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Edward Bishop Dudley (February 19, 1901 – October 25, 1963) was an American professional golfer active in the late 1920s and 1930s. He was given the nickname of "Big Ed" in acknowledgment of his 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) frame.

Ed Dudley
Dudley in 1939
Personal information
Full nameEdward Bishop Dudley
NicknameBig Ed
Born(1901-02-19)February 19, 1901
Brunswick, Georgia
DiedOctober 25, 1963(1963-10-25) (aged 62)
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Height6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight200 lb (91 kg; 14 st)
Sporting nationality United States
Career
StatusProfessional
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins19
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour15
Other4
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament3rd: 1937
PGA ChampionshipT3: 1932
U.S. Open5th: 1937
The Open Championship6th: 1937

Biography

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Born in Brunswick, Georgia, Dudley was a 15-time winner on the PGA Tour. His achievements were mainly recognized retrospectively, since the PGA Tour of today did not formally exist as such; this situation was the same for all of his cohorts as well.[1] The Tour as it was begun and evolved in the early 1920s, making Dudley one of its early pioneers. His first noteworthy professional results were made in the 1925 season, when he won the Oklahoma Open among other strong showings.[2]

After winning both the Los Angeles and Western Opens in 1931, Dudley had his best year in 1933, when he was a quarter-finalist in the PGA Championship and won selection to the Ryder Cup team (having also played on the 1929 team). He won two key matches in the 1937 Ryder Cup, to help the United States win for the first time in Great Britain. In a total of four Ryder Cup matches played, Dudley compiled a record of three wins and one loss, across three Cup series. All Ryder Cup matches were played at 36 holes in that era. All three U.S. teams he played for (1929: Moor Park Golf Club, 1933: Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club, and 1937: again, Southport and Ainsdale) had to travel to Great Britain. Dudley also served as Ryder Cup honorary team captain in 1949, when the matches were played at the Ganton Golf Club in England; the USA also won that match.[2]

Dudley finished 24 times in the top-10 at major championships, and this is a record among players who did not win at least one major. His high finishes in majors include third place at the PGA Championship in 1932, and at the Masters Tournament in 1937. In 1937, he became the first player to finish in the top-10 in all four majors in one year, a feat not repeated until Arnold Palmer in 1960.[3][4]

Dudley served as the first head golf professional at the newly established Augusta National Golf Club, from 1932 to 1957. He served as president of the PGA of America from 1942 to 1948. He is a member of the PGA Hall of Fame.[2] He was posthumously inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in 1990. He was also the club professional at the Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs, Colorado for over two decades; this shared arrangement with Augusta National was possible because of the mainly mid-autumn through early spring season at Augusta National.[5]

Among Dudley's most famous students were President Dwight Eisenhower, singer Bing Crosby, and comedian Bob Hope. Dudley died of a heart attack in Colorado Springs, one week after undergoing surgery to remove blood clots from his leg.[5]

Professional wins (19)

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PGA Tour wins (15)

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Other wins (4)

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Results in major championships

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Tournament 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929
U.S. Open WD T6 CUT
The Open Championship T18
PGA Championship R16 R16 QF
Tournament 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939
Masters Tournament NYF NYF NYF NYF 5 T19 T6 3 T6 T10
U.S. Open T17 T15 T14 CUT T37 T21 T59 5 T50 T12
The Open Championship T7 6
PGA Championship R32 SF QF QF R16 R16 R32
Tournament 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950
Masters Tournament T4 5 T33 NT NT NT T32 37 T18 WD WD
U.S. Open T10 T10 NT NT NT NT CUT
The Open Championship NT NT NT NT NT NT
PGA Championship R16 R32 QF NT QF R32 R32
  Top 10
  Did not play

NYF = tournament not yet founded
NT = no tournament
WD = withdrew
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

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Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 0 0 1 4 7 9 14 12
U.S. Open 0 0 0 1 4 9 16 12
The Open Championship 0 0 0 0 2 3 3 3
PGA Championship 0 0 1 6 11 16 16 16
Totals 0 0 2 11 24 37 49 43
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 29 (1933 Open Championship – 1946 Masters)
  • The longest streak of top-10s – 6 (1936 PGA – 1938 Masters)

References

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  1. ^ Barkow, Al (November 1989). The History of the PGA TOUR. Copyright PGA Tour. Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-26145-4.
  2. ^ a b c Barkow, 1989, p. 287
  3. ^ "Ed Dudley". Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  4. ^ "1937 Ryder Cup | Southport & Ainsdale GC". www.sandagolfclub.co.uk. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Ed Dudley, Ex-Augusta Pro, Dies". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Associated Press. October 27, 1963. p. C-2.
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