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American professional golfer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James David Hill (May 20, 1937 – September 27, 2011) was an American professional golfer. He was the brother of Mike Hill who was also a professional golfer.
| Dave Hill | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Hill in 1973 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | James David Hill | ||
| Born | May 20, 1937 Jackson, Michigan | ||
| Died | September 27, 2011 (aged 74) Jackson, Michigan | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Weight | 145 lb (66 kg; 10.4 st) | ||
| Sporting nationality |  United States | ||
| Career | |||
| College | University of Detroit | ||
| Turned professional | 1958 | ||
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions Tour | ||
| Professional wins | 25 | ||
| Number of wins by tour | |||
| PGA Tour | 13 | ||
| PGA Tour Champions | 6 | ||
| Other | 6 | ||
| Best results in major championships | |||
| Masters Tournament | T5: 1970 | ||
| PGA Championship | T3: 1974 | ||
| U.S. Open | 2nd: 1970 | ||
| The Open Championship | T18: 1973 | ||
| Achievements and awards | |||
| |||
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 was once suspended for two months after he deliberately broke his putter on national television.[2] At the 1966 Thunderbird Classic, Hill signed his second round scorecard that included a score of 108 on the 18th hole.[3] 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. He finished in solo second place at the 1970 U.S. Open played at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota.[4]
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 finished runner-up at the 1970 U.S. Open. What gained him the most notoriety, though, was not his excellent play but his criticisms of the golf course. In the middle of the championship, before the third round, Hill was fined $150 by Joe Dey Jr., commissioner of the Tournament Players Division of the PGA of America, for "criticism that tends to ridicule and demean the club".[5]
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.[6] 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.[7] Hill was disqualified but it was for his signing a scorecard with an incorrect score on it.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10] In response, the tour put Hill on probation for one year.[11] Hill then increased the amount of damages he was seeking to three-million dollars.[12] The litigation was resolved out of court in less than a year and Hill was taken off probation.[13]
Late in 1971 Hill played some events in Australia. He had a "series of verbal clashes" with Australian golfer Peter Thomson at the Wills Masters. The following week Hill and Thomson played the Australian Open and were paired together in the first round. The "cold war" between the two players continued as neither offered to shake the other man's hand at the beginning of the round. Through the round both did not communicate much to each other but did occasionally congratulate the other golfer when he hit a good shot.[14]
At the 1991 Transamerica Senior Golf Championship, Hill got into a fight on the driving range with J. C. Snead.[15] Snead was hitting shots across the range, the balls rolling near a spot where Hill was practicing. Hill yelled at Snead, then grabbed a club and came after his much bigger adversary. After punching and wrestling their way to the ground, they were separated by other players and caddies.[5]
Hill died on September 27, 2011, in Jackson, Michigan, after spending the last few years of his life battling emphysema.[16][17]
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feb 19, 1961 | Home of the Sun Open | −11 (69-66-69-65=269) | Playoff |  Tommy Bolt, Bud Sullivan |
| 2 | Sep 10, 1961 | Denver Open Invitational | −21 (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 Souchak |
| 4 | Jun 4, 1967 | Memphis Open Invitational | −8 (65-66-68-73=272) | 2 strokes | Johnny Pott |
| 5 | Jun 1, 1969 | Memphis Open Invitational (2) | −15 (67-67-66-65=265) | 2 strokes | Lee Elder |
| 6 | Jul 6, 1969 | Buick Open Invitational | −11 (68-68-71-70=277) | 2 strokes | Frank Beard |
| 7 | Jul 20, 1969 | IVB-Philadelphia Golf Classic | −9 (71-71-68-69=279) | Playoff | Gay Brewer, Tommy Jacobs, R. H. Sikes |
| 8 | May 31, 1970 | Danny Thomas Memphis Classic (3) | −13 (63-69-67-68=267) | 3 strokes | Frank Beard, Homero Blancas, Bob Charles |
| 9 | Apr 16, 1972 | Monsanto Open | −13 (64-68-68-71=271) | 1 stroke | Jerry Heard |
| 10 | May 20, 1973 | Danny Thomas Memphis Classic (4) | −5 (68-69-74-72=283) | 1 stroke | Allen Miller, Lee Trevino |
| 11 | May 12, 1974 | Houston Open | −12 (70-67-74-65=276) | 1 stroke | Rod Curl, Steve Melnyk, Andy North |
| 12 | Sep 28, 1975 | Sahara Invitational | −14 (68-66-67-69=270) | Playoff | Rik Massengale |
| 13 | Jul 4, 1976 | Greater Milwaukee Open | −18 (66-67-68-69=270) | 3 strokes | John Jacobs |
PGA Tour playoff record (4–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1961 | Home of the Sun Open | Tommy Bolt, Bud Sullivan |
Won with birdie on third extra hole |
| 2 | 1963 | Hot Springs Open Invitational | Mike Souchak |
Won with par on second extra hole |
| 3 | 1969 | IVB-Philadelphia Golf Classic | Gay Brewer, Tommy Jacobs, R. H. Sikes |
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 4 | 1969 | Greater Hartford Open | Bob Lunn |
Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole |
| 5 | 1972 | Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open | Tommy Aaron, George Archer |
Archer won 18-hole playoff; Archer: −5 (66), Aaron: −3 (68), Hill: −3 (68) |
| 6 | 1975 | Sahara Invitational | Rik Massengale |
Won with par on first extra hole |
this list may be incomplete
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 22, 1987 | Fairfield Barnett Senior Classic | −14 (68-66-68=202) | 5 strokes | Lee Elder, Al Geiberger |
| 2 | Jan 17, 1988 | MONY Senior Tournament of Champions | −5 (68-72-71=211)* | 1 stroke | Miller Barber, Al Geiberger |
| 3 | Aug 14, 1988 | MONY Syracuse Senior Classic | −16 (68-64-68=206) | 5 strokes | Butch Baird, Bobby Nichols |
| 4 | Sep 25, 1988 | PaineWebber Invitational | −10 (68-68-70=206) | 1 stroke |  Bruce Crampton |
| 5 | May 14, 1989 | Bell Atlantic/St. Christopher's Classic | −4 (72-68-66=206) | Playoff | Chi-Chi Rodríguez |
| 6 | Aug 13, 1989 | Rancho Murieta Senior Gold Rush | −11 (69-70-68=207) | 1 stroke | Orville Moody |
*Note: The 1988 MONY Senior Tournament of Champions was shortened to 54 holes due to weather.
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1989 | GTE Suncoast Classic | Bob Charles, Jim Ferree, Harold Henning |
Charles won with birdie on third extra hole Hill and Ferree eliminated by birdie on first hole |
| 2 | 1989 | Bell Atlantic/St. Christopher's Classic | Chi-Chi Rodríguez |
Won with par on third extra hole |
| Tournament | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T50 | T24 | |||||||
| U.S. Open | T51 | WD | CUT | T22 | T18 | T16 | T13 | ||
| The Open Championship | |||||||||
| PGA Championship | CUT | T17 | CUT | 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 | CUT | CUT | |||||
| The Open Championship | T18 | |||||||||
| PGA Championship | T68 | T6 | WD | CUT | T3 | T7 | T22 | T48 | T50 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1964 PGA Championship)
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 10 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 7 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 15 | 11 |
| Totals | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 19 | 40 | 29 |
Professional
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