Rik Massengale
Encyclopedia
Rik Massengale is a former American
professional golfer
who played full-time on the PGA Tour
from 1970–1982.
Massengale was born and raised in Jacksboro, Texas
. He developed an interest in golf
as a result of his older brother, Don
, being a professional golfer. He attended the University of Texas at Austin
and was a member of the golf team. Massengale was known as a "wild man" at fraternity parties in college; however, he changed his ways and became a born-again Christian
in 1975. He turned pro in 1969 and joined the PGA Tour in 1970.
Massengale won three events on the PGA Tour
during in the mid-1970s. His first win was at the 1975 Tallahassee Open. His second came a year later at the Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open. The biggest win of his career came in 1977 at the Bob Hope Desert Classic; he established a new tournament record (337) breaking Arnold Palmer
's 17-year-old record by one stroke. Massengale shot a blistering 64 on the first day and led this event wire-to-wire. His career year was 1977 when he had seven top-10 finishes, $126,736 in earnings, and finished 13th on the money list. His best finish in a major
was a T-3 at the 1977 Masters.
A back injury led Massengale to retire from the PGA Tour in 1983. After turning 50 in 1997, he played in a limited number of tournaments on the Senior PGA Tour (now known as the Champions Tour
). His best finish in this venue was a T-6 at the 1997 Cadillac NFL Golf Classic.
Today Massengale is in the business of selling residential and commercial real estate
in the Dallas metroplex with his wife, Cindy. They have four grown children named John, Jake, Jessica and Ashlee and several grandchildren. They live in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas
.
PGA Tour playoff record (0-1)
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional golfer
Professional golfer
In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
who played full-time on the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
from 1970–1982.
Massengale was born and raised in Jacksboro, Texas
Jacksboro, Texas
Jacksboro is a city in Jack County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,533 at the 2000 census. Jacksboro is located at the junction of U.S...
. He developed an interest in golf
Golf
Golf 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....
as a result of his older brother, Don
Don Massengale
Donald Ray Massengale, Sr. was an American professional golfer who won tournaments on both the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour.-Career:...
, being a professional golfer. He attended the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
and was a member of the golf team. Massengale was known as a "wild man" at fraternity parties in college; however, he changed his ways and became a born-again Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
in 1975. He turned pro in 1969 and joined the PGA Tour in 1970.
Massengale won three events on the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
during in the mid-1970s. His first win was at the 1975 Tallahassee Open. His second came a year later at the Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open. The biggest win of his career came in 1977 at the Bob Hope Desert Classic; he established a new tournament record (337) breaking Arnold Palmer
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Daniel Palmer is an American professional golfer, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men's professional golf. He has won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, dating back to 1955...
's 17-year-old record by one stroke. Massengale shot a blistering 64 on the first day and led this event wire-to-wire. His career year was 1977 when he had seven top-10 finishes, $126,736 in earnings, and finished 13th on the money list. His best finish in a major
Men's major golf championships
The 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...
was a T-3 at the 1977 Masters.
A back injury led Massengale to retire from the PGA Tour in 1983. After turning 50 in 1997, he played in a limited number of tournaments on the Senior PGA Tour (now known as the Champions Tour
Champions Tour
The Champions Tour, a golf tour run by the PGA Tour, hosts a series of events annually in the United States and the United Kingdom for golfers 50 years of age and older. Many of the PGA Tour's most successful golfers have gone on to play on the Champions Tour.The Senior PGA Championship, founded in...
). His best finish in this venue was a T-6 at the 1997 Cadillac NFL Golf Classic.
Today Massengale is in the business of selling residential and commercial real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
in the Dallas metroplex with his wife, Cindy. They have four grown children named John, Jake, Jessica and Ashlee and several grandchildren. They live in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas
Frisco, Texas
Frisco is an affluent city in Collin and Denton Counties in the U.S. state of Texas and a rapidly growing suburb of Dallas. As of the 2010 Census, 116,989 people were living in Frisco up from 33,714 in the previous census. Frisco was the fastest growing city in the United States in 2009, and also...
.
Amateur wins
- 1964 Texas-Oklahoma Junior Golf Tournament
- 1967 Cotton States Invitational
- 1968 Western AmateurWestern AmateurThe Western Amateur is a leading annual golf tournament in the United States for male amateur golfers. It is organized by the Western Golf Association....
, Southwest Conference Championship (individual medalist)
PGA Tour wins
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apr 27, 1975 1975 PGA Tour The 1975 PGA Tour season was played from January 9 to October 26. The season consisted of 42 official money events. Jack Nicklaus won the most tournaments, five, and there were eight first-time winners. Johnny Miller won the first two events of the year for the second year in a row... |
Tallahassee Open | 2 strokes | Spike Kelley,  Bert YanceyBert Yancey Albert Winsborough Yancey was an American professional golfer, who played on the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour.... |
|
| 2 | Aug 22, 1976 1976 PGA Tour The 1976 PGA Tour season was played from January 8 to November 7. The season consisted of 45 official money events. Ben Crenshaw and Hubert Green won the most tournaments, three, and there were eight first-time winners. Hubert Green's wins were in three consecutive weeks in March. Johnny Miller won... |
Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open | 2 strokes | Al Geiberger Al Geiberger Allen Lee Geiberger, Sr. is an American professional golfer who has won numerous golf tournaments.Geiberger was born in Red Bluff, California... , J.C. Snead |
|
| 3 | Feb 13, 1977 1977 PGA Tour The 1977 PGA Tour season was played from January 6 to November 6. The season consisted of 45 official money events. Tom Watson won the most tournaments, five, and there were 10 first-time winners. The tournament results and award winners are listed below.... |
Bob Hope Desert Classic | 6 strokes | Bruce Lietzke Bruce Lietzke Bruce Alan Lietzke is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments at both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour level.Lietzke was born in Kansas City, Kansas... |
PGA Tour playoff record (0-1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1975 1975 PGA Tour The 1975 PGA Tour season was played from January 9 to October 26. The season consisted of 42 official money events. Jack Nicklaus won the most tournaments, five, and there were eight first-time winners. Johnny Miller won the first two events of the year for the second year in a row... |
Sahara Invitational Sahara Invitational The Sahara Invitational was a PGA Tour event that was played in Las Vegas, Nevada from 1958 to 1976. From 1958 to 1961 it was called the Sahara Pro-Am and was not an official PGA Tour event. It was played at Paradise Valley Country Club from 1970–1972; and at Sahara Nevada Country Club from... |
Dave Hill Dave Hill (golfer) James David Hill 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... |
Lost to par on first extra hole |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T23 | T3 | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) 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... |
CUT | DNP | T30 | T14 | T33 | T39 | CUT | CUT | DNP | T26 |
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The 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 | T26 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship PGA Championship The 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 | CUT | T30 | T36 | CUT | DNP | WD | DNP |
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10