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Wes Ellis

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.

Wes Ellis
Personal information
Full nameWesley Ellis, Jr.
Born(1932-01-27)January 27, 1932
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
DiedJune 4, 1984(1984-06-04) (aged 52)
Teaneck, New Jersey, U.S.
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
Sporting nationality United States
Career
CollegeUniversity of Texas
Turned professional1954
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins15
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour3
Other12
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT15: 1965
PGA ChampionshipT5: 1961
U.S. OpenT8: 1966
The Open ChampionshipDNP

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 at the 1958 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 (15)

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PGA Tour wins (3)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner(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. Year Tournament Opponent Result
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 (12)

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Results in major championships

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

Note: Ellis never played in The Open Championship.

  Top 10
  Did not play

WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

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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
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 8 (1965 Masters – 1967 PGA)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (four times)

References

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  1. ^ a b 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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