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Julius Boros

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Julius Boros
Boros in a 1949 ad
Personal information
Full nameJulius Nicolas Boros
NicknameMoose[1]
Born(1920-03-03)March 3, 1920
Fairfield, Connecticut, U.S.
DiedMay 28, 1994(1994-05-28) (aged 74)
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight215 lb (98 kg; 15.4 st)
Sporting nationality United States
Children7, including Guy
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 Tour
money list winner		1952, 1955
PGA Player of the Year1952, 1963

Julius Nicolas 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]

Early life and amateur career

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Born in Fairfield, Connecticut, Boros was of Hungarian descent, and played varsity baseball in college.[3] He then worked as an accountant while playing high-standard amateur golf.[1][2]

Professional career

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Boros turned professional in 1949 at age 29.[1][2] He 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.

For over a half century, Boros was the oldest player to win a modern major, taking the 1968 PGA Championship in San Antonio by a stroke at age 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 Old Tom Morris, age 46 in the 1867 Open Championship. Boros' mark was surpassed by Phil Mickelson, who won the PGA Championship in 2021 at age fifty.

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, and tied for seventh.[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 catchphrase "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]

Personal life

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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 in late August.[1][2][4]

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]

Professional wins (25)

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PGA Tour wins (18)

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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 United States Ed Oliver
2 Aug 11, 1952 World Championship of Golf 68-71-70-67=276 −12 Playoff United States Cary Middlecoff
3 May 9, 1954 Ardmore Open 68-69-72-70=279 −1 1 stroke United States Jerry Barber
4 Jul 18, 1954 Carling Open 71-70-68-71=280 −8 Playoff United States George Fazio
5 Aug 14, 1955 World Championship of Golf (2) 70-72-69-70=281 −7 2 strokes United States Fred Haas
6 May 11, 1958 Arlington Hotel Open 70-64-68-71=273 −15 1 stroke United States Cary Middlecoff
7 Nov 9, 1958 Carling Open Invitational (2) 74-66-70-74=284 −4 2 strokes United States Billy Casper
8 Sep 14, 1959 Dallas Open Invitational 68-66-70-70=274 −10 1 stroke United States Dow Finsterwald, United States Earl Stewart,
United States Bo Wininger
9 May 15, 1960 Colonial National Invitation 70-71-69-70=280 E 1 stroke United States Gene Littler, Australia Kel Nagle
10 May 12, 1963 Colonial National Invitation (2) 71-66-71-71=279 −1 4 strokes South Africa Gary Player
11 Jun 9, 1963 Buick Open Invitational 66-71-68-69=274 −14 5 strokes United States Dow Finsterwald
12 Jun 23, 1963 U.S. Open (2) 71-74-76-72=293 +9 Playoff United States Jacky Cupit, United States Arnold Palmer
13 Apr 5, 1964 Greater Greensboro Open 68-70-73-66=277 −7 Playoff United States Doug Sanders
14 Feb 12, 1967 Phoenix Open Invitational 69-67-69-67=272 −12 1 stroke United States Ken Still
15 Mar 12, 1967 Florida Citrus Open Invitational 70-67-67-70=274 −10 1 stroke Canada George Knudson, United States Arnold Palmer
16 Jun 11, 1967 Buick Open Invitational (2) 72-72-70-69=283 −5 3 strokes United States Bob Goalby, United States R. H. Sikes,
United States Bert Yancey
17 Jul 21, 1968 PGA Championship 71-71-70-69=281 +1 1 stroke New Zealand Bob Charles, United States Arnold Palmer
18 Aug 18, 1968 Westchester Classic 70-65-69-68=272 −16 1 stroke United States Bob Murphy, United States Jack Nicklaus,
United States Dan Sikes

PGA Tour playoff record (4–6)

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

Other wins (4)

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This list may be incomplete

Senior wins (3)

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Major championships

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Wins (3)

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Year Championship 54 holes Winning score Margin Runner(s)-up
1952 U.S. Open 2 shot lead +1 (71-71-68-71=281) 4 strokes United States Ed Oliver
1963 U.S. Open (2) 3 shot deficit +9 (71-74-76-72=293) Playoff1 United States Jacky Cupit, United States Arnold Palmer
1968 PGA Championship 2 shot deficit +1 (71-71-70-69=281) 1 stroke New Zealand Bob Charles, United States Arnold Palmer

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

Results timeline

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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

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Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 0 0 1 4 7 13 25 18
U.S. Open 2 1 2 9 11 17 26 21
The Open Championship 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1
PGA Championship 1 0 0 3 4 10 22 15
Totals 3 1 3 16 22 41 74 55
  • 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

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Professional

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Julius Boros – member bio". World Golf Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g 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.
  4. ^ "Revival wins World Series for Mickelson". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. August 25, 1996. p. C4.
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