Herman Keiser
Encyclopedia
Herman W. Keiser was an American
professional golf
er on the PGA Tour
, best known for winning the 1946 Masters Tournament.
Keiser was born and raised in Springfield, Missouri
. Like most professional golfers of his generation, he earned a living primarily as a club professional. His first job was as the assistant golf professional at Portage Country Club in Akron, Ohio
. He eventually became head professional at Firestone Country Club
in Akron, Ohio
. Keiser's serious demeanor earned him the nickname, The Missouri Mortician, among his fellow golfers.
In 1942, Keiser interrupted his career to join the United States Navy
for three years during World War II
. He served as a storekeeper aboard the USS Cincinnati
. Keiser was discharged in 1945 and returned to play on the PGA Tour. Despite the long layoff, he earned second place finishes to Sam Snead
at the Greater Greensboro Open to Buck White
at the Memphis Invitational and twice to leading money winner Ben Hogan
at both the Dallas Invitational and the Phoenix Open. However, he achieved golfing immortality at the 1946 Masters Tournament when he took the lead on the third hole and never looked back, defeating Hogan by one stroke to earn $2,500 in first prize money. Keiser described his Masters win as "the greatest thing that ever happened to me."
In 1947, Keiser was part of the American team that won the Ryder Cup
. While the United States defeated Britain 11-1, Keiser's loss to Sam King
(4 and 3) prevented the Americans from a clean sweep.
Keiser retired in the 1950s having won five tournaments during his PGA career. He returned to live in Ohio where he purchased a driving range. He died in Akron in 2003 from complications of Alzheimer's disease
at the age of 89.
Major championship
is shown in bold.
Note: Keiser never played in The Open Championship
.
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
DQ = Disqualified
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF, F = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. 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 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....
er 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...
, best known for winning the 1946 Masters Tournament.
Keiser was born and raised in Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
. Like most professional golfers of his generation, he earned a living primarily as a club professional. His first job was as the assistant golf professional at Portage Country Club in Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
. He eventually became head professional at Firestone Country Club
Firestone Country Club
The Firestone Country Club is a private golf club located in Akron, Ohio, United States.The Club comprises three courses—those of the North, South, and West—each of which hosted a televised golf event, respectively the American Golf Classic, the CBS Golf Classic and the World Series of Golf, in...
in Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
. Keiser's serious demeanor earned him the nickname, The Missouri Mortician, among his fellow golfers.
In 1942, Keiser interrupted his career to join the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
for three years during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He served as a storekeeper aboard the USS Cincinnati
USS Cincinnati (CL-6)
USS Cincinnati , a light cruiser of the United States Navy, was the third ship of the four-stack Omaha-class. She was the third Navy ship named for the city of Cincinnati, Ohio....
. Keiser was discharged in 1945 and returned to play on the PGA Tour. Despite the long layoff, he earned second place finishes to Sam Snead
Sam Snead
Samuel Jackson Snead was an American professional golfer who was one of the top players in the world for most of four decades. Snead won a record 82 PGA Tour events including seven majors. He failed to win a U.S...
at the Greater Greensboro Open to Buck White
Buck White (golfer)
O'Neal "Buck" White is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour.White was born in Memphis, Tennessee. White won three times on the PGA Tour between 1946 and 1951....
at the Memphis Invitational and twice to leading money winner Ben Hogan
Ben Hogan
William Ben Hogan was an American golfer, generally considered one of the greatest players in the history of the game...
at both the Dallas Invitational and the Phoenix Open. However, he achieved golfing immortality at the 1946 Masters Tournament when he took the lead on the third hole and never looked back, defeating Hogan by one stroke to earn $2,500 in first prize money. Keiser described his Masters win as "the greatest thing that ever happened to me."
In 1947, Keiser was part of the American team that won the Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
. While the United States defeated Britain 11-1, Keiser's loss to Sam King
Sam King
Samuel Leonard King was an English professional golfer, best known for playing on three Ryder Cup teams....
(4 and 3) prevented the Americans from a clean sweep.
Keiser retired in the 1950s having won five tournaments during his PGA career. He returned to live in Ohio where he purchased a driving range. He died in Akron in 2003 from complications of Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
at the age of 89.
PGA Tour wins (5)
- 1942 (1) Miami Biltmore International Four-Ball (with Chandler HarperChandler HarperJohn Chandler Harper was an American professional golfer best known for winning the 1950 PGA Championship. He won seven times on the PGA Tour and played on the 1955 Ryder Cup team....
) - 1946 (3) Masters Tournament, Knoxville InvitationalKnoxville InvitationalThe Knoxville Invitational was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour that was held at the Holston Hills Country Club in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1945 and 1946. The 7,009-yard course opened in 1927 and was designed by Donald Ross....
, Richmond Open - 1947 (1) Esmeralda OpenEsmeralda OpenThe Esmeralda Open was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour that was played in the 1940s. It was held at Indian Canyon Golf Course in Spokane, Washington...
Major championship
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...
is shown in bold.
Other wins
this list is probably incomplete- 1939 Iowa OpenIowa OpenThe Iowa Open is the Iowa state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Iowa section of the PGA of America...
- 1949 Ohio OpenOhio OpenThe Ohio Open is the Ohio state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Northern Ohio section of the PGA of America. It was first played in 1924 and has been played annually at a variety of courses around the state...
- 1951 Ohio OpenOhio OpenThe Ohio Open is the Ohio state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Northern Ohio section of the PGA of America. It was first played in 1924 and has been played annually at a variety of courses around the state...
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | 54 Holes | Winning Score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 1946 1946 Masters Tournament The 1946 Masters Tournament was contested from April 4 to April 7 at Augusta National Golf Club. It was the 10th Masters Tournament and the first since 1942 because of World War II. The purse was $10,000, double that of the previous ten years.... |
Masters Tournament | 5 shot lead |
| 1 stroke |  Ben HoganBen Hogan William Ben Hogan was an American golfer, generally considered one of the greatest players in the history of the game... |
Results timeline
| Tournament | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | T23 | NT | NT | NT | 1 | T24 | T10 | T11 |
| 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... |
DQ | T26 | NT | NT | NT | NT | T38 | DNP | T14 | CUT |
| 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... |
R32 | R64 | DNP | NT | DNP | DNP | R64 | R64 | R64 | R64 |
| Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | T14 | T39 | DNP | DNP | DNP | T56 | DNP | CUT | CUT | CUT |
| 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... |
DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | 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 | R64 | DNP | DNP | R64 | DNP | DNP | R32 | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | CUT | CUT | WD | 45 | CUT | WD | CUT | CUT | CUT | WD |
| 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... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | 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 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | CUT | WD | CUT | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | 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... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | 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 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | WD |
| 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... |
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 |
Note: Keiser never played in 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...
.
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
DQ = Disqualified
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF, F = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.