Roberto De Vicenzo (14 April 1923 – 1 June 2017) was a professional golfer from

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. He won a record 229 professional tournaments worldwide during his career, including seven 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 ...

and most famously the 1967 Open Championship. He is perhaps best remembered for signing an incorrect scorecard that kept him out of a playoff for the

1968 Masters Tournament The 1968 Masters Tournament was the 32nd Masters Tournament, held April 11–14 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Bob Goalby won his only major championship, one stroke ahead of Roberto De Vicenzo, the reigning British Open champ ...

Biography

De Vicenzo was born on 14 April 1923 in

Villa Ballester Villa Ballester is a city located in the northern Greater Buenos Aires urban area and it is part of the General San Martín Partido in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is served by the Línea Mitre commuter railway with its station also nam ...

, a northern suburb of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was raised in the Villa Pueyrredón neighborhood of Buenos Aires, and acquired the game of golf as a caddie. He developed his skills at the Ranelagh Golf Club, and later relocated to the town of the same name. De Vicenzo won his first Argentine tournament, the Abierto del Litoral, in 1942; his first

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

in 1953; and a major tournament,

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 ...

, 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 ...

. De Vicenzo is best remembered for his misfortune in the

. On the par-4 17th hole, Roberto De Vicenzo made a birdie, but playing partner

Tommy Aaron Thomas Dean Aaron (born February 22, 1937) is an American former professional golfer who was a member of the PGA Tour during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Aaron is best known for winning the 1973 Masters Tournament. He is also known for an erro ...

inadvertently entered a 4 instead of 3 on the scorecard. He did not check the scorecard for the error before signing it, and according to the Rules of Golf the higher score had to stand and be counted. If not for this mistake, De Vicenzo would have tied for first place with Bob Goalby, and the two would have met in an 18-hole playoff the next day. His quote afterwards became legendary for its poignancy: "What a stupid I am!" In 1970 he was voted the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the

United States Golf Association The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the United States national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the rules ...

in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. De Vicenzo subsequently found great success in the early days of the Senior PGA Tour, winning the

Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf The Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf at Big Cedar is a golf tournament in Missouri on the PGA Tour Champions. Since 2014, it has been played at Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale on the par-3 Top of the Rock course, designed by Jack Nicklaus and the 18- ...

two times and the inaugural

U.S. Senior Open The U.S. Senior Open is one of the five major championships in senior golf, introduced in 1980. It is administered by the United States Golf Association (USGA) and is recognized as a major championship by both the PGA Tour Champions and the Eu ...

in 1980. He also won the 1974

PGA Seniors' Championship The Senior PGA Championship, established in 1937, is the oldest of the five major championships in men's senior golf. It is administered by the Professional Golfers' Association of America and is recognized as a major championship by both PGA ...

, and represented Argentina 15 times in the Canada Cup/World Cup, leading Argentina to victory in 1953. De Vicenzo was inducted into the

World Golf Hall of Fame The World Golf Hall of Fame is located at World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States, and it is unusual among sports halls of fame in that a single site honors both men and women. It is supported by a consortium of 26 go ...

in 1989, and officially retired on 12 November 2006, at age 83 with over 200 international victories. The Museum of Golf in Argentina in Berazategui was founded because of his hard work. It was named in his honor upon its completion in 2006. De Vicenzo died 1 June 2017 at the age of 94.

Professional wins (229)

PGA Tour wins (7)

European circuit wins (9)

*1948 (1)

North British-Harrogate Tournament The North British-Harrogate Tournament was a professional golf tournament played in Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Ri ...

*1950 (3) Dutch Open, Belgian Open, Open de France *1960 (1) Open de France *1964 (2) Open de France, German Open *1966 (1)

Spanish Open Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

*1967 (1)

Argentine Tour wins (132)

''this list is incomplete'' *1942 (1) Abierto del Litoral *1943 (2) Center Open, Westinhouse Grand Prix *1944 (3)

Argentine PGA Championship The Argentine PGA Championship is a golf tournament played in Argentina since 1920. It was generally supported by the leading Argentine golfers and its list of champions includes Eduardo Romero (8 times), José Jurado (7 times), Vicente Fernández ...

, Argentine Open, Cirio Grand Prix *1945 (3)

, Cirio Grand Prix, Bahía Blanca Open *1946 (5) Palermo Grand Prix, Abierto del Litoral, South Open, La Plata Open, Masllorens Grand Prix *1947 (10)

, Abierto del Litoral, South Open, Cirio Grand Prix, Ranelagh Open, Masllorens Grand Prix, Alvear Grand Prix, San Isidro Open, Mailly Grand Prix, America Cup *1948 (5)

, Cirio Grand Prix, Masllorens Grand Prix, Ranelagh Open, La Plata Open *1949 (6)

, Argentine Open, Abierto del Litoral, Ituzaingo Grand Prix, Masllorens Grand Prix, San Isidro Open *1950 (4) Masllorens Grand Prix, Ituzaingo Grand Prix, San Isidro Open, San Martin Grand Prix *1951 (5)

, Argentine Open, Msllorens Grand Prix, Alvear Grand Prix, San Isidro Open *1952 (2) Argentine Open, San Isidro Open *1953 (1) Argentino Grand Prix *1954 (2) Alvear Grand Prix, San Martin Grand Prix *1958 (1) Argentine Open *1960 (3)

, Charles of the Ritz Grand Prix, Siam Grand Prix *1961 (1) Ranelagh Open *1962 (6)

Argentine Masters The Argentine Masters or Torneo de Maestros was one of the most prestigious golf tournaments in Argentina, despite not having been played continuously since the inaugural event in 1961. It was always held at the Olivos Golf Club near Buenos Aires. ...

, North Open, Center Open, South Open, Branca Grand Prix, Suixtill Grand Prix *1963 (2) Branca Grand Prix, Tortugas Grand Prix *1964 (4)

, Minerva Grand Prix, Jockey Club Rosario Open *1965 (6)

, Argentine Open, Center Open, Rio Cuarto Open,

Acantilados Grand Prix The Acantilados Grand Prix or Gran Premio Los Acantilados was a golf tournament on the PGA of Argentina Tour, formerly the principal professional golf tour in Argentina. Founded in 1954, it was always been held at the Club de Golf Los Acantilados i ...

, Jockey Club Rosario Open *1966 (4)

, North Open, Ranser Grand Prix *1967 (6) Argentine Open, Center Open, South Open, Ranelagh Open, Ranser Grand Prix, Pindapoy Grand Prix *1968 (4) Abierto del Litoral, Ranelagh Open,

, Peugeot Grand Prix *1969 (6)

Norpatagonico Open The Norpatagonico Open, or Abierto Norpatagónico, is one of the major professional golf tournaments in Argentina. Founded in 1969, it has always been held at the Palihue Golf Club in Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires Province Buenos Aires (), offi ...

, Ranelagh Open, Glustora Grand Prix,

Lomas Open The Lomas Open was a golf tournament on the PGA of Argentina Tour, formerly the principal professional golf tour in Argentina. The tournament has been played only ten times, the first in 1964, it has always been held at the Lomas Athletic Golf Club ...

, Kanmar Grand Prix *1970 (4) Argentine Open,

, Ranelagh Open, Old Smuggler Grand Prix *1971 (5)

, La Cumbre Open, Pinamar Open, Santa Teresita Open *1972 (5)

, Center Open, South Open, Ranelagh Open,

*1973 (4) Center Open, South Open, North Open,

*1974 (8)

, Argentine Open, Center Open, North Open, San Martin Grand Prix, Charles of the Ritz Grand Prix, Los Lagartos Grand Prix *1975 (2) Jockey Club Rosario Open, Charles of the Ritz Grand Prix *1976 (2) Velox Grand Prix,

Metropolitano Open The Metropolitan Championship, or Campeonato Metropolitano, was a professional golf tournament on the PGA of Argentina Tour, formerly the principal professional golf tour in Argentina. First held in 1955, it has always been held at the Palermo Golf ...

*1977 (3)

, South Open, Velox Grand Prix *1978 South Open, San Martin Grand Prix, Sidesa Grand Prix *1979 (3)

, Sidesa Grand Prix *1983 (1) North Open *1985 (1)

Latin America/Caribbean wins (60)

''this list may be incomplete'' *1946 Chile Open (tie with Enrique Bertolino), Viña del Mar Open (Chile) *1947 Cali Open (Colombia) *1948 Uruguay Open *1949 Uruguay Open *1951 Cali Open (Colombia), Bogota Open (Colombia), Barranquilla Open (Colombia), Mexican Open *1952

Panama Open The Panama Open was a golf tournament played from 1938 to 1982, during which time it was won by some of the biggest names in professional golf, including Sam Snead and Arnold Palmer. It was an event on the PGA-sponsored Caribbean Tour between 1 ...

, Santo Domingo Open (Chile) *1953

, Mexican Open, Peru Open *1954

Brazil Open The Brasil Open was a tennis tournament held annually in São Paulo, Brazil. It was part of the ATP Tour 250 series, and was one of the main events in the Brazilian tennis calendar alongside ATP Tour 500 Rio Open. Since 2004, it was a part of t ...

, Peru Open, Barranquilla Open (Colombia) Bogota Open (Colombia) *1955 Mexican Open, PGA of Mexico, Medellin Open (Colombia) *1956

Jamaica Open The Jamaica Open is a 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 standardize ...

, Barranquilla Open (Colombia), Bogota Open (Colombia), PGA of Mexico *1957

*1958 Peru Open, Medellin Open (Colombia), PGA of Mexico *1959 PGA of Mexico *1960

, Barranquilla Open (Colombia), Bogota Open (Colombia) *1961 Chile Open, Colombian Open, Barranquilla Open (Colombia) *1962 Barranquilla Open (Colombia) *1963

*1964

, Uruguay Open, Bogota Open (Colombia) *1965 Los Lagartos Open *1966 Los Lagartos Open *1968 Los Lagartos Open *1969 PGA of Mexico, Los Lagartos Open *1970 Itanhanga Open (Brazil) *1971

*1972

Caracas Open The Venezuela Open or Abierto de Venezuela is a men's professional golf tournament. It has only been staged intermittently since 1957, 2019 being the 35th edition of the event. Al Geiberger, Art Wall Jr., David Graham, Roberto De Vicenzo and Tony ...

, San Pablo Open (Brazil), Rio Grande Open (Brazil) *1973

*1974

, Raleigh Cup (Mexico) *1978 Santiago Open (Chile) *1979 Santo Tome Open, Oro Negro Open (Venezuela)

Other wins (3)

Senior PGA Tour wins (2)

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

Other senior wins (16)

''this list may be incomplete'' *1974

World Senior Championship The World Senior Championship was a golf match held between the winners of the American PGA Seniors' Championship (now Senior PGA Championship) and the British PGA Seniors Championship. It was held from 1954 to 1978. It was a 36-hole match-play e ...

*1979

(with

Julius Boros Julius Nicholas Boros (March 3, 1920 – May 28, 1994) was an American professional golfer noted for his effortless-looking swing and strong record on difficult golf courses, particularly at the U.S. Open. Early years Born in Fairfield, Connecti ...

) *1983

(with Rod Funseth), Doug Sanders Classic *1986 Conmmemorative Pro-Am (Super Senior) *1987 Argentine Senior Open, Pontevedra Classic (Super Senior), Digital Classic (Super Senior) *1988

- Legendary Division (with Charlie Sifford), Vintage Championship Invitational (Super Senior), Pages Classic (Super Senior) *1989

- Legendary Division (with Charlie Sifford), Vantage Championship (Super Senior) *1991

- Legendary Division (with Charlie Sifford) *1992 Center Senior Argentine Open

Major championships

Wins (1)

Results timeline

CUT = missed the half-way cut
R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" = tied

Summary

*Most consecutive cuts made – 14 (1948 Open Championship – 1957 Open Championship) *Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (twice)

Champions Tour major championships

Wins (1)

Team appearances

(representing Argentina): 1953 (winners), 1954, 1955,

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wor ...

(individual winner),

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969,

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and ...

(individual winner), 1971,

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

, 1974 *

(representing Mexico): 1956,

1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...

, 1960, 1961

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:De Vicenzo, Roberto Argentine male golfers PGA Tour golfers PGA Tour Champions golfers Winners of men's major golf championships Winners of senior major golf championships World Golf Hall of Fame inductees Argentine people of Italian descent People from San Martín, Buenos Aires Sportspeople from Buenos Aires Province 1923 births 2017 deaths