Bruce Devlin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bruce Devlin |
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|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Bruce William Devlin |
| Born | 10 October 1937 Armidale, New South Wales, Australia |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 158 lb (72 kg; 11.3 st) |
| Nationality |  Australia |
| Residence | Weatherford, Texas, U.S. |
| Spouse | Gloria |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1961 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions Tour |
| Professional wins | 32 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 8 |
| PGA Tour of Australasia | 1 |
| Champions Tour | 1 |
| Other | 22 |
| Best results in Major Championships |
|
| The Masters Tournament | 4th: 1964, 1968 |
| U.S. Open | T6: 1965 |
| The Open Championship | 5th: 1964 |
| PGA Championship | T6: 1965 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| New Zealand Golf Circuit money list winner |
1963 |
Bruce William Devlin (born 10 October 1937) is a well-known Australian professional golfer. He has also worked as a sportscaster and is famous for designing golf courses around the world.
Contents
Bruce Devlin's Early Life
Bruce Devlin was born in Armidale, New South Wales, Australia in 1937. When he was just six months old, his family moved to Goulburn. Bruce grew up there, playing many sports like hockey, basketball, and golf.
He started showing his golf talent early. In 1952, he won the Southern Tablelands Open Junior Championship. He won this title again in 1953. Bruce also won his first Goulburn Golf Club Open Championship in 1956. A big moment came in 1959 when he won the Australian Amateur title.
Bruce decided to become a professional golfer after a teacher at St Patrick's College in Goulburn told him to choose between school and golf. He chose golf!
Becoming a Professional Golfer
In 1961, Bruce Devlin became a professional golfer. The next year, he joined the PGA Tour in the United States. He won eight tournaments on the PGA Tour between 1964 and 1972. In 1972, he earned a lot of money, finishing eighth on the money list for the year.
Representing Australia
Bruce also played for Australia in the World Cup of golf. In 1970, he teamed up with David Graham in Buenos Aires, Argentina. They won the tournament by a huge eight-stroke lead! It was a record-breaking win for Australia. They played together again in the 1971 World Cup.
"Devlin's Billabong"
In 1975, during a tournament in San Diego, Bruce had a tough time on the 18th hole. He hit several shots into the water. Because of this, the pond there was later nicknamed "Devlin’s Billabong." A "billabong" is an Australian word for a small lake or pond.
A Rare Shot at the Masters
Bruce Devlin is one of only four golfers to ever score a double eagle at the Masters Tournament. A double eagle means hitting the ball into the hole three strokes under par. He did this in 1967 on the 8th hole, hitting the ball 248 yards into the hole!
Later Career and Golf Course Design
After his main PGA Tour career, Bruce Devlin also played on the Senior PGA Tour. He won one tournament there, the 1995 FHP Health Care Classic. In 1998, he decided to stop playing full-time to focus on his other passion: designing golf courses.
Designing golf courses became a big part of Bruce's life. He has designed and built over 150 golf courses all around the world. You can find his courses in Australia, Japan, Scotland, the Bahamas, and many in the United States, especially in Florida and Texas. Many of these courses have hosted major professional golf tournaments. His golf design company is based in Arizona.
Bruce also worked as a television commentator, sharing his golf knowledge with viewers. He worked for NBC, ESPN, and still occasionally covers golf for ESPN.
Bruce Devlin's Personal Life
Bruce Devlin married Gloria Gale in 1959. They had three children: Kelvin, Kerrie, and Kurt. They also have eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Gloria passed away in 2022.
Amateur Wins
- 1958 Lake Macquarie Amateur, New South Wales Amateur
- 1959 Australian Amateur
- 1960 Australian Open
Professional Wins
Bruce Devlin won many professional tournaments throughout his career. Here are some of his notable wins:
PGA Tour Wins (8)
- 1964 St. Petersburg Open Invitational
- 1966 Colonial National Invitation
- 1966 Carling World Open
- 1969 Byron Nelson Golf Classic
- 1970 Bob Hope Desert Classic
- 1970 Cleveland Open
- 1972 Houston Open
- 1972 USI Classic
Other Important Wins
- 1963 French Open
- 1963 New Zealand Open
- 1970 World Cup (team with David Graham)
- 1995 FHP Health Care Classic (Senior PGA Tour)
Major Championship Results
Bruce Devlin played in golf's biggest tournaments, known as "major championships." These include the Masters, U.S. Open, The Open Championship, and PGA Championship. He often finished in the top 10 or top 25 in these events.
| Tournament | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | 4 | T15 | T28 | T10 | 4 | T19 | |
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | T6 | T26 | T23 | T9 | T10 | |
| The Open Championship | CUT | T33 | 5 | T8 | T4 | T8 | T10 | T16 |
| PGA Championship | T39 | T6 | T28 | WD | T32 |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T31 | T13 | T5 | T8 | T31 | T15 | T19 | T42 | ||
| U.S. Open | T8 | T27 | T65 | CUT | T60 | CUT | ||||
| The Open Championship | T25 | T37 | T26 | T18 | T39 | |||||
| PGA Championship | T18 | T13 | CUT | T24 | T22 | T50 | T51 |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T31 | CUT | ||
| U.S. Open | T12 | T26 | T10 | T65 |
| The Open Championship | ||||
| PGA Championship | T30 | CUT |
Top 10 Did not play WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Team Appearances
Bruce Devlin also played for Australia in several team golf events:
Amateur Teams
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing Australia): 1958 (Australia won, and Bruce tied for the individual lead), 1960
- Commonwealth Tournament (representing Australia): 1959
- Australian Men's Interstate Teams Matches (representing New South Wales): 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 (New South Wales won all these years!)
Professional Teams
- World Cup (representing Australia): 1963, 1964, 1966, 1970 (Australia won!), 1971
