Abelard George "Abe" Espinsosa (February 9, 1889 – February 13, 1980) was an American

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 is best known as the first Hispanic-American to win a significant professional championship.

Espinosa was born in Monterey, California

Monterey, California

The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...

. He worked as a club professional in Oakland, California

Oakland, California

Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

, Chicago, Illinois (Columbian Golf Club and Medinah Country Club

Medinah Country Club

Medinah Country Club is a private country club in Medinah, Illinois with nearly 600 members and containing three golf courses, Lake Kadijah, swimming facilities and a Byzantine-style, mosque-evoking clubhouse with Oriental, Louis XIV and Italian architectural aspects. Medinah is widely known for...

) and at Shreveport Country Club in Shreveport, Louisiana

Shreveport, Louisiana

Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....

 where one of his caddies was future 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...

 Champion Tommy Bolt

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...

. Espinosa's younger brother, Al, was also a professional golfer. Both men were known for their dashing, stylish attire on the links.

Espinosa's first PGA Tour win came at the 1928 Western Open

Western Open

The Western Open, a professional golf tournament, was first played in 1899. At the time of its 2006 playing, the Western Open was the 3rd oldest active PGA Tour tournament, after the British Open and U.S. Open...

. 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-7 at the 1924 U.S. Open. After his playing days were over, he became involved in golf course architecture and design; his works include Heart River Municipal Golf Course in Dickinson, North Dakota

Dickinson, North Dakota

As of the census of 2000, there were 16,010 people, 6,517 households, and 4,020 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,690.7 inhabitants per square mile . There were 7,033 housing units at an average density of 742.7 per square mile...

.