Wes Ellis

Wes Ellis
— Golfer —
Personal information
Full name Wesley Ellis, Jr.
Born (1932-01-27)January 27, 1932
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Died June 4, 1984(1984-06-04) (aged 52)
Teaneck, New Jersey, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
Nationality  United States
Career
College University of Texas
Turned professional 1954
Former tour(s) PGA Tour
Professional wins 14
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour 3
Other 11
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament T15: 1965
U.S. Open T8: 1966
The Open Championship DNP
PGA Championship T5: 1961

Wesley Ellis, Jr. (January 27, 1932 – June 4, 1984) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

Ellis was born in Kansas City, Missouri.[1] He attended the University of Texas in Austin and was a member of the golf team from 1950–1952. He won the Massingill Trophy in 1950, and was the individual medalist at the Southwest Conference Championship in 1952.[2] He graduated in 1953 with a degree in zoology and turned professional in 1954.[1]

Ellis won three PGA Tour events. His first win came in 1958 at the Canadian Open. He won by one stroke over Jay Hebert at the Mayfair Golf and Country Club in Edmonton, Alberta.[3] His last win came in 1965 at the San Diego Open Invitational in a playoff against golf legend Billy Casper. His victory in San Diego was unique in that Ellis used what is commonly known as a "cross-handed" putting grip; that is, as a right-handed golfer he kept his left hand below his right. Ellis had four top-10 finishes in major championships: a T-9 at the 1956 U.S. Open, a T-8 at the 1966 U.S. Open, a 6th at the 1960 PGA Championship and a T-5 at the 1961 PGA Championship.

Ellis, like many pro golfers of his generation, earned his living primarily as a club pro. For many years he was the head pro at the Westchester Country Club in Rye, New York and lived in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. He died of kidney disease at the age of 52 at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, New Jersey.[4] He left behind his wife, Marian, and their four children - three daughters and a son.

Professional wins (12)

PGA Tour wins (3)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of victoryRunner(s)-up
1 Aug 23, 1958 Canadian Open –13 (67-69-65-66=267) 1 stroke United States Jay Hebert
2 Feb 22, 1959 Texas Open Invitational –8 (66-71-72-67=276) 2 strokes United States Bill Johnston, United States Tom Nieporte
3 Jan 17, 1965 San Diego Open Invitational –17 (66-65-71-65=267) Playoff United States Billy Casper

PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 1958 West Palm Beach Open Invitational United States Pete Cooper Lost to birdie on first extra hole
2 1965 San Diego Open Invitational United States Billy Casper Won with birdie on first extra hole

Other wins (11)

Results in major championships

Tournament 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970
Masters Tournament DNP CUT DNP CUT DNP WD CUT T24 T34 T15 T36 T16 CUT DNP DNP
U.S. Open T9 CUT DNP T43 CUT T40 T36 CUT DNP T24 T8 T12 CUT DNP CUT
PGA Championship DNP DNP DNP T44 6 T5 T30 T17 CUT T13 DNP 25 CUT DNP DNP

Note: Ellis never played in The Open Championship.
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10

Summary

Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 0 0 0 0 0 3 10 5
U.S. Open 0 0 0 0 2 4 12 7
The Open Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
PGA Championship 0 0 0 1 2 5 9 7
Totals 0 0 0 1 4 12 31 19

References

  1. 1 2 Elliott, Len; Kelly, Barbara (1976). Who's Who in Golf. New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House. p. 58. ISBN 0-87000-225-2.
  2. ↑ texassports.com Longhorns in the Pros
  3. ↑ Tournament history from Canadian Open's official site
  4. ↑ Wes Ellis Jr., Leading Golfer In New Jersey Many Years
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