Martin Alan Fleckman (born April 23, 1944) is an American

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 ...

in the 1960s and 1970s. Born in

Port Arthur, Texas Port Arthur is a city in Jefferson County within the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area of the U.S. state of Texas. A small, uninhabited portion extends into Orange County; it is east of Houston. The largest oil refinery in the United Sta ...

, Fleckman credits

Byron Nelson John Byron Nelson Jr. (February 4, 1912 – September 26, 2006) was an American professional golfer between 1935 and 1946, widely considered one of the greatest golfers of all time. Nelson and two other legendary champions of the time, Ben Hog ...

, Carl Lohren, and Jim Hardy with teaching him how to play

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

. At the age of 20 in 1964, Fleckman won the individual title at the Texas State Amateur. In 1965, he won the

NCAA Championship The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

while at the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

, where he was a three-time All-American member of the golf team: third-team in 1964, first-team in 1965 and 1966. He competed for the United States in Israel in the

1965 Maccabiah Games The 7th Maccabiah Games in 1965 saw 1,500 athletes from 29 different countries compete in 21 sports. It was the first Maccabiah Games for Iran, Jamaica, Peru, and Venezuela. The United States delegation won the most gold medals, followed by Israel, ...

. He was a member of the

Walker Cup The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested in odd-numbered years by leading male amateur golfers in two teams: United States, and Great Britain and Ireland. The official name is the Walker Cup Match (not "Matches" as in Ryder Cup Matches). It is ...

team in 1967. While still an amateur, Fleckman played in the U.S. Open at Baltusrol in

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

. He led after the first and third rounds, but shot on Sunday amid a surge by eventual champion

Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and List of golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest go ...

. The last amateur to lead the U.S. Open at 54 holes was

Johnny Goodman John George Goodman (December 28, 1909 – August 8, 1970) was the last amateur golfer to win the U.S. Open, in 1933, and also won the U.S. Amateur in 1937. Born to Lithuanian immigrants in South Omaha, Nebraska, Goodman was orphaned at the ...

, 34 years earlier in 1933. (Seven years earlier in

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

, Nicklaus led as an amateur during the final round.) Fleckman finished in a tie for 18th place and was the low amateur, a stroke ahead of

Bob Murphy Robert, Rob, Bob or Bobby Murphy may refer to: Sports Ice hockey *Robert Ronald Murphy or Ron Murphy (1933–2014), Canadian ice hockey player * Bob Murphy (ice hockey) (born 1951), Canadian retired professional ice hockey player *Rob Murphy (ice ...

, who shot 69 in the final round. In his first start on the PGA Tour in December

, Fleckman won the Cajun Classic Open Invitational in a playoff. At Oakbourne Country Club in

Lafayette, Louisiana Lafayette (, ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the most populous city and parish seat of Lafayette Parish, located along the Vermilion River. It is Louisiana's fourth largest incorporated municipality by population and the 234th- ...

, he sank a birdie putt on the first extra hole to defeat Jack Montgomery and take the winner's share of $5,000. It was his third consecutive birdie, finishing regulation play with two. Fleckman is only one of five other players to win his first tour event as a professional, and has since been joined by

Ben Crenshaw Ben Daniel Crenshaw (born January 11, 1952) is a retired American professional golfer who has won 19 events on the PGA Tour, including two major championships: the Masters Tournament in 1984 and 1995. He is nicknamed ''Gentle Ben''. Professiona ...

(1973),

Robert Gamez Robert Anthony Gamez (born July 21, 1968) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour. Gamez was born in Las Vegas, and is of Mexican descent. He attended the University of Arizona where he was a member of the golf team ...

(1990),

Garrett Willis Garrett Michael Willis (born November 21, 1973) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour. Willis was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He attended East Tennessee State University where he was member of ...

(2001), and

Russell Henley Russell Henley (born April 12, 1989) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. Amateur career Born in Macon, Georgia, Henley attended Stratford Academy in Macon. He played college golf for four years at the University of Geor ...

(2013). This was to be his only Tour title. His best finish in a

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

was a tie for fourth at the

PGA Championship The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It is one of the four men's major championships ...

in 1968. Fleckman was inducted into the Texas Golf Hall of Fame in 1986, and into the University of Houston Hall of Honor in 2006. He also received the prestigious 2007 Teacher of the Year Award for the Southern Texas Section of the PGA. He currently works as director of golf instruction at Blackhorse Teaching Center in Texas.

Amateur wins (4)

*1964 Texas State Amateur *1965

*1966

Eastern Amateur The Eastern Amateur is an annual amateur golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does no ...

*1967

Northeast Amateur The Northeast Amateur is an amateur golf tournament played annually at the Wannamoisett Country Club in Rumford, Rhode Island. It was first played in 1962. In December 2021, the Northeast Amateur joined with six other tournaments to form the Elite ...

Professional wins (1)

PGA Tour wins (1)

PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

Results in major championships

''Note: Fleckman 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 ...

.'' LA = Low amateur
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" = tied

Team appearances

Amateur *

(winners)

References

External links

*
Texas Golf Hall of Fame
– Marty Fleckman {{DEFAULTSORT:Fleckman, Marty American male golfers PGA Tour golfers Houston Cougars men's golfers Golfers from Texas American golf instructors Competitors at the 1965 Maccabiah Games Maccabiah Games competitors for the United States Sportspeople from Port Arthur, Texas 1944 births Living people