Al Espinosa
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| Al Espinosa | |
|---|---|
 circa 1920 | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Abel Ruben Espinosa |
| Nickname | Al |
| Born | March 24, 1891 Monterey, California, U.S. |
| Died | January 4, 1957 (aged 65) San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Spouse | Josephine |
| Children | 1 |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1921 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Professional wins | 20 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 9 |
| Other | 11 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | T7: 1934 |
| PGA Championship | 2nd: 1928 |
| U.S. Open | 2nd: 1929 |
| The Open Championship | T32: 1929 |
Al Espinosa | |
|---|---|
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service |  U.S. Army |
| Rank |  Corporal |
| Battles / wars | World War I |
Abel Ruben "Al" Espinosa (March 24, 1891 – January 4, 1957) was an American professional golfer.[1] He left his mark on golf in Ohio by serving as the Head Professional at Akron’s Portage Country Club from 1931 through 1944. During his tenure at Portage he won the Ohio Open three times (1932, 1933, and 1936). While head pro at Portage Country Club in Akron, Ohio, in the early 1940s, Espinosa hired as his assistant future Masters champion Herman Keiser. He was inducted into the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame in 1957.
Biography
Espinosa was born on March 24, 1891, in Monterey, California. He was of Mexican American descent,[2] and served in the U.S. Army in World War I.
Espinosa won nine times on the PGA Tour in the 1920s and 1930s. He was on the Ryder Cup teams in 1927, 1929, and 1931, although he did not play in 1927. He lost to Leo Diegel in the PGA Championship finals in 1928. He tied with Bobby Jones in the U.S. Open in 1929 at Winged Foot,[3][4] but lost by 23 strokes in the 36-hole playoff.[5] He won the Mexican Open four times.[1] His older brother Abe (1889–1980) also won on the PGA Tour.
He died of cancer at age 65 in 1957 in San Francisco,[1] and is buried at San Carlos Cemetery in Monterey.
Professional wins (20)
PGA Tour wins (9)
- 1924 (1) Missouri Open
- 1926 (1) Oklahoma City Open
- 1928 (2) Florida West Coast Open, Mid-America Open
- 1930 (1) Houston Open
- 1932 (1) Ohio Open
- 1933 (1) Ohio Open
- 1934 (1) Miami International Four-Ball (with Denny Shute)
- 1935 (1) Indianapolis Open
Other wins (11)
this list may be incomplete
- 1922 Washington Open
- 1923 Washington Open
- 1925 Chicago District Open Championship
- 1927 Illinois PGA Championship
- 1928 Illinois PGA Championship
- 1930 Illinois PGA Championship
- 1936 Ohio Open
- 1944 Mexican Open
- 1945 Mexican Open
- 1946 Mexican Open
- 1947 Mexican Open
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Open | T9 | T13 | T18 | T14 | 2 | |
| The Open Championship | T32 | |||||
| PGA Championship | QF | R16 | R32 | SF | 2 | QF |
| Tournament | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | NYF | NYF | NYF | NYF | T7 | T17 | T15 | T29 | |||
| U.S. Open | T35 | T10 | CUT | CUT | T21 | T28 | CUT | T32 | T43 | ||
| The Open Championship | NT | ||||||||||
| PGA Championship | QF | R32 | R16 | R32 | R64 |
NYF = tournament not yet founded
NT = no tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 11 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 11 |
| Totals | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 20 | 30 | 27 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 16 (1924 PGA – 1931 PGA)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1924 PGA – 1925 PGA)
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Al Espinosa, ex-Chicagoan and top golfer, dies at 64". Chicago Daily Tribune. Associated Press. January 5, 1957. p. 19.
- ^ Rice, Grantland (August 16, 1954). "Golf's Greatest Putt". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Gould, Alan J. (June 30, 1929). "Jones, Espinosa tie for Open title with 294 score". Milwaukee Journal. p. 1-sports.
- ^ Pegler, Westbrook (June 30, 1929). "Jones, Espinosa tie; title playoff today". Chicago Sunday Tribune. p. 1, part 2.
- ^ Pegler, Westbrook (July 1, 1929). "Jones' 141 wins playoff for Open title". Chicago Sunday Tribune. p. 29.
Al Espinosa in the Ryder Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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