Julius Boros

Julius Nicholas Boros (March 3, 1920 – May 28, 1994) was an American professional golfer noted for his effortless-looking swing and strong record on difficult golf courses, particularly at the U.S. Open.[1][2]

Julius Boros
Boros in a 1949 ad
Personal information
Full nameJulius Nicholas Boros
NicknameMoose[1]
Born(1920-03-03)March 3, 1920
Fairfield, Connecticut
DiedMay 28, 1994(1994-05-28) (aged 74)
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight215 lb (98 kg; 15.4 st)
Nationality United States
Career
CollegeJunior College of Connecticut
Turned professional1949
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins25
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour18
Other4 (regular)
3 (senior)
Best results in major championships
(wins: 3)
Masters TournamentT3: 1963
PGA ChampionshipWon: 1968
U.S. OpenWon: 1952, 1963
The Open Championship15th: 1966
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame1982 (member page)
PGA Player of the Year1952, 1963
PGA Tour
leading money winner
1952, 1955

Early years

Born in Fairfield, Connecticut, Boros was of Hungarian descent. He played varsity baseball in college.[3] He worked as an accountant, played high-standard amateur golf, and did not turn professional until 1949, when he was already 29 years old.[1][2]

Professional career

Boros won 18 PGA Tour events, including three major championships: the 1952 and 1963 U.S. Opens and the 1968 PGA Championship. He won his first by four strokes in the heat at the Northwood Club in Dallas, also his first PGA Tour victory, which interrupted the U.S. Open streak of 36-hole leader Ben Hogan for a year. In the windy 1963 U.S. Open near Boston, Boros defeated Arnold Palmer and Jacky Cupit in a playoff, after all had finished the 72 holes at a post-war record nine over par. Boros remains the oldest player ever to win a modern major in 1968, taking the PGA Championship in San Antonio by a stroke at the age of 48. One of the runners-up was Palmer, who never won the PGA Championship to complete his career grand slam. The previous oldest winner of a major was Jerry Barber, age 45 in the 1961 PGA Championship. Boros' best results among the majors were at the U.S. Open, with nine top-five finishes; he contended in that championship as late as 1973, at age 53.[1][2]

Boros was a member of the Ryder Cup team in 1959, 1963, 1965 and 1967. He was PGA Player of the Year in 1952 and 1963, and his total career PGA Tour earnings were $1,004,861. Boros was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1982.[1][2]

While other players often walked around a hole and studied the green for several minutes before putting sometimes from their knees, Boros is remembered for not wasting any time on either the greens or the fairways. He would walk up to the ball and "just do it". Noted for his relaxed, nonchalant looking swing and manner, he is remembered for his catch phrase "swing easy, hit hard". Boros had an exceptional short game.[1]

Boros was also instrumental in starting the Senior PGA Tour in the late 1970s. The exciting televised playoff victory of Boros and partner Roberto De Vicenzo over Tommy Bolt and Art Wall Jr. at the Legends of Golf tournament in 1979 raised the profile of professional senior golf competition.[1]

Family

Boros' first wife, Buttons Cosgrove, died in childbirth in 1951. Boros and his second wife, Armen, had seven children: four sons and three daughters. His son Guy Boros won on the PGA Tour in 1996 at the Greater Vancouver Open.[1][2]

Death

Boros suffered a fatal heart attack in 1994 on the golf course at the Coral Ridge Country Club in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was found sitting in a golf cart under a willow tree by two club members near the 16th hole, his favorite spot on the course.[1][2] He was survived by his wife Armen, sons Julius Jr., Gary, Guy, and Nick, daughters Joy, Gay, and Jody, and five grandchildren.[2]

Professional wins (25)

PGA Tour wins (18)

Legend
Major championships (3)
Other PGA Tour (15)
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 Jun 14, 1952 U.S. Open 71-71-68-71=281 +1 4 strokes Ed Oliver
2 Aug 11, 1952 World Championship of Golf 68-71-70-67=276 −12 Playoff Cary Middlecoff
3 May 9, 1954 Ardmore Open 68-69-72-70=279 −1 1 stroke Jerry Barber
4 Jul 18, 1954 Carling Open 71-70-68-71=280 −8 Playoff George Fazio
5 Aug 14, 1955 World Championship of Golf (2) 70-72-69-70=281 −7 2 strokes Fred Haas
6 May 11, 1958 Arlington Hotel Open 70-64-68-71=273 −15 1 stroke Cary Middlecoff
7 Nov 9, 1958 Carling Open Invitational (2) 74-66-70-74=284 −4 2 strokes Billy Casper
8 Sep 14, 1959 Dallas Open Invitational 68-66-70-70=274 −10 1 stroke Dow Finsterwald, Earl Stewart,
Bo Wininger
9 May 15, 1960 Colonial National Invitation 70-71-69-70=280 E 1 stroke Gene Littler, Kel Nagle
10 May 12, 1963 Colonial National Invitation (2) 71-66-71-71=279 −1 4 strokes Gary Player
11 Jun 9, 1963 Buick Open Invitational 66-71-68-69=274 −14 5 strokes Dow Finsterwald
12 Jun 23, 1963 U.S. Open (2) 71-74-76-72=293 +9 Playoff Jacky Cupit, Arnold Palmer
13 Apr 5, 1964 Greater Greensboro Open 68-70-73-66=277 −7 Playoff Doug Sanders
14 Feb 12, 1967 Phoenix Open Invitational 69-67-69-67=272 −12 1 stroke Ken Still
15 Mar 12, 1967 Florida Citrus Open Invitational 70-67-67-70=274 −10 1 stroke George Knudson, Arnold Palmer
16 Jun 11, 1967 Buick Open Invitational (2) 72-72-70-69=283 −5 3 strokes Bob Goalby, R. H. Sikes,
Bert Yancey
17 Jul 21, 1968 PGA Championship 71-71-70-69=281 +1 1 stroke Bob Charles, Arnold Palmer
18 Aug 18, 1968 Westchester Classic 70-65-69-68=272 −16 1 stroke Bob Murphy, Jack Nicklaus,
Dan Sikes

PGA Tour playoff record (4–6)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1952 World Championship of Golf Cary Middlecoff Won 18-hole playoff;
Boros: −4 (68),
Middlecoff: −2 (70)
2 1954 Miami Beach International Four-Ball
(with Dutch Harrison)
Tommy Bolt and Dick Mayer Lost to birdie on first extra hole
3 1954 Carling Open George Fazio Won with par on first extra hole
4 1958 Dallas Open Invitational John McMullin, Gary Player,
Sam Snead
Snead won with birdie on first extra hole
5 1959 Houston Classic Jack Burke Jr. Lost 18-hole playoff;
Burke: −8 (64),
Boros: −3 (69)
6 1963 U.S. Open Jacky Cupit, Arnold Palmer Won 18-hole playoff;
Boros: −1 (70),
Cupit: + 2 (73),
Palmer: +5 (76)
7 1963 Western Open Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer Palmer won 18-hole playoff;
Palmer: −1 (70),
Boros: E (71),
Nicklaus: +2 (73)
8 1964 Greater Greensboro Open Doug Sanders Won with par on first extra hole
9 1969 Greater Greensboro Open Gene Littler, Orville Moody,
Tom Weiskopf
Littler won with birdie on fifth extra hole
Weiskopf eliminated with par on first hole
10 1975 Westchester Classic Gene Littler Lost to par on first extra hole

Other wins (4)

This list may be incomplete

Senior wins (3)

Major championships

Wins (3)

YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner(s)-up
1952U.S. Open2 shot lead+1 (71-71-68-71=281)4 strokes Ed Oliver
1963U.S. Open (2)3 shot deficit+9 (71-74-76-72=293)Playoff1 Jacky Cupit, Arnold Palmer
1968PGA Championship2 shot deficit+1 (71-71-70-69=281)1 stroke Bob Charles, Arnold Palmer

1Defeated Jacky Cupit and Arnold Palmer in an 18-hole playoff - Boros 70 (-1), Cupit 73 (+2), Palmer 76 (+5).

Results timeline

Tournament 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
Masters Tournament T35 17 T7 T10 T16 T4 T24 CUT T39 T8
U.S. Open 9 T4 1 T17 T23 T5 T2 T4 3 T28
The Open Championship
PGA Championship T5 T44
Tournament 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
Masters Tournament 5 CUT T11 T3 CUT CUT T28 5 T16 T33
U.S. Open T3 CUT 1 CUT T4 T17 WD T16 T13
The Open Championship 15
PGA Championship T24 CUT T11 T13 T21 T17 T6 T5 1 T25
Tournament 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980
Masters Tournament T23 CUT CUT CUT T26
U.S. Open T12 T42 T29 T7 WD T38 CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship T26 T34 WD CUT T40 CUT T58 CUT CUT CUT
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" = tied

Summary

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament00147132518
U.S. Open212911172621
The Open Championship00000111
PGA Championship10034102215
Totals3131622417455
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 14 (1950 Masters – 1956 U.S. Open)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 4 (1951 U.S. Open – 1953 Masters)

U.S. national team appearances

Professional

See also

References

  1. "Julius Boros – member bio". World Golf Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  2. Dorman, Larry (May 30, 1994). "Julius Boros, 74, a Pro Golfer Known for His Masterly Touch". The New York Times. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  3. Sidorsky, Robert (2009). Golf 365 Days: A History. Abrams. ISBN 978-0810972810.
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