Willie Turnesa
Encyclopedia
William P. Turnesa was an American
amateur golf
er, best known for winning two U.S. Amateur titles and the British Amateur. He was one of seven famous golfing brothers; Phil (1896-1987), Frank (1898-1949), Joe (1901-1991), Mike
(1907-2000), Doug (1909-1972), Jim
(1912-1971), and Willie (1914-2001). Willie was the only brother not to turn professional.
Turnesa was born in Elmsford, New York
and lived most of his life there. His older brothers forbade him to turn pro and pooled their money to send him to college. He graduated from Holy Cross
in 1938 and won his first U.S. Amateur later that year at Oakmont Country Club
.
Turnesa won the British Amateur in 1947 at Carnoustie Golf Links
, beating fellow American Dick Chapman
3&2. He won his second U.S. Amateur in 1948 and was runner-up in the 1949 British Amateur. He won numerous other amateur events, mostly in the New York area.
Turnesa played on three straight winning Walker Cup
teams, 1947, 1949, and 1951. He was playing captain on the last team.
Turnesa served as president of both the Metropolitan Golf Association and New York State Golf Association. He co-founded the Westchester Caddie Scholarship Fund in 1956.
Turnesa died in Sleepy Hollow, New York
.
Note: Turnesa never played in the British Open
or PGA Championship
.
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
Source for The Masters: www.masters.com
Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur: USGA Championship Database
Source for 1948 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 29, 1948, pg. 3.
Source for 1950 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 25, 1950, pg. 9.
Source for 1951 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 24, 1951, pg. 7.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
amateur 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, best known for winning two U.S. Amateur titles and the British Amateur. He was one of seven famous golfing brothers; Phil (1896-1987), Frank (1898-1949), Joe (1901-1991), Mike
Mike Turnesa
Michael C. Turnesa was one of seven famous golfing brothers: Phil , Frank , Joe , Mike , Doug , Jim , and Willie . All but Willie turned professional.Turnesa's first job in golf came in the pro shop at the Metropolis Country Club...
(1907-2000), Doug (1909-1972), Jim
Jim Turnesa
James R. Turnesa was one of seven famous golfing brothers; Phil , Frank , Joe , Mike , Doug , Jim , and Willie...
(1912-1971), and Willie (1914-2001). Willie was the only brother not to turn professional.
Turnesa was born in Elmsford, New York
Elmsford, New York
Elmsford is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. Roughly one mile square, the village is fully contained within the borders of the town of Greenburgh...
and lived most of his life there. His older brothers forbade him to turn pro and pooled their money to send him to college. He graduated from Holy Cross
College of the Holy Cross
The College of the Holy Cross is an undergraduate Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA...
in 1938 and won his first U.S. Amateur later that year at Oakmont Country Club
Oakmont Country Club
Oakmont Country Club is a country club and the "oldest top-ranked golf course in the U. S.", in the Pittsburgh suburbs of Plum and Oakmont, Pennsylvania, USA. The Pennsylvania Turnpike separates the eastern seven holes from the rest of the course....
.
Turnesa won the British Amateur in 1947 at Carnoustie Golf Links
Carnoustie Golf Links
The Carnoustie Golf Links are in Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland. Its historic championship golf course is one of the venues in the Open Championship rotation.-History:...
, beating fellow American Dick Chapman
Dick Chapman
Richard D. Chapman was an American amateur golfer. Time magazine crowned Chapman "the Ben Hogan of amateur golf"....
3&2. He won his second U.S. Amateur in 1948 and was runner-up in the 1949 British Amateur. He won numerous other amateur events, mostly in the New York area.
Turnesa played on three straight winning Walker Cup
Walker Cup
The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested biennially in odd numbered years between teams comprising the leading amateur golfers of the United States and Great Britain and Ireland...
teams, 1947, 1949, and 1951. He was playing captain on the last team.
Turnesa served as president of both the Metropolitan Golf Association and New York State Golf Association. He co-founded the Westchester Caddie Scholarship Fund in 1956.
Turnesa died in Sleepy Hollow, New York
Sleepy Hollow, New York
Sleepy Hollow is a village in the town of Mount Pleasant in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by the Philipse Manor stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line.Originally...
.
Tournament wins
this list is incomplete- 1933 Westchester Amateur
- 1936 Westchester Amateur
- 1937 Metropolitan AmateurMetropolitan AmateurThe Metropolitan Amateur or Met Amateur is an amateur golf tournament organized by the Metropolitan Golf Association. It has been played annually since 1899 and is one of the oldest amateur golf tournaments in the United States along with the U.S. Amateur and the Western Amateur...
, Westchester Amateur - 1938 U.S. Amateur, Westchester Amateur, New York State Amateur
- 1943 Florida OpenFlorida OpenThe Florida Open is the Florida state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is now organized by the Florida State Golf Association . It has been played annually since 1942 at a variety of courses around the state...
- 1947 British Amateur
- 1948 U.S. Amateur
Amateur wins (3)
| Year | Championship | Winning Score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | U.S. Amateur | 8 & 7 |  Pat AbbottPat Abbott Buell Patrick Abbott was an American professional golfer.Abbott was born in Pasadena, California. In 1936, he won the U.S. Amateur Public Links, beating Claude Rippy 4 & 3. In 1938, he lost the U.S. Amateur to Willie Turnesa 8 & 7. He would lose the U.S. Amateur again in 1941 to Bud Ward 4 & 3... |
| 1947 | British Amateur | 3 & 2 | Dick Chapman Dick Chapman Richard D. Chapman was an American amateur golfer. Time magazine crowned Chapman "the Ben Hogan of amateur golf".... |
| 1948 | U.S. Amateur | 2 & 1 | Raymond E. Billows |
Results timeline
| Tournament | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | NYF | 45 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T26 |
| 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 | T47 |
| U.S. Amateur | R16 | QF | R16 | R64 | DNP | 1 | R32 |
| British Amateur | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T47 | DNP | DNP | NT | NT | NT | 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 | T40 | NT | NT | NT | NT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Amateur | R16 | DNP | NT | NT | NT | NT | R64 | DNP | 1 | SF |
| British Amateur | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | DNP | 1 | SF | 2 |
| Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | 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 |
| U.S. Amateur | R32 | R128 | DNP | DNP | R128 | R32 | R64 | R32 |
| British Amateur | R64 | R64 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
Note: Turnesa never played in the British Open
British Open
The British Open is the Open Championship men's golf tournament.British Open may also refer to:* Women's British Open of golf* British Open Show Jumping Championships* British Open Squash Championships...
or 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...
.
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
Source for The Masters: www.masters.com
Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur: USGA Championship Database
Source for 1948 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 29, 1948, pg. 3.
Source for 1950 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 25, 1950, pg. 9.
Source for 1951 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 24, 1951, pg. 7.