Cesar Sanudo (October 26, 1943 – August 28, 2011) was a Mexican

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

who played on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...

and the

Senior PGA Tour PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and the Champions Tour) is a men's professional senior golf tour, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour. History and format The Senior PGA Championship, founded in 1937, was for many years ...

Golf career

Sanudo was born and raised in

Tijuana Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and < ...

, Mexico with his four siblings. Like many other Hispanic professional golfers of the era, Sanudo got his start in golf by caddying. His first job was at

Tijuana Country Club The Tijuana Country Club (Club Campestre de Tijuana) is a country club located in Tijuana, Mexico. The country club was the site of the historic Agua Caliente Open and Tijuana Open Invitational, former golf tournaments on the PGA Tour. The coun ...

in 1954. During his teens he moved from Tijuana to San Diego and graduated from El Cajon High School in

El Cajon, California El Cajon ( , ; Spanish: El Cajón, meaning "the box") is a city in San Diego County, California, United States, east of downtown San Diego. The city takes its name from Rancho El Cajón, which was in turn named for the box-like shape of the va ...

. While in high school he improved on his golf game through San Diego's elite juniors program. Sanudo had an excellent amateur record, reaching the semi-final of the 1965 U.S. Amateur and winning the 1966 Mexican Amateur. He qualified for the

1966 Masters Tournament The 1966 Masters Tournament was the 30th Masters Tournament, held April 7–11 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Jack Nicklaus, age 26, earned his third Green Jacket in an 18-hole Monday playoff and became the first back-to-back c ...

as an amateur. Sanudo primarily played on tour between 1969 and 1982, vacillating between full-time and part-time status. His sole PGA Tour win came at the 1970 Azalea Open Invitational held in Cape Fear, North Carolina; he earned $12,000 for his efforts by defeating

Bobby Mitchell Robert Cornelius Mitchell (June 6, 1935 – April 5, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a halfback and flanker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns and the Washington Redskins. Mitchell becam ...

by one stroke at 15-under-par 269. Sanudo described it as the proudest moment of his professional career. With the win, Sanudo became the first Mexican player to win on the PGA Tour. He was later followed by

Victor Regalado Victor Regalado (born 15 April 1948) is a Mexican professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour. Early life Regalado was born and raised in Tijuana, Mexico. Amateur career As an amateur, he played in tournaments in the San Diego, Californ ...

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

and Carlos Ortiz in

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

. Nearly two years after his PGA Tour victory, Sanudo seriously contended for a major championship for the only time. At the 1972 U.S. Open he was tied for the lead after two rounds. Over the weekend, in the high winds at

Pebble Beach Pebble Beach is an unincorporated community on the Monterey Peninsula in Monterey County, California. The small coastal residential community of mostly single-family homes is also notable as a resort destination, and the home of the golf course ...

, he fell back considerably with scores of 78-77 but would still finish in the top 10. Sanudo finished second at the European Tour's 1974

Benson & Hedges Match Play Championship The British PGA Matchplay Championship was a match play golf tournament that began in 1903 and ran until 1979. Between 1903 and 1969, the event was sponsored by the now defunct British newspaper the '' News of the World'', and was commonly known ...

to Australia's

Jack Newton Jack Newton OAM (30 January 1950 – 14 April 2022) was an Australian professional golfer. He won the Buick-Goodwrench Open on the PGA Tour and won three times on the European Tour, including the British PGA Matchplay Championship in 1974. He ...

. He defeated British golfers

Maurice Bembridge Maurice Bembridge (born 21 February 1945) is an English golfer. He won the 1969 News of the World Match Play, the 1971 Dunlop Masters and won six times on the European Tour from its formation in 1972. He also won tournaments around the world, ...

and

David Jagger David Jagger, RP, ROI (1891–1958) was an acclaimed English portrait painter. He was a prolific portrait painter, renowned for his commissioned portraits of London's high society and British aristocracy, notable portraits include Robert Ba ...

on his way to reaching the finals. It was the only time he would finish runner-up on either the European Tour or PGA Tour. By the mid-1970s, he lost his full-time playing status and worked in the used car business. He briefly regained full time status but after the 1981 season he would rarely play again on tour. After his PGA Tour playing days were over, Sanudo became a long-time club professional in

and later at the

Coronado Coronado may refer to: People * Coronado (surname) * Francisco Vázquez de Coronado (1510–1554), Spanish explorer often referred to simply as "Coronado" * Coronado Chávez (1807–1881), President of Honduras from 1845 to 1847 Places United ...

Municipal Golf Course.

Personal life

Sanudo was in a relationship with Kris Houghton – now

Kris Jenner Kristen Mary Jenner ( Houghton , formerly Kardashian; born November 5, 1955) is an American media personality, socialite, and businesswoman. She rose to fame starring in the reality television series ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' (2007� ...

– in the mid-1970s. After they broke up he married Jacqui Schenz and had three children with her: Amber, Anthony, and Lee. Lee is a local teaching professional. He was good friends with

Lee Trevino Lee Buck Trevino (born December 1, 1939) is an American retired professional golfer who is regarded as one of the greatest players in golf history. He was inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1981. Trevino won six major championships and ...

and played golf with Presidents Nixon, Ford, and George H.W. Bush. Sanudo died in 2011 in

La Mesa, California La Mesa () is a city in San Diego County, located east of Downtown San Diego in Southern California. The population was 61,121 at the 2020 census, up from 57,065 at the 2010 census. Its civic motto is "the Jewel of the Hills." History La Me ...

Amateur wins

*1966 Mexican Amateur

Professional wins (2)

PGA Tour wins (1)

Other wins (1)

*1973 Columbia Open

Results in major championships

''Note: Sanudo never played in

The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

.'' CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied Source:

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanudo, Cesar Mexican male golfers Lamar Cardinals golfers PGA Tour golfers Golfers from San Diego Sportspeople from El Cajon, California 1943 births 2011 deaths 20th-century Mexican people