Alfred John Mengert (April 7, 1929 – April 6, 2021) was an American professional golfer.[2]
| Al Mengert | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | April 7, 1929 Spokane, Washington |
| Died | April 6, 2021 (aged 91) |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg; 13.9 st) |
| Sporting nationality |  United States |
| Spouse | Donna (Jacobson) Mengert[1] |
| Children | 4 |
| Career | |
| College | Stanford University (attended) |
| Turned professional | 1952 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Senior PGA Tour |
| Professional wins | At least 17 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | T9: 1958 |
| PGA Championship | T18: 1970 |
| U.S. Open | T13: 1954 |
| The Open Championship | DNP |
Biography
editBorn 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
edit- 1946 International Jaycee Junior Golf Tournament[15]
- 1947 International Jaycee Junior Golf Tournament
- 1949 Washington State Amateur
- 1950 Mexican Amateur, Pacific Northwest Amateur,[13] Washington State Amateur
Tournament wins
editthis list may be incomplete
- 1952 Northwest Open (as an amateur)
- 1957 New Jersey State Open
- 1958 New Jersey State Open
- 1960 New Jersey State Open, New Jersey PGA Championship, Metropolitan Open, Arizona Open
- 1963 Washington Open
- 1964 Washington Open
- 1965 Washington Open, Northern California PGA Championship, British Columbia Open
- 1966 Northwest Open
- 1968 Pacific Northwest PGA Championship
- 1969 Pacific Northwest PGA Championship
- 1971 Washington Open
- 1976 Michigan PGA Championship
Results in major championships
edit| 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.
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in the 1964 PGA Championship)
"T" indicates a tie for a place
References
edit- ^ "Al has a new title; it's Daddy Mengert". Spokane Daily Chronicle. December 21, 1951. p. 11.
- ^ a b "Mengert's biography". Spokesman-Review. Chicago Tribune press service. June 17, 1966. p. 24.
- ^ "Spokane jockey Albert Johnson among latest inductees into Washington Sports Hall of Fame". The Spokesman-Review. April 16, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
- ^ "Around golf many years". Ottawa Citizen. NEA. April 15, 1955. p. 28.
- ^ "Mengert named cup alternate". The Spokesman-Review. January 28, 1951. p. Sports 2.
- ^ "1952 U.S. Amateur". Archived from the original on July 28, 2011.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Snead, Palmer Lead Masters". The Gadsden Times. Gadsden, Alabama. April 6, 1958. p. 8. Retrieved March 1, 2011.
- ^ a b Grimsley, Will (June 17, 1966). "Mengert takes Open lead with great first-round 67". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. p. 24.
- ^ "U.S. Open golf scores". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. June 20, 1966. p. 24.
- ^ "Eagle helps J.C. Snead win Tucson". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. February 23, 1971. p. 16.
- ^ PNGA Hal of Fame profile
- ^ a b Van Sickel, Charlie (August 10, 1977). "Al Mengert, No.1". Spokesman-Review. p. 40.
- ^ Meehan, Jim (April 8, 2021). "Spokane native and decorated golfer Al Mengert passes away at 91". Spokesman-Review.
- ^ "Looking back: Spokane golfer Al Mengert and others in 1946". Spokesman-Review. April 4, 2005. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
External links
edit- Al Mengert at the PGA Tour official site
- PNGA Hall of Fame