51-time PGA Tour winner Billy Casper dead at 83
Three-time major winner and 51-time PGA Tour champion Billy Casper died in Utah on Saturday. He was 83.
Casper, who passed out at the Masters, had been ailing for months with several health problems, including heart, lung and circulatory issues.
Casper was one of golf’s most prolific champions, with his 51 wins ranking seventh all-time. He won at least once in 16 consecutive seasons from 1956-71, trailing the all-time Tour record of 17 years shared by Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. Of Casper’s 51 wins, three were majors: the 1959 and 1966 U.S. Opens and 1970 Masters. Casper finished runner-up three times in the PGA Championship and in the 1969 Masters.
He won the PGA Tour’s money title 1966 and ’68, was PGA Player of the Year in 1966 and 1970 and won five Vardon trophies for lowest scoring average in the span of a decade. Later, Casper won eight Champions Tour titles, including two senior majors.
Casper, a member of eight consecutive Ryder Cup teams from 1961-75, is the winningest American in Ryder Cup history. His 20-10-7 record led to 23.5 points. He was the victorious captain in the 1979 matches.
He was inducted in the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1978.
Born June 24, 1931 in San Diego, Casper was introduced to golf by his father when he was four. His parents divorced when he was 12.
Golf turned into a refuge for Casper, who developed one of the greatest short games in golf history. He credits deciding to caddie at San Diego Country Club at the age of 11 as his “most important decision.”
Casper met his wife Shirley when the two were in high school, she a sophomore and he a senior. They were married after Casper dropped out at Notre Dame after just one semester.They were married in 1952 just weeks after she graduated from high school.
Before turning pro in 1954, Casper spent four years in the Navy, stationed in San Diego, relishing in the structure the military provided. He would later perform often for military members.
In their 62 years together, Billy and Shirley Casper had five children together, adopting another six. Casper became a Mormon in his 30s, remaining a devoted member of the church throughout his life.
Despite his achievements, Casper largely lived in the shadow of the Big Three — Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player. In fact, he titled his autobiography “The Big Three and Me.”
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
