George Knudson

George Alfred Christian Knudson, CM (June 28, 1937 – January 24, 1989) was a Canadian professional golfer, who along with Mike Weir holds the record for the Canadian with the most wins on the PGA Tour, with eight career victories.

George Knudson
Personal information
Full nameGeorge Alfred Christian Knudson
Born(1937-06-28)June 28, 1937
Winnipeg, Manitoba
DiedJanuary 24, 1989(1989-01-24) (aged 51)
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight160 lb (73 kg; 11 st)
Nationality Canada
Career
Turned professional1958
Retired1980
Former tour(s)Canadian Tour
PGA Tour
Professional wins30
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour8
Other22
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT2: 1969
PGA ChampionshipT20: 1965
U.S. OpenT17: 1965
The Open ChampionshipDNP

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Knudson learned to play golf at the St. Charles Country Club. He won the 1954 and 1955 Manitoba Junior Championships,[1] and the 1955 Canadian Junior Championship.[2] He moved to Toronto in 1958, and worked at the Oakdale Golf Club, where he received instruction and encouragement from the Club, to improve his game. He was then able to secure some financial backing to try the PGA Tour. He won the Manitoba Open in 1958, 1959, and 1960, and the Ontario Open in 1960, 1961, 1971, 1976 and 1978.[3]

Between 1961 and 1972, he won eight tournaments on the PGA Tour. He won the Canadian PGA Championship five times, and won the World Cup with Al Balding in 1968. He wrote a book, The Natural Golf Swing (ISBN 0-7710-4534-4) with Lorne Rubenstein.

Knudson tied for second in the 1969 Masters Tournament, one shot behind champion George Archer. In seven Masters appearances, Knudson posted three top-10s, including 10th in his 1965 debut and sixth a year later.

He was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1969, and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.[4]

Knudson left tournament golf in the late 1970s, and started teaching golf, with success, at a facility in the Toronto area. His teaching methods have since been adopted by the Canadian PGA.

In 1988, he was inducted into both Royal Canadian Golf Association Hall of Fame, the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum and was made a member of the Order of Canada.

He was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1987. He recovered, and competed at the 1988 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf Senior tournament. Shortly thereafter, the cancer had spread to his brain, and he would die from it in 1989.

He was buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto, Ontario.

Amateur wins
  • 1954 Manitoba Junior Championship
  • 1955 Manitoba Junior Championship, Canadian Junior Championship

Professional wins

PGA Tour wins (8)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of victory Runner(s)-up
1 Dec 10, 1961 Coral Gables Open Invitational −11 (65-71-71-66=273) 1 stroke Gay Brewer
2 Sep 22, 1963 Portland Open Invitational −17 (69-67-68-67=271) Playoff Mason Rudolph
3 Oct 4, 1964 Fresno Open Invitational −8 (73-69-71-67=280) Playoff Al Balding
4 May 14, 1967 Greater New Orleans Open Invitational −11 (71-66-70-70=277) 1 stroke Jack Nicklaus
5 Feb 18, 1968 Phoenix Open Invitational −12 (67-64-70-71=272) 3 strokes Julius Boros, Sam Carmichael, Jack Montgomery
6 Feb 25, 1968 Tucson Open Invitational −15 (70-67-71-65=273) 1 stroke Frank Beard, Frank Boynton
7 Sep 20, 1970 Robinson Open Golf Classic −16 (67-69-69-63=268) Playoff George Archer
8 Oct 22, 1972 Kaiser International Open Invitational −17 (66-69-66-70=271) 3 strokes Hale Irwin, Bobby Nichols

PGA Tour playoff record (3–0)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 1963 Portland Open Invitational Mason Rudolph Won with eagle on first extra hole
2 1964 Fresno Open Invitational Al Balding Won with birdie on second extra hole
3 1970 Robinson Open Golf Classic George Archer Won with par on fourth extra hole

Other wins (22)

This list may be probably incomplete

Results in major championships
Tournament 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974
Masters Tournament 10 T6 T31 T28 T2 T45 CUT
U.S. Open T17 T44 T36 T61 T51
PGA Championship T51 T28 T20 T43 T25 T55 CUT CUT T56

Note: Knudson never played in The Open Championship.

  Top 10
  Did not play

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

Summary
TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament01013376
U.S. Open00000155
The Open Championship00000000
PGA Championship00000297
Totals0101362118
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 16 (1962 PGA – 1970 PGA)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (three times)

Team appearances

Amateur

Professional

See also

References
  1. History of Golf in Canada, by Lawrence Vincent Kavanagh, Toronto, Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1973, p. 185
  2. Barclay, James A. (1992). Golf in Canada: A History. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. ISBN 978-0-7710-1080-4.
  3. "Ontario Golf Hall of Fame – George Knudson". Golf Association of Ontario. Archived from the original on April 12, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
  4. "George Knudson". Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  5. "Knudsons sharp finish brings Millar Trophy". The Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. CP. July 30, 1966. p. 12. Retrieved March 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Rain halts tourney". The Leader-Post. Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. July 16, 1977. p. 18. Retrieved April 2, 2020 – via Google News Archive.
  7. "In a nutshell". The Windsor Star. Windsor, Ontario, Canada. July 7, 1978. p. 29. Retrieved April 2, 2020 – via Google News Archive.
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