Alvin Richard Mayer was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional
golfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er.
Mayer was born in
Stamford, ConnecticutStamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
. He apprenticed with renowned player and teacher
Claude HarmonEugene Claude Harmon, Sr. was an American golfer.Harmon was born in Savannah, Georgia, and spent much of his boyhood in the Orlando area. A youthful prodigy, Harmon qualified for the U.S. Amateur at age 15 in 1931...
at the
Winged Foot Golf ClubWinged Foot Golf Club is a 36-hole golf course located in Mamaroneck, New York. The course architect is A. W. Tillinghast, who also designed Baltusrol , Bethpage Black, Shackamaxon Country Club, San Francisco Golf Club, Cedar Crest Park, and nearby Quaker Ridge Golf Club and Wykagyl Country Club...
in suburban
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Mayer won seven times on the
PGA TourThe PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
, between 1953 and 1965. Mayer almost won the 1954
U.S. OpenThe United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
, but a triple bogey on the final hole left him tied for third, two shots back, as
Ed FurgolEdward Joseph Furgol was an American professional golfer.When he was twelve years of age, Furgol injured his left elbow when he fell off a set of parallel bars. The elbow never healed correctly and Furgol was left with a crooked arm as a result...
won.
Mayer's career year was 1957, when he finished the regulation 72 holes of the U.S. Open at
Inverness ClubInverness Club is a country club in Toledo, Ohio that is famous for its golf course . The golf course is so well known since it has hosted four U.S. Opens, two U.S. Senior Opens, two PGA Championships, and a U.S. Amateur...
tied with defending champion
Cary MiddlecoffEmmett Cary Middlecoff was a dentist who gave up his practice to become a professional golfer on the PGA Tour in the 1940s....
. He won the 18-hole playoff 72 to 79, and his prize was $7,200. He later won $50,000 at the
World Championship of GolfThe World Championship of Golf was a championship played on the PGA Tour in the 1940s and 1950s that, in its latter years, boasted a purse that dwarfed every other event on the tour, including even the U.S. Open. It was played in August of each year at the Tam O'Shanter Country Club, in Niles,...
, topped the
PGA TourThe PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
money list with winnings of $65,835, and won the PGA Player of the Year award. He also played on the
1957 Ryder CupThe 12th Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Lindrick Golf Club in Rotherham, England. The Great Britain team led by captain Dai Rees beat the United States team by a score of 7½ to 4½ points, winning the Ryder Cup for the first time since 1933....
team.
Mayer battled
alcoholismAlcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, which kept him from winning more often on the Tour. Mayer died at age 64 in
Palm Springs, CaliforniaPalm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
.
PGA Tour wins (7)
- 1953 (1) Eastern Open
- 1954 (1) Miami Beach International Four-Ball (with Tommy Bolt
Thomas Henry Bolt was an American professional golfer.Bolt was born in Haworth, Oklahoma. He served in the United States Army during World War II and turned professional in 1946. He worked as a caddie and club professional in Shreveport, Louisiana...
)
- 1955 (1) Kansas City Open
- 1956 (1) Philadelphia Daily News Open
The Philadelphia Daily News Open was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour that played in 1955 and 1956 at Cobb's Creek Golf Club in Philadelphia....
- 1957 (2) U.S. Open
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
, World Championship of GolfThe World Championship of Golf was a championship played on the PGA Tour in the 1940s and 1950s that, in its latter years, boasted a purse that dwarfed every other event on the tour, including even the U.S. Open. It was played in August of each year at the Tam O'Shanter Country Club, in Niles,...
- 1965 (1) Greater New Orleans Open Invitational
Major championshipThe men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
is shown in
bold.
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | 54 Holes | Winning Score | Margin | Runner-up |
| 1957 |
U.S. OpenThe United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
|
1 shot deficit |
+2 (70-68-74-70=282) |
Playoff 1 |
 Cary MiddlecoffEmmett Cary Middlecoff was a dentist who gave up his practice to become a professional golfer on the PGA Tour in the 1940s....
|
1 Defeated Cary Middlecoff in an 18-hole playoff: Mayer 72 (+2), Middlecoff 79 (+9).
Results timeline
| Tournament |
1948 |
1949 |
| The Masters |
DNP |
DNP |
U.S. OpenThe United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
|
T41 |
DNP |
The Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
|
DNP |
DNP |
PGA ChampionshipThe PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
|
DNP |
DNP |
| Tournament |
1950 |
1951 |
1952 |
1953 |
1954 |
1955 |
1956 |
1957 |
1958 |
1959 |
| The Masters |
DNP |
T25 |
DNP |
T15 |
T29 |
T10 |
T43 |
T35 |
CUT |
T4 |
U.S. OpenThe United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
|
T12 |
CUT |
T28 |
T54 |
T3 |
CUT |
T41 |
1 |
T23 |
CUT |
The Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
|
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
PGA ChampionshipThe PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
|
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
R64 |
5 |
T14 |
CUT |
| Tournament |
1960 |
1961 |
1962 |
1963 |
1964 |
1965 |
1966 |
1967 |
| The Masters |
DNP |
T19 |
CUT |
T15 |
DNP |
CUT |
CUT |
DQ |
U.S. OpenThe United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
|
DNP |
T42 |
DNP |
CUT |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
The Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
|
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
PGA ChampionshipThe PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
|
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
CUT |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP = Did not play
DQ = Disqualified
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
External links