Gardner Dickinson

Gardner Dickinson
Gardner Dickinson
Personal information
Full name	Gardner Edward Dickinson, Jr.
Born	September 14, 1927; Dothan, Alabama
Died	April 19, 1998 (aged 70); Tequesta, Florida
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight	144 lb (65 kg; 10.3 st)
Sporting nationality	United States
Spouse	Judy Clark Dickinson
Children	5
Career
College	Louisiana State
Turned professional	1952
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour; Champions Tour
Professional wins	11
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	7
Other	4
Best results in major championships;
Masters Tournament	T10: 1973
PGA Championship	5th: 1965
U.S. Open	T6: 1967
The Open Championship	CUT: 1969

Gardner Edward Dickinson, Jr. (September 14, 1927 – April 19, 1998) was an American professional golfer.

Born in Dothan, Alabama, Dickinson was a student of Ben Hogan and crafted his swing in the Hogan tradition. He played college golf at Louisiana State, where he and teammate Jay Hebert led the Tigers to the national title in 1947.^[2] In a long PGA Tour career, he won seven times between 1956 and 1971. In his last win, the 1971 Atlanta Classic, he beat Jack Nicklaus in a sudden-death playoff.^[3]

During his PGA Tour career, Dickinson competed in 12 Masters Championships. His best finish came in 1973, when he tied for tenth. He played on the 1967 and 1971 Ryder Cup teams. With a 9–1–0 match record, Dickinson holds the record for best winning percentage (minimum of seven matches). In team Ryder Cup play, he never lost a match with partner Arnold Palmer (5–0).

Dickinson was one of the founders of the Senior PGA Tour (now Champions Tour). He authored the book Let 'er Rip — a lengthy, bitey rant in which he opines on everything from golf officials and his fellow players to topical issues such as how young people dress.^[4] He also designed the 36-hole Frenchman's Creek Club in Palm Beach, Florida.

Dickinson later taught the game to players such as LPGA great JoAnne Carner and his future wife Judy Clark, who is a former player and president of the LPGA Tour.

After a long illness, he died at age 70 in Tequesta, Florida in 1998.^[1] Dickinson was voted into the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.

A well-known quote by Dickinson is: "They say golf is like life, but don't believe them. Golf is more complicated than that."^[5]

Professional wins (11)[edit]

PGA Tour wins (7)[edit]

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Mar 25, 1956	Miami Beach Open	−16 (64-72-67-69=272)	1 stroke	Dow Finsterwald, Billy Maxwell
2	Sep 2, 1957	Insurance City Open Invitational	−12 (66-68-68-70=272)	2 strokes	George Bayer
3	Dec 9, 1962	Coral Gables Open Invitational	−10 (70-66-67-71=274)	1 stroke	Bill Collins, Don Fairfield
4	Jun 25, 1967	Cleveland Open Invitational	−9 (68-66-67-70=271)	4 strokes	Miller Barber, Homero Blancas
5	Mar 10, 1968	Doral Open Invitational	−13 (65-71-67-72=275)	1 stroke	Tom Weiskopf
6	May 18, 1969	Colonial National Invitation	−2 (71-68-73-66=278)	1 stroke	Gary Player
7	Jun 6, 1971	Atlanta Classic	−13 (68-68-69-70=275)	Playoff	Jack Nicklaus

PGA Tour playoff record (1–2)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1956	Fort Wayne Open	Bill Trombley, Art Wall Jr.	Wall won with birdie on first extra hole
2	1969	Greater Jacksonville Open	Raymond Floyd	Lost to birdie on first extra hole
3	1971	Atlanta Classic	Jack Nicklaus	Won with par on first extra hole

Other wins (4)[edit]

1952 Florida Open
1956 West Palm Beach Open
1965 Haig & Haig Scotch Foursome (with Ruth Jessen)
1978 Legends of Golf (with Sam Snead)

Results in major championships[edit]

Tournament	1952	1953	1954	1956	1957	1959
Masters Tournament			32		CUT
U.S. Open	T44	T21		CUT	CUT	T17
The Open Championship
PGA Championship

Tournament	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969
Masters Tournament		T15	CUT	CUT		T28	T36	T22	T29
U.S. Open	T9	T23	T21	CUT	T21	T48	T6	WD
The Open Championship									CUT
PGA Championship	T19	T51	T8	T23	5	T18	T28	T30	T41

Tournament	1972	1973	1974
Masters Tournament	T22	T10	CUT
U.S. Open
The Open Championship
PGA Championship		CUT

Top 10

Did not play

WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1969 Open Championship)
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary[edit]

Tournament	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	0	1	4	12	8
U.S. Open	0	2	7	13	9
The Open Championship	0	0	0	1	0
PGA Championship	1	2	5	10	9
Totals	1	5	16	36	26

Most consecutive cuts made – 10 (1964 PGA – 1968 Masters)
Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (four times)

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b Brown, Clifton (April 22, 1998). "Gardner Dickinson, 70, Golfer And a Founder of Senior Tour". New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
^ ^a ^b "Jay Hebert". Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
^ "A Big Victory For Little Ben". Sports Illustrated. May 26, 1969. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
^ "No Holds Barred". Sports Illustrated. February 27, 1995. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
^ "Gardener Dickinson quotes". Think exist.com. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2011.

External links[edit]

Media related to Gardner Dickinson at Wikimedia Commons
Gardner Dickinson at the PGA Tour official site

[gd70nyt-1] Brown, Clifton (April 22, 1998). "Gardner Dickinson, 70, Golfer And a Founder of Senior Tour". New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2013.

[lshof-2] "Jay Hebert". Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 11, 2013.

[3] "A Big Victory For Little Ben". Sports Illustrated. May 26, 1969. Retrieved March 22, 2011.

[4] "No Holds Barred". Sports Illustrated. February 27, 1995. Retrieved March 22, 2011.

[5] "Gardener Dickinson quotes". Think exist.com. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2011.

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