Stan Leonard (February 2, 1915 – December 15, 2005) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

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 1950s and 1960s. Leonard won three PGA Tour events, eight

Canadian PGA Championship The PGA Championship of Canada is a golf tournament organized by the PGA of Canada, an organization founded in 1911 at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club. It was first played in 1912 as the Canadian PGA Championship. It was a Nationwide Tour event from 2 ...

s, and 16 other events on the

Canadian Tour PGA Tour Canada, commonly referred to as the Canadian Tour, is a men's professional golf tour headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. The United States based PGA Tour took over operation of the tour on November 1, 2012, at which time it was renamed PG ...

. He is a member of the

Canadian Golf Hall of Fame The Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum and hall of fame covering the history of the game of golf in Canada, and celebrating the careers and accomplishments of the most significant contributors to the game in that country. Operated by ...

Early years

Leonard was born in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

. He worked as a

caddie In golf, a caddie (or caddy) is the person who carries a player's bag and clubs, and gives the player advice and moral support. Description A good caddie is aware of the challenges and obstacles of the golf course being played, along with the ...

, and had success in top British Columbia events. He became a professional golfer in 1938, and played almost exclusively, and very successfully, on the

Canadian Professional Golf Tour PGA Tour Canada, commonly referred to as the Canadian Tour, is a men's professional golf tour headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. The United States based PGA Tour took over operation of the tour on November 1, 2012, at which time it was renamed PG ...

until 1954, while concurrently maintaining a club job at the Marine Drive Golf Club in Vancouver. He competed mainly in western Canada; money was tight, prize money was low, and travel costs to eastern Canada were high. In one of his early events on the

, Leonard challenged to win the 1946 Crosby Pro-Am in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, before losing to

Lloyd Mangrum Lloyd Eugene Mangrum (August 1, 1914 – November 17, 1973) was an American professional golfer. He was known for his smooth swing and his relaxed demeanour on the course, which earned him the nickname "Mr. Icicle." Early life and family Mangrum ...

Canadian success

Leonard won the

eight times from 1940–1961, and this is a record. He was the low Canadian in the Canadian Open nine times from 1945–1961. He won the

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Open five times, the

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

Open nine times, and the

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

Open twice. He won a total of six significant amateur and 40 professional tournaments in Canada over the course of his career – second only to

Moe Norman Murray Irwin "Moe" Norman (July 10, 1929 – September 4, 2004) was a Canadian professional golfer whose accuracy and ability to hit shot after shot perfectly straight gave him the nickname "Pipeline Moe". During his career Norman won 55 tourname ...

in Canadian golf history.

International success

Leonard won the individual title at the

Canada Cup The Canada Cup (french: Coupe Canada) was an invitational international ice hockey tournament held on five occasions between 1976 and 1991. The brainchild of Toronto lawyer Alan Eagleson, the tournament was created to meet demand for a true worl ...

in both 1954 and 1959. Leonard joined the PGA Tour full-time in 1954, at age 39. He won three

events between 1957 and 1960. He enjoyed a great deal of success in one major tournament –

The Masters The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply The Masters, or the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, the Masters is the first maj ...

. His best finishes at the

Augusta National Golf Club Augusta National Golf Club, sometimes referred to as Augusta or the National, is a golf club in Augusta, Georgia, United States. Unlike most private clubs which operate as non-profits, Augusta National is a for-profit corporation, and it does n ...

were T-4 in 1958 and 1959, T-8 in 1955 and T-9 in 1960. Leonard's game was respected by his PGA Tour rivals; legend

Sam Snead Samuel Jackson Snead (pronounced English_phonology">sni:d.html" ;"title="English_phonology.html" ;"title="nowiki/>English phonology">sni:d">English_phonology.html" ;"title="nowiki/>English phonology">sni:d May 27, 1912 – May 23, 2002) was an ...

said that he was glad Leonard had not come out onto the PGA Tour full-time until he was 40 years old!

Later years

Leonard retired from the PGA Tour in the 1960s, and took a club pro job at the Desert Island Golf Club in Palm Springs, California; however, he eventually made his way back home to Vancouver. He competed successfully at the Senior level in Canada, winning three Canadian Senior PGA Championships between 1967 and 1975. He assisted in designing the Redwood Meadows Golf Course, in Bragg Creek, Alberta, near

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

.''The Golf Course'', by

Geoffrey Cornish Geoffrey St John Cornish (August 6, 1914 – February 10, 2012) was a golf course architect, author, and a fellow of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. He designed over 200 courses, including 9-hole additions, around the world. Earl ...

and Ronald Whitten, 1981. Leonard was one of the best ball strikers and longest hitters of his era, despite being a diminutive 5' 6" in height. Part of his powerful swing could be attributed to his massive forearms. The other players noticed this physical feature and gave him the nickname ''Popeye''. Leonard was inducted into

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (french: Panthéon des sports canadiens; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canad ...

in 1964, the

BC Sports Hall of Fame The BC Sports Hall of Fame is a museum located in BC Place Stadium, at Gate A, the main entrance to the stadium, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It collects, preserves, studies and interprets materials that relate to British Columbia's spo ...

in 1966, and the

in 1972. He died of heart failure in Vancouver at the age of 90.

Amateur wins

*1932 British Columbia Amateur *1934 Vancouver & Dist. Championship *1935 British Columbia Amateur *1936 Vancouver & Dist. Championship

Professional wins (44)

PGA Tour wins (3)

PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)

Other wins (38)

:''This list may be incomplete'' *1937 (2)

Northwest Open The Northwest Open is golf tournament played in the Pacific Northwest, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Pacific Northwest section of the PGA of America. It has been played annually since 1905 at a variety of cou ...

(as an amateur),

Alberta Open The Alberta Open is a golf tournament that is held in Alberta, Canada. It was an important event on the Canadian Tour PGA Tour Canada, commonly referred to as the Canadian Tour, is a men's professional golf tour headquartered in Toronto, Ontar ...

*1938 (1) Tacoma Jubilee *1939 (1)

*1940 (1)

*1941 (2)

*1942 (1)

*1943 (1)

*1947 (2)

British Columbia Open The British Columbia Open, commonly known as the B. C. Open, was a golf tournament that was held in British Columbia, Canada. It was held annually from 1928 until 1993 except for during the Second World War and 1958, when it was cancelled due to t ...

*1948 (1) Vancouver City Match Play Championship *1949 (3)

, Vancouver City Match Play Championship *1950 (6)

, Vancouver City Match Play Championship,

Saskatchewan Open The Saskatchewan Open was a golf tournament on PGA Tour Canada that was held in Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1919, the Saskatchewan Open was held annually until 1981, only missing from the calendar in 1924 when the Western Canada tournament wa ...

, Western Canada Open *1951 (1)

*1953 (1) Vancouver City Match Play Championship *1954 (3)

, Vancouver City Match Play Championship *1955 (2)

*1956 (1) Canadian Match Play *1957 (1)

*1959 (2)

(individual event) *1960 (2)

, Canadian Match Play Open *1961 (1)

*1962 (1)

Senior wins (3)

*1967 Canadian PGA Seniors' Championship *1972 Canadian PGA Seniors' Championship *1975 Canadian PGA Seniors' Championship

Results in major championships

''Note: Leonard never played in 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 ...

.''
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

*Most consecutive cuts made – 6 (1957 Masters – 1961 Masters) *Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1958 Masters – 1960 Masters)

Team appearances

(representing Canada): 1953, 1954,

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

, 1956, 1957,

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 ...

(individual winner), 1960, 1963 *

Hopkins Trophy The Hopkins Trophy was an annual men's professional team golf competition between teams representing the United States and Canada. It was played from 1952 to 1956. The Americans won all five contests that were played. The matches were sponsored by ...

(representing Canada): 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956

References

External links

Profile at Canadian Golf Hall of FameInductee Accomplishment Summary from British Columbia Golf House
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leonard, Stan Canadian male golfers PGA Tour golfers PGA Tour Champions golfers Golfing people from British Columbia Sportspeople from Vancouver 1915 births 2005 deaths