AP

Dow Finsterwald, 1st PGA champion in stroke play, dies at 93

Nov 5, 2022, 1:08 AM | Updated: 1:32 pm

FIEL - Dow Finsterwald of Tequesta, Fla. poses with the trophy after winning the Professional Golfe...

FIEL - Dow Finsterwald of Tequesta, Fla. poses with the trophy after winning the Professional Golfers Association 40th annual tournament at Llanerch Country Club in Havertown, Pa. on July 21, 1958. Finsterwald, a 12-time winner on the PGA Tour, died Friday night, Nov. 4, 2022, at his home in Colorado Springs, Colo. He was 93. His son, Dow Finsterwald Jr., said he died peacefully in his sleep. (AP Photo/File)

(AP Photo/File)

Dow Finsterwald became a footnote in history as the first player to win the PGA Championship in stroke play and the last U.S. captain of a Ryder Cup before continental Europe was invited to join.

More than a major champion and Ryder Cup player, he devoted his life to golf as the longtime professional at The Broadmoor in Colorado.

Finsterwald, a 12-time winner on the PGA Tour, died Friday night at his home in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was 93. His son, Dow Finsterwald Jr., said he died peacefully in his sleep.

“He did all he could for the game,” said his son, the head professional at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. “He enjoyed his friends and they always remembered. He loved the rules and he cared about the game. He had a wonderful life and he felt like for sure it was complete.”

Finsterwald was born in Athens, Ohio, and played college golf at Ohio University. One of his earliest matches was against Arnold Palmer at Wake Forest, and they became best friends until Palmer’s death in 2016. Finsterwald spent his winters at Palmer’s Bay Hill Club and Lodge.

“He (shot) 29 the first round we played together, so I didn’t have much luck there,” Finsterwald once said.

Palmer came along as golf was being shown on television. That was a big reason why the PGA Championship decided to switch from match play to stroke play in 1958.

Finsterwald lost in the championship match in 1957 to Lionel Hebert. The following year at Llanerch Country Club in Pennsylvania, Finsterwald was two shots behind Sam Snead going into the final round when he closed with a 67 and won by two over Billy Casper.

“It certainly made a big impact on my life and certain things were made available because of winning that championship,” Finsterwald said at Oakland Hills in 2008 on the 50-year anniversary of his win. “But as important as it was to me — and believe me, it has been very important — it was a major step for the PGA of America to go from match play to stroke play.”

“It certainly was a little extra there in that I had been the runner-up in the finals of the last match play. So I guess I’m a little prejudiced about stroke play,” he said. “But it was the logical thing to do and the time to do it.”

Finsterwald was the PGA player of the year in 1958 and he won the Vardon Trophy for the lowest scoring average in 1957. He also played on four Ryder Cup teams, going 9-3-1. He was the captain of the 1977 U.S. team that featured Ryder Cup rookies like Tom Watson and Lanny Wadkins.

The U.S. won easily, and it was at that Ryder Cup at Royal Lytham & St. Annes that Jack Nicklaus suggested stronger competition because the Americans were winning with regularity. The Britain & Ireland team was then expanded to include continental Europe.

Finsterwald’s last win was the 500 Festival Open Invitation in Indianapolis. He also made 72 consecutive cuts, a remarkable feat from his era because it was not measured on a 36-hole cut but being among the top 25 or so finishers who were paid from the prize fund.

Finsterwald became the head pro at The Broadmoor in 1963 and kept the position for 28 years.

___

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

1 year ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

1 year ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

1 year ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

1 year ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

1 year ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

1 year ago

Dow Finsterwald, 1st PGA champion in stroke play, dies at 93