1970 Itanhanga Open (Brazil) *1971 Panama Open *1972 Caracas Open, San Pablo Open (Brazil), Rio Grande Open (Brazil) *1973 Panama Open, Caracas Open, Brazil Open *1974 Panama Open, Raleigh Cup (Mexico) *1978 Santiago Open (Chile) *1979 Santo Tome Open, Oro Negro Open (Venezuela)

Other wins (3)

Senior PGA Tour wins (2)

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

Other senior wins (16)

''this list may be incomplete'' *1974 PGA Seniors' Championship, World Senior Championship *1979 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Julius Boros) *1983 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Rod Funseth), Doug Sanders Classic *1986 Conmmemorative Pro-Am (Super Senior) *1987 Argentine Senior Open, Pontevedra Classic (Super Senior), Digital Classic (Super Senior) *1988 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Charlie Sifford), Vintage Championship Invitational (Super Senior), Pages Classic (Super Senior) *1989 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Charlie Sifford), Vantage Championship (Super Senior) *1991 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Charlie Sifford) *1992 Center Senior Argentine Open

Major championships

Wins (1)

Results timeline

CUT = missed the half-way cut
R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" = tied

Summary

*Most consecutive cuts made – 14 (1948 Open Championship – 1957 Open Championship) *Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (twice)

Champions Tour major championships

Wins (1)

Team appearances

* World Cup (representing Argentina):

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...

(winners),

1954 Events January * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...

, 1955,

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

(individual winner),

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

, 1964,

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

, 1968, 1969,

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...

(individual winner),

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

, 1974 * World Cup (representing Mexico):

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

, 1959, 1960, 1961

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:De Vicenzo, Roberto Argentine male golfers PGA Tour golfers PGA Tour Champions golfers Winners of men's major golf championships Winners of senior major golf championships World Golf Hall of Fame inductees Argentine sportspeople of Italian descent Sportspeople from San Martín, Buenos Aires 1923 births 2017 deaths 20th-century Argentine sportsmen