Ed Oliver (golfer)

Edward Stewart "Porky" Oliver, Jr. (September 6, 1915 – September 21, 1961) was a professional golfer from the United States. He played on what is now known as the PGA Tour in the 1940s and 1950s.

Ed Oliver
Personal information
Full nameEdward Stewart Oliver, Jr.
NicknamePorky, Pork Chops[1]
Born(1915-09-06)September 6, 1915
Wilmington, Delaware
DiedSeptember 21, 1961(1961-09-21) (aged 46)
Wilmington, Delaware
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight240 lb (109 kg; 17 st)
Nationality United States
SpouseClara E. Hee[2][3]
Children3 sons, 1 daughter[4]
Career
Collegenone
Turned professional1940
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins15
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour8
Other7
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament2nd: 1953
PGA Championship2nd: 1946
U.S. Open2nd: 1952
The Open ChampionshipDNP

Born in Wilmington, Delaware, Oliver started as a caddy at age 11 at Wilmington Country Club and turned pro at age 18.[1][3] He earned his nickname because he stood 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) but weighed 240 pounds (109 kg). He won eight times on the PGA Tour in the 1940s and 1950s. Oliver was well known for finishing second in several major championships, but not letting it get him down. He lost to Ben Hogan in the finals of the 1946 PGA Championship, was runner-up to Julius Boros in the 1952 U.S. Open, and to Hogan at the 1953 Masters. Oliver also finished in a tie with Lawson Little and Gene Sarazen at the 1940 U.S. Open, but was disqualified for teeing off 30 minutes early over weather concerns (under current rules, tournament directors reserve the rule to advance round start times, group players in three, and using both the first and tenth tees in case of approaching weather).[5] He was the medalist in the stroke play qualifier of the PGA Championship in 1954, but lost in the third round to eventual champion Chick Harbert. Because of his positive attitude, Oliver was a popular player on tour.[4]

Oliver played on three Ryder Cup teams (1947, 1951, and 1955). He lost several years of playing time while serving in the U.S. Army during World War II,[2] and suffered from the after effects of a 1948 automobile accident that injured a kidney.[6]

Cancer

Oliver was diagnosed with cancer in 1960 and had part of a lung removed in late May in Denver.[7] Remarkably, he played a tour event that September in Utah, but missed the cut by two strokes.[8] Oliver was an advocate for cancer research, traveling the banquet circuit while battling the disease.[4] He died the following September at age 46 at Memorial Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware.[1][3]

Legacy

In 1976, he was inducted into the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame in its inaugural year. The course of the Wilmington Country Club where he caddied as a teenager has been redesigned and is now the Ed Oliver Golf Club.[9] He and his wife Clara (1915–2010) are buried in All Saints Cemetery in Wilmington; they had three sons and a daughter.[4]

Professional wins

PGA Tour wins (8)

Other wins

this list may be incomplete

Results in major championships
Tournament 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
Masters Tournament T19 NT NT NT T37 T8
U.S. Open T29 DQ NT NT NT NT T6 T3 CUT
PGA Championship NT 2 R16 R16 R64
Tournament 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960
Masters Tournament T30 2 T22 T53 T14 T20
U.S. Open T24 2 T58 CUT T41 T22
PGA Championship R32 R64 R16 R64 T8 T11

Note: Oliver never played in The Open Championship.

  Top 10
  Did not play

NT = no tournament
DQ = disqualified
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
TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament01012699
U.S. Open011235118
The Open Championship00000000
PGA Championship0101571010
Totals031410183027
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 12 (1948 PGA – 1955 Masters)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 5 (1946 U.S. Open – 1947 PGA)

U.S. national team appearances

See also

References
  1. "Cancer takes Porky Oliver". Meriden Journal. Connecticut. Associated Press. September 21, 1961. p. 4.
  2. "Ed Oliver, golf ace in Army". San Jose News. California. Associated Press. February 24, 1942. p. 6.
  3. "Golf's Porky Oliver Dies". Nashua Telegraph. New Hampshire. Associated Press. September 21, 1961. p. 2.
  4. "Porky eyes miracle". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. March 22, 1961. p. 6-part 2.
  5. "Jack Bell's Sports Desk". Miami Daily News. June 17, 1940. p. B1.
  6. "Oliver sets PGA pace with 5-under 66". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 22, 1954. p. 17.
  7. "Porky recovering". Tuscaloosa News. Alabama. Associated Press. June 5, 1960. p. 11.
  8. "Finsterwald gains lead in Utah Open". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. September 11, 1960. p. 2B.
  9. "Welcome". Ed Oliver Golf Club. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
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