Roberto DeVicenzo

Roberto DeVicenzo
Personnel
Nation:	Argentina
Career data
Professional since:	1938
Tournament wins:	230+
Major wins :	1 (1967)
Awards:	Bob Jones Award (1970) World Golf Hall of Fame (1989)

Roberto DeVicenzo (born April 14, 1923 in Villa Ballester , Buenos Aires , Argentina , † June 1, 2017 ) was a professional golfer . He embarked on this career at the age of 15 and won his first of a total of nine Argentine Open titles at 21.

According to the World Golf Hall of Fame , the archetype of a golfer from the 1950s won the astonishing number of more than 230 tournaments worldwide in the course of its career. His only major victory was DeVicenzo in 1967 at the Open Championship against the onrushing competitors Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player .

He represented Argentina 17 times at the Canada Cup and its successor, the World Cup , where he was even able to lead his country to victory in 1953.

DeVicenzo was also very successful as a senior golfer in the early days of the Senior PGA Tour . He won a number of tournaments, including two senior majors .

His mishap at the Masters in 1968 remains unforgettable in the golf world . After the final round, DeVicenzo signed his scorecard (written down by his flight partner Tommy Aaron ), which showed a 4 for the 17th hole, even though he had actually played a birdie 3 there. According to the golf rules, however, once a result has been signed, it remains unchanged ( if you sign a better score, you will be disqualified ). Without this mistake, DeVicenzo would have tied with Bob Goalby , and both would have had an 18-hole playoff the next day. His subsequent comment became famous for its apt simplicity: "What a fool am I!"

Awards

In 1970 DeVicenzo received the Bob Jones Award , the United States Golf Association's highest honor in recognition of outstanding athleticism. In 1989 he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame .

Individual proof

1. ^ Former Open champ De Vicenzo dies at 94

Web links

• Roberto DeVicenzo at golf.about (English)