Al Espinosa
circa 1920
Personal information
Full nameAbel Ruben Espinosa
NicknameAl
Born(1891-03-24)March 24, 1891
Monterey, California, U.S.
DiedJanuary 4, 1957(1957-01-04) (aged 65)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
SpouseJosephine
Children1
Career
Turned professional1921
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins20
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour9
Other11
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT7: 1934
PGA Championship2nd: 1928
U.S. Open2nd: 1929
The Open ChampionshipT32: 1929
Al Espinosa
Allegiance United States
Service/branch U.S. Army
Rank Corporal
Battles/warsWorld 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)

Other wins (11)

this list may be incomplete

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
  Top 10
  Did not play

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

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament00001344
U.S. Open0101371411
The Open Championship00000011
PGA Championship01157101111
Totals021611203027
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 16 (1924 PGA – 1931 PGA)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1924 PGA – 1925 PGA)

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Al Espinosa, ex-Chicagoan and top golfer, dies at 64". Chicago Daily Tribune. Associated Press. January 5, 1957. p. 19.
  2. ↑ Rice, Grantland (August 16, 1954). "Golf's Greatest Putt". Sports Illustrated.
  3. ↑ Gould, Alan J. (June 30, 1929). "Jones, Espinosa tie for Open title with 294 score". Milwaukee Journal. p. 1-sports.
  4. ↑ Pegler, Westbrook (June 30, 1929). "Jones, Espinosa tie; title playoff today". Chicago Sunday Tribune. p. 1, part 2.
  5. ↑ Pegler, Westbrook (July 1, 1929). "Jones' 141 wins playoff for Open title". Chicago Sunday Tribune. p. 29.


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