John Benda (born July 9, 1947) is an American professional golfer playing on the

European Seniors Tour The Legends Tour is the current branding of the European Senior Tour, a professional tour for male golfers aged 50 and over, run by the PGA European Tour. The tour was branded as the Staysure Tour for the 2018 and 2019 seasons after UK-based insur ...

. Benda was born in

Sheridan, Wyoming Sheridan is a town in the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Sheridan County. The town is located halfway between Yellowstone Park and Mount Rushmore by U.S. Route 14 and 16. It is the principal town of the Sheridan, Wyoming, Micropo ...

and currently resides in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

. His wife, Veronica, is a native of

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, and they have no children. Benda turned professional in 1971. He played extensively overseas on the Asian circuit and Australian Tour. One of his best finishes was a runner-up finish at the 1977

Colgate Champion of Champions The Colgate Champion of Champions was a golf tournament held at Victoria Golf Club (Australia), Victoria Golf Club, Melbourne in Australia in 1976 and 1977. Prize money was A$150,000. Winners References

{{reflist Former PGA Tour of Austral ...

in Melbourne, Australia. He finished one behind

Bob Shearer Robert A. Shearer (25 May 1948 – 9 January 2022) was an Australian professional golfer and golf course architect. Early life and amateur career Shearer was born in Melbourne, Victoria. He won the 1969 Australian Amateur, having been a joint ...

and tied, among others,

Curtis Strange Curtis Northrup Strange (born January 30, 1955) is an American professional golfer and TV color commentator. He is the winner of consecutive U.S. Open titles and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. He spent ...

for second place. He twice qualified for

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 t ...

(1979 and 1980) with his best finish being two strokes behind the third round cut in 1980 at

Muirfield Muirfield is a privately owned golf links which is the home of The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. Located in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland, overlooking the Firth of Forth, Muirfield is one of the golf courses used in rotation for The ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. After his regular playing days were over he went on to become an administrator on the

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

and South American Tours.Biographical information on the European Seniors Tour's official site
/ref> After he turned 50, Benda decided to play the senior tours. In 2007 he enjoyed his best year competing on the European Seniors Tour. He was runner-up at the

Sharp Italian Seniors Open The Senior Italian Open is a men's professional golf tournament for players aged 50 and above which is part of the European Senior Tour schedule. It was played from 2004 to 2008 and then restarted in 2016. The tournament was originally played at G ...

in May, helped by his lowest ever senior round, a nine-under-par 63 in the second round, besting the course record set by

Arnold Palmer Arnold Daniel Palmer (September 10, 1929 – September 25, 2016) was an American professional golfer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most charismatic players in the sport's history. Dating back to 1955, he won numerous ev ...

, to collect his biggest prize: €15,000. A tied 13th finish at the Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open gave him his next best result of the campaign. He finished in 59th place on the Order of Merit in 2006 and just like in 2005. He returned to the

Qualifying School In professional golf, the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S.-based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the ...

to secure a conditional card. In 2019, Benda was elected to the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame.

Professional wins

''this list may be incomplete'' *1973

Iowa Open The 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. It has been played annually since 1927 at a variety of courses around the state. Winners ...

*1985 Waterloo Open Golf Classic

Playoff record

European Senior Tour playoff record (0–1)

References

External links

* American male golfers European Senior Tour golfers Golfers from Wyoming Golfers from Phoenix, Arizona People from Sheridan, Wyoming 1947 births Living people {{US-golf-bio-stub