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Al Mengert

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Al Mengert
Personal information
Born(1929-04-07)April 7, 1929
Spokane, Washington
DiedApril 6, 2021(2021-04-06) (aged 91)
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight195 lb (88 kg; 13.9 st)
Sporting nationality United States
SpouseDonna (Jacobson) Mengert[1]
Children4
Career
CollegeStanford University
(attended)
Turned professional1952
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Senior PGA Tour
Professional winsAt least 17
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT9: 1958
PGA ChampionshipT18: 1970
U.S. OpenT13: 1954
The Open ChampionshipDNP

Alfred John Mengert (April 7, 1929 – April 6, 2021) was an American professional golfer.[2]

Biography

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Born and raised in Spokane, Washington, he was the son of local businessman Otto Mengert and his wife Otelia Johnson, who was the sister of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame jockey Albert Johnson.[3]

Mengert played football at Gonzaga Prep, briefly attended Stanford University in the late 1940s, and served in the Washington Air National Guard and U.S. Air Force in the early 1950s.[4] Mengert was first reserve for the 1951 Walker Cup team.[5] He was runner-up in the 1952 U.S. Amateur to Jack Westland.[6][7]

Mengert turned professional in 1952 and worked mainly as a club pro while also playing on the PGA Tour. He won several non-PGA Tour events. His best finish in a major came at the 1958 Masters Tournament. After three rounds, he was tied for fourth, two shots off the lead,[8] and finished tied for ninth. Mengert was the first round leader at the U.S. Open in 1966 at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.[9] He was tied for seventh after 54 holes, but a final round 81 resulted in a tie for 26th place.[10] He finished tied for third place in a rain-delayed Tucson Open in 1971.[11] Mengert played several tournaments on the Senior PGA Tour in the 1980s, and was inducted into the Pacific Northwest Golf Association's Hall of Fame in 2001.[12]

After turning pro in 1952, Mengert's first job was as an assistant club pro under Masters champion Claude Harmon at Winged Foot, north of New York City. He was a head pro at clubs in New Jersey, St. Louis, and Sacramento.[2] Mengert returned to the Northwest as the head pro at Tacoma Country Club in the 1960s[9] then went to Oakland Hills in the suburbs north of Detroit, Michigan.[13]

Mengert died April 6, 2021.[14]

Amateur wins

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Tournament wins

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this list may be incomplete

Results in major championships

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Tournament 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
Masters Tournament T34 T23 T38 T32 T24 T21 T9 CUT
U.S. Open T21 T13 T16 T45 CUT
PGA Championship
Tournament 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open T38 T26 CUT
PGA Championship T29 CUT T33 T49 T20 T32
Tournament 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open T54
PGA Championship T18 CUT CUT CUT

Note: Mengert never played in The Open Championship.

  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in the 1964 PGA Championship)
"T" indicates a tie for a place

References

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  1. ^ "Al has a new title; it's Daddy Mengert". Spokane Daily Chronicle. December 21, 1951. p. 11.
  2. ^ a b "Mengert's biography". Spokesman-Review. Chicago Tribune press service. June 17, 1966. p. 24.
  3. ^ "Spokane jockey Albert Johnson among latest inductees into Washington Sports Hall of Fame". The Spokesman-Review. April 16, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  4. ^ "Around golf many years". Ottawa Citizen. NEA. April 15, 1955. p. 28.
  5. ^ "Mengert named cup alternate". The Spokesman-Review. January 28, 1951. p. Sports 2.
  6. ^ "1952 U.S. Amateur". Archived from the original on July 28, 2011.
  7. ^ Hanson, Scott (August 19, 2010). "Northwest golfer tells of his near miss at 1952 U.S. Amateur in Seattle". Seattle Times. Retrieved March 1, 2011.
  8. ^ "Snead, Palmer Lead Masters". The Gadsden Times. Gadsden, Alabama. April 6, 1958. p. 8. Retrieved March 1, 2011.
  9. ^ a b Grimsley, Will (June 17, 1966). "Mengert takes Open lead with great first-round 67". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. p. 24.
  10. ^ "U.S. Open golf scores". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. June 20, 1966. p. 24.
  11. ^ "Eagle helps J.C. Snead win Tucson". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. February 23, 1971. p. 16.
  12. ^ PNGA Hal of Fame profile
  13. ^ a b Van Sickel, Charlie (August 10, 1977). "Al Mengert, No.1". Spokesman-Review. p. 40.
  14. ^ Meehan, Jim (April 8, 2021). "Spokane native and decorated golfer Al Mengert passes away at 91". Spokesman-Review.
  15. ^ "Looking back: Spokane golfer Al Mengert and others in 1946". Spokesman-Review. April 4, 2005. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
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