- Dave Hill (golfer)
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Dave Hill Personal information Full name James David Hill Born May 20, 1937
Jackson, MichiganDied September 27, 2011 (aged 74)
Jackson, MichiganHeight 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) Weight 145 lb (66 kg; 10.4 st) Nationality 
United StatesCareer College University of Detroit Turned professional 1958 Former tour(s) PGA Tour
Champions TourProfessional wins 25 Number of wins by tour PGA Tour 13 Champions Tour 6 Best results in Major Championships Masters Tournament T5: 1970 U.S. Open 2nd: 1970 The Open Championship T18: 1973 PGA Championship T3: 1974 Achievements and awards Vardon Trophy 1969 James David Hill (May 20, 1937 – September 27, 2011) was an American professional golfer. He was the brother of golfer Mike Hill.
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 suspensions for violations such as swearing and breaking clubs.[1] 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, placing second at the U.S. Open played at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota.[2] What gained him the most notoriety, though, was not his excellent play but his criticisms of the golf course. 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.[3] 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.[4] Hill was disqualified but it was for his signing a scorecard with an incorrect score on it.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7] In response, the tour put Hill on probation for one year.[8] Hill then increased the amount of damages he was seeking to three-million dollars.[9] The litigation was resolved out of court in less than a year and Hill was taken off probation.[10]
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.
Hill died on September 27, 2011 in Jackson, Michigan after spending the last few years of his life battling emphysema.[11][12]
Contents
Professional wins (24)
PGA Tour wins (13)
No. Date Tournament Winning Score Margin of
VictoryRunner(s)-up 1 Feb 19, 1961 Home of the Sun Open -11(69-66-69-65=269) Playoff Tommy Bolt, 
Bud Sullivan2 Sep 10, 1961 Denver Open Invitational -17 (63-64-67-69=263) 6 strokes Bob Goalby, Art Wall, Jr.3 Jul 14, 1963 Hot Springs Open Invitational -11 (69-70-70-68=277) Playoff Mike Souchak4 Jun 4, 1967 Memphis Open Invitational -8 (65-66-68-73=272) 2 strokes Johnny Pott5 Jun 1, 1969 Memphis Open Invitational -15 (67-67-66-65=265) 2 strokes Lee Elder6 Jul 6, 1969 Buick Open Invitational -11 (68-68-71-70=277) 2 strokes Frank Beard7 Jul 20, 1969 IVB-Philadelphia Golf Classic -9 (71-71-68-69=279) Playoff Gay Brewer, Tommy Jacobs, R. H. Sikes8 May 31, 1970 Danny Thomas Memphis Classic -14 (68-67-71-68=274) 3 strokes Frank Beard, Homero Blancas, 
Bob Charles9 Apr 16, 1972 Monsanto Open -13 (64-68-68-71=271) 1 stroke Jerry Heard10 May 20, 1973 Danny Thomas Memphis Classic -5 (68-69-74-72=283) 1 stroke Allen Miller, Lee Trevino11 May 12, 1974 Houston Open -12 (70-67-74-65=276) 1 stroke Rod Curl, Steve Melnyk, Andy North12 Sep 28, 1975 Sahara Invitational -14 (68-66-67-69=270) Playoff Rik Massengale13 Jul 4, 1976 Greater Milwaukee Open -18 (66-67-68-69=270) 3 strokes John JacobsOther wins (5)
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)
- 1987 (1) Fairfield Barnett Senior Classic
- 1988 (3) MONY Senior Tournament of Champions, MONY Syracuse Senior Classic, PaineWebber Invitational
- 1989 (2) Bell Atlantic/St. Christopher's Classic, Rancho Murieta Senior Gold Rush
Other senior wins (1)
- 1988 Mazda Champions (with Colleen Walker)
Results in major championships
Tournament 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 Masters Tournament DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T50 T24 U.S. Open T51 WD DNP CUT DNP T22 T18 T16 T13 The Open Championship DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP PGA Championship DNP CUT T17 CUT DNP DNP 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 DNP CUT DNP DNP DNP CUT DNP The Open Championship DNP DNP DNP T18 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP PGA Championship T68 T6 WD CUT T3 T7 T22 T48 T50 DNP DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10See also
References
- ^ a b c "Plain Words At Westchester". Sports Illustrated. August 10, 1970. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1083911/index.htm. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
- ^ "Golf Major Championships". http://golfmajorchampionships.com/players?player=803.
- ^ Hill, Dave; Seitz, Nick (1977). Teed Off. Prentice-Hall. p. 108.
- ^ Dave Hill carries squabble to court
- ^ Hill disqualified
- ^ Hill pays fine, in Memphis field
- ^ Dave Hill files $1 million damage suit
- ^ Hill draws years probation
- ^ Courts, etc.
- ^ Hill: Tour too much so he's making few tourneys
- ^ PGA Tour winner Dave Hill dies at 74
- ^ Kalahar, Gary (September 28, 2011). "Jackson's PGA Tour star Dave Hill dies at age 74". Jackson Citizen Patriot. http://www.mlive.com/sports/jackson/index.ssf/2011/09/jacksons_pga_tour_star_dave_hi.html. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
External links
Dave Hill in the Ryder Cup United States Ryder Cup team – 1969 Tommy Aaron • Miller Barber • Frank Beard • Billy Casper • Dale Douglass • Raymond Floyd • Dave Hill • Gene Littler • Jack Nicklaus • Dan Sikes • Ken Still • Lee Trevino
Sam Snead (non-playing captain)
Tied: 16 – 16
United States Ryder Cup team – 1973 Tommy Aaron • Homero Blancas • Gay Brewer • Billy Casper • Dave Hill • Lou Graham • Jack Nicklaus • Arnold Palmer • Juan "Chi-Chi" Rodríguez • J. C. Snead • Lee Trevino • Tom Weiskopf
Jack Burke, Jr. (non-playing captain)
Won: 19 – 13United States Ryder Cup team – 1977 Raymond Floyd • Lou Graham • Hubert Green • Dave Hill • Hale Irwin • Don January • Jerry McGee • Jack Nicklaus • Ed Sneed • Dave Stockton • Lanny Wadkins • Tom Watson
Dow Finsterwald (non-playing captain)
Won: 12.5 – 7.5Categories:- American golfers
- PGA Tour golfers
- Champions Tour golfers
- University of Detroit Mercy alumni
- American memoirists
- People from Jackson, Michigan
- 1937 births
- 2011 deaths
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