Bill Rogers (golfer)
Bill Rogers | |||
---|---|---|---|
Personal information | |||
Full name | William Charles Rogers | ||
Nickname | Panther | ||
Born | (1951-09-10) September 10, 1951 (age 72) Waco, Texas, U.S. | ||
Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
Weight | 148 lb (67 kg; 10.6 st) | ||
Sporting nationality | ![]() | ||
Residence | San Antonio, Texas, U.S. | ||
Career | |||
College | University of Houston | ||
Turned professional | 1974 | ||
Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions Tour | ||
Professional wins | 14 | ||
Number of wins by tour | |||
PGA Tour | 6 | ||
European Tour | 1 | ||
Japan Golf Tour | 3 | ||
PGA Tour of Australasia | 2 | ||
Other | 3 | ||
Best results in major championships (wins: 1) | |||
Masters Tournament | T29: 1978 | ||
PGA Championship | T8: 1980 | ||
U.S. Open | T2: 1981 | ||
The Open Championship | Won: 1981 | ||
Achievements and awards | |||
|
William Charles Rogers (born September 10, 1951) is an American professional golfer who is best known as the winner of the 1981 Open Championship.
Early life
Rogers was born in Waco, Texas. He began playing golf at the age of 9. Rogers attended Texas High School in Texarkana, Texas where he excelled on the golf team. He began honing his skills at Northridge Country Club winning numerous local amateur events in northeast Texas.[1] His father was a lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force, and Rogers spent part of his military brat youth in Morocco and Germany.
Amateur career
Rogers attended the University of Houston, where he played on the Cougar golf team and roomed with fellow future PGA Tour pro Bruce Lietzke.[2] As an amateur golfer, he played for the U.S. in the 1973 Walker Cup.
Professional career
Rogers played the PGA Tour full-time from 1975 to 1988 and won six tournaments, including four in 1981.[3] Almost uniquely for an American golfer, his two most notable victories were in Britain: Rogers won the Suntory World Match Play Championship at Wentworth in 1979, and The Open Championship in 1981 at Royal St George's, four strokes ahead of runner-up Bernhard Langer. He was the PGA Player of the Year for 1981, and finished second on McCormack's World Golf Rankings; he was also on the Ryder Cup team in 1981.
In 1982, Rogers won the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, and led the U.S. Open during the final day before falling short. After one further PGA Tour win in 1983, Rogers' tour career faded to the point where he experienced burnout.[4]
Rogers left the tour in 1988 and took a position as director of golf at San Antonio Country Club, where he worked for 11 years.[2]
Since turning 50 in 2001, Rogers has played sporadically on the Champions Tour; his most notable accomplishment as a senior player was winning the team portion of the 2002 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf with Bruce Lietzke.
Personal life
Rogers lives in San Antonio, Texas.[2]
Amateur wins
this list may be incomplete
- 1972 Southern Amateur
Professional wins (14)
PGA Tour wins (6)
Legend |
---|
Major championships (1) |
Other PGA Tour (5) |
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Feb 13, 1978 | Bob Hope Desert Classic | 69-67-67-67-69=339 | −21 | 2 strokes | ![]() |
2 | Mar 29, 1981 | Sea Pines Heritage | 71-69-68-70=278 | −6 | 1 stroke | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
3 | Jul 19, 1981 | The Open Championship | 72-66-67-71=276 | −4 | 4 strokes | ![]() |
4 | Aug 30, 1981 | World Series of Golf | 68-69-71-67=275 | −5 | 1 stroke | ![]() |
5 | Oct 4, 1981 | Texas Open | 67-66-70-63=266 | −14 | Playoff | ![]() |
6 | Mar 20, 1983 | USF&G Classic | 69-67-69-69=274 | −14 | 3 strokes | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
PGA Tour playoff record (1–2)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1978 | Western Open | ![]() | Lost to par on first extra hole |
2 | 1979 | Byron Nelson Golf Classic | ![]() | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
3 | 1981 | Texas Open | ![]() | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
PGA of Japan Tour wins (3)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Oct 9, 1977 | Taiheiyo Club Masters | 71-67-71-66=275 | −9 | 1 stroke | ![]() ![]() |
2 | Sep 7, 1980 | Suntory Open | 68-71-70-69=278 | −10 | 2 strokes | ![]() |
3 | Sep 13, 1981 | Suntory Open (2) | 68-65-68-69=270 | −18 | 2 strokes | ![]() |
PGA Tour of Australasia wins (2)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Nov 1, 1981 | New South Wales Open | 69-69-71-76=285 | −7 | 3 strokes | ![]() |
2 | Nov 22, 1981 | Australian Open | 71-69-69-73=282 | −6 | 1 stroke | ![]() |
Other wins (2)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Oct 14, 1979 | Suntory World Match Play Championship | 1 up | ![]() | ||
2 | Mar 15, 1982 | PGA Grand Slam of Golf | 71 | +1 | 5 strokes | ![]() |
Other senior wins (1)
- 2002 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf – Raphael Division (with Bruce Lietzke)
Major championships
Wins (1)
Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1981 | The Open Championship | 5 shot lead | −4 (72-66-67-71=276) | 4 strokes | ![]() |
Results timeline
Tournament | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T29 | ||||||||
U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | 61 | CUT | T44 | T4 | |||
The Open Championship | |||||||||
PGA Championship | CUT | T42 | T35 |
Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T33 | T37 | T38 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT |
U.S. Open | T16 | T2 | T3 | CUT | 57 | WD | CUT |
The Open Championship | T19 | 1 | T22 | T8 | CUT | CUT | CUT |
PGA Championship | T8 | T27 | T29 | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Summary
Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 |
U.S. Open | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 7 |
The Open Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 4 |
PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 5 |
Totals | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 35 | 20 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 17 (1978 Masters – 1982 PGA)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1981 U.S. Open – 1981 Open Championship)
U.S. national team appearances
Amateur
- Walker Cup: 1973 (winners)
Professional
See also
References
- ^ "Profile on PGA Tour's official site". Archived from the original on December 13, 2010. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
- ^ a b c Stricklin, Art. "Bill Rogers Last Shot". Retrieved March 25, 2011.
- ^ "Biographical information from PGA Tour's official site". Retrieved March 25, 2011.[dead link]
- ^ Rosaforte, Tim (July 12, 2011). "Forgotten Champion". Golf Digest.
External links
- Bill Rogers at the PGA Tour official site
- Bill Rogers at the Japan Golf Tour official site
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1871 No championship; 1915–1919 cancelled due to World War I; 1940–1945 cancelled due to World War II; 2020 cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic