Dave Hill (golfer)
Dave Hill | |||
---|---|---|---|
Hill in 1973 | |||
Personal information | |||
Full name | James David Hill | ||
Born | Jackson, Michigan | May 20, 1937||
Died | September 27, 2011 Jackson, Michigan | (aged 74)||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
Weight | 145 lb (66 kg; 10.4 st) | ||
Sporting nationality | |||
Career | |||
College | University of Detroit | ||
Turned professional | 1958 | ||
Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions Tour | ||
Professional wins | 25 | ||
Number of wins by tour | |||
PGA Tour | 13 | ||
PGA Tour Champions | 6 | ||
Other | 6 | ||
Best results in major championships | |||
Masters Tournament | T5: 1970 | ||
PGA Championship | T3: 1974 | ||
U.S. Open | 2nd: 1970 | ||
The Open Championship | T18: 1973 | ||
Achievements and awards | |||
|
James David Hill (May 20, 1937 – September 27, 2011) was an American professional golfer. He was the brother of Mike Hill who was also a professional golfer.
Professional career
[edit]Hill was born in Jackson, Michigan. He attended the University of Detroit, where he played on the golf team. Hill won 13 times on the PGA Tour, three of which came during his career year of 1969, when he also won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average. He was a member of the United States Ryder Cup team in 1969, 1973, and 1977.
Hill was known for his quick wit and biting sarcasm, and was sometimes referred to as "the Don Rickles of the golf tour".[1] He frequently led the tour in fines and was once suspended for two months after he deliberately broke his putter on national television.[2] At the 1966 Thunderbird Classic, Hill signed his second round scorecard that included a score of 108 on the 18th hole.[3] Hill played in the acrimonious 1969 Ryder Cup that ended in a 16–16 tie when Jack Nicklaus made his famous "concession" of a short but missable putt to Tony Jacklin on the 18th green in the final match.
In 1970, Hill had his best finish in a major championship. He finished in solo second place at the 1970 U.S. Open played at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota.[4]
In 1987, Hill joined the Senior PGA Tour (now the Champions Tour). He won six tournaments on that tour. Hill had a cameo appearance in the movie, Now You See Him, Now You Don't.
Controversies
[edit]Hill finished runner-up at the 1970 U.S. Open. What gained him the most notoriety, though, was not his excellent play but his criticisms of the golf course. In the middle of the championship, before the third round, Hill was fined $150 by Joe Dey Jr., commissioner of the Tournament Players Division of the PGA of America, for "criticism that tends to ridicule and demean the club".[5]
When first asked what he thought of the golf course, he said "I'm still looking for it". When asked what Hazeltine needed, he retorted, "Hazeltine really did lack only 80 acres of corn and a few cows. They ruined a good farm when they built this course".[1] Hill was far from alone among the pros in his criticism of Hazeltine, which had to be extensively redesigned before getting a chance to host another men's major, again the U.S. Open, in 1991. Afterward, Hill claimed to have paid a farmer cash to borrow his tractor.[6] If he had won the 1970 U.S. Open, Hill planned to ride the tractor out onto the golf course as he hoisted the trophy.
Another controversy involving Hill started in 1971. At the 1971 Colonial National Invitation, Hill shot rounds of 77-85 to miss the cut. On his last hole, Hill threw a ball out of a sand trap.[7] Hill was disqualified but it was for his signing a scorecard with an incorrect score on it.[8] When Hill went to play in his next tournament, the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic, Hill was told he was being fined $500 for conduct unbecoming a professional golfer.[9] Hill was required to pay the fine before teeing it up in the tournament. He did so but less than a week later, Hill filed a one-million dollar anti-trust suit against the PGA Tour.[10] In response, the tour put Hill on probation for one year.[11] Hill then increased the amount of damages he was seeking to three-million dollars.[12] The litigation was resolved out of court in less than a year and Hill was taken off probation.[13]
Late in 1971 Hill played some events in Australia. He had a "series of verbal clashes" with Australian golfer Peter Thomson at the Wills Masters. The following week Hill and Thomson played the Australian Open and were paired together in the first round. The "cold war" between the two players continued as neither offered to shake the other man's hand at the beginning of the round. Through the round both did not communicate much to each other but did occasionally congratulate the other golfer when he hit a good shot.[14]
At the 1991 Transamerica Senior Golf Championship, Hill got into a fight on the driving range with J. C. Snead.[15] Snead was hitting shots across the range, the balls rolling near a spot where Hill was practicing. Hill yelled at Snead, then grabbed a club and came after his much bigger adversary. After punching and wrestling their way to the ground, they were separated by other players and caddies.[5]
Personal life
[edit]Hill died on September 27, 2011, in Jackson, Michigan, after spending the last few years of his life battling emphysema.[16][17]
Professional wins (24)
[edit]PGA Tour wins (13)
[edit]No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Feb 19, 1961 | Home of the Sun Open | −11 (69-66-69-65=269) | Playoff | |
2 | Sep 10, 1961 | Denver Open Invitational | −21 (63-64-67-69=263) | 6 strokes | |
3 | Jul 14, 1963 | Hot Springs Open Invitational | −11 (69-70-70-68=277) | Playoff | |
4 | Jun 4, 1967 | Memphis Open Invitational | −8 (65-66-68-73=272) | 2 strokes | |
5 | Jun 1, 1969 | Memphis Open Invitational (2) | −15 (67-67-66-65=265) | 2 strokes | |
6 | Jul 6, 1969 | Buick Open Invitational | −11 (68-68-71-70=277) | 2 strokes | |
7 | Jul 20, 1969 | IVB-Philadelphia Golf Classic | −9 (71-71-68-69=279) | Playoff | |
8 | May 31, 1970 | Danny Thomas Memphis Classic (3) | −13 (63-69-67-68=267) | 3 strokes | |
9 | Apr 16, 1972 | Monsanto Open | −13 (64-68-68-71=271) | 1 stroke | |
10 | May 20, 1973 | Danny Thomas Memphis Classic (4) | −5 (68-69-74-72=283) | 1 stroke | |
11 | May 12, 1974 | Houston Open | −12 (70-67-74-65=276) | 1 stroke | |
12 | Sep 28, 1975 | Sahara Invitational | −14 (68-66-67-69=270) | Playoff | |
13 | Jul 4, 1976 | Greater Milwaukee Open | −18 (66-67-68-69=270) | 3 strokes |
PGA Tour playoff record (4–2)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1961 | Home of the Sun Open | Won with birdie on third extra hole | |
2 | 1963 | Hot Springs Open Invitational | Won with par on second extra hole | |
3 | 1969 | IVB-Philadelphia Golf Classic | Won with birdie on first extra hole | |
4 | 1969 | Greater Hartford Open | Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole | |
5 | 1972 | Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open | Archer won 18-hole playoff; Archer: −5 (66), Aaron: −3 (68), Hill: −3 (68) | |
6 | 1975 | Sahara Invitational | Won with par on first extra hole |
Other wins (5)
[edit]this list may be incomplete
- 1959 Michigan Open
- 1971 Colorado Open
- 1976 Colorado Open
- 1977 Colorado Open
- 1981 Colorado Open
Senior PGA Tour wins (6)
[edit]No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Nov 22, 1987 | Fairfield Barnett Senior Classic | −14 (68-66-68=202) | 5 strokes | |
2 | Jan 17, 1988 | MONY Senior Tournament of Champions | −5 (68-72-71=211)* | 1 stroke | |
3 | Aug 14, 1988 | MONY Syracuse Senior Classic | −16 (68-64-68=206) | 5 strokes | |
4 | Sep 25, 1988 | PaineWebber Invitational | −10 (68-68-70=206) | 1 stroke | |
5 | May 14, 1989 | Bell Atlantic/St. Christopher's Classic | −4 (72-68-66=206) | Playoff | |
6 | Aug 13, 1989 | Rancho Murieta Senior Gold Rush | −11 (69-70-68=207) | 1 stroke |
*Note: The 1988 MONY Senior Tournament of Champions was shortened to 54 holes due to weather.
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1989 | GTE Suncoast Classic | Charles won with birdie on third extra hole Hill and Ferree eliminated by birdie on first hole | |
2 | 1989 | Bell Atlantic/St. Christopher's Classic | Won with par on third extra hole |
Other senior wins (1)
[edit]- 1988 Mazda Champions (with Colleen Walker)
Results in major championships
[edit]Tournament | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T50 | T24 | |||||||
U.S. Open | T51 | WD | CUT | T22 | T18 | T16 | T13 | ||
The Open Championship | |||||||||
PGA Championship | CUT | T17 | CUT | T11 | T17 | T15 |
Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T5 | T27 | CUT | T37 | T11 | 7 | T15 | T39 | T45 | CUT |
U.S. Open | 2 | CUT | T29 | CUT | CUT | |||||
The Open Championship | T18 | |||||||||
PGA Championship | T68 | T6 | WD | CUT | T3 | T7 | T22 | T48 | T50 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1964 PGA Championship)
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Summary
[edit]Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 10 |
U.S. Open | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 7 |
The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 15 | 11 |
Totals | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 19 | 40 | 29 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 1 (1966 U.S. Open – 1971 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1974 PGA – 1975 PGA)
U.S. national team appearances
[edit]Professional
References
[edit]- ^ a b Mulvoy, Mark (August 10, 1970). "Plain Words At Westchester". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
- ^ Cope, Myron (May 10, 1971). "Often Bloody, But Uncowed". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
- ^ "Hill's card reads 108 shots for 18th". St. Joseph News-Press. St. Joseph, Missouri. AP. August 13, 1966. p. 1B.
- ^ "Golf Major Championships".
- ^ a b Achenbach, James (October 24, 2011). "Dave Hill was unrestrained, true". Golfweek. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
- ^ Hill, Dave; Seitz, Nick (1977). Teed Off. Prentice-Hall. p. 108. ISBN 978-0139022470.
- ^ "Dave Hill Carries Squabble To Court". Florence Times–Tri-Cities Daily. Florence, Alabama. AP. May 29, 1971. p. 3.
- ^ "Hill disqualified". Wilmington Morning Star. Wilmington, North Carolina. UPI. May 22, 1971. p. 19.
- ^ "Hill pays fine, in Memphis field". Wilmington Morning Star. Wilmington, North Carolina. UPI. May 27, 1971. p. 3D.
- ^ "Dave Hill files $1 million damage suit". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Daytona Beach, Florida. AP. May 29, 1971. p. 17.
- ^ Green, Bob (June 3, 1971). "Hill Draws Year Probation". The Portsmouth Times. Portsmouth, Ohio. AP. p. 19.
- ^ "Courts, Etc". St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Florida. June 29, 1971. p. 3C.
- ^ "Hill: Tour Too Much So He's Making Few Tourneys". The Ledger. Lakeland, Florida. AP. January 16, 1972. p. 6B.
- ^ "Aussie Golf Lead Shared By Nicklaus". The Times Recorder. October 29, 1971. p. 12. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
- ^ "Fists 'n' Fairways". Sports Illustrated. November 13, 2000.
- ^ "PGA Tour winner Dave Hill dies at 74". ESPN. AP. September 28, 2011. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
- ^ Kalahar, Gary (September 28, 2011). "Jackson's PGA Tour star Dave Hill dies at age 74". Jackson Citizen Patriot. Jackson, Michigan. Retrieved September 29, 2011.