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 an Australian professional golfer. He also worked as a sportscaster and is a well-known golf course designer.
Contents
Bruce Devlin's Early Life
Bruce Devlin was born in Armidale, New South Wales, Australia, in 1937. When he was six months old, his parents, Jess and Artie, moved to Goulburn. Bruce grew up in Goulburn, where he went to school and technical college. He enjoyed playing hockey, basketball, and golf. On July 11, 1959, Bruce married Gloria Gale in Goulburn.
Bruce started showing his golf talent early. In 1952, he won the Southern Tablelands Open Junior Championship. He won this title again in 1953 at Tully Park Golf Course. In 1953, he and Perce Tyrie won the Open Foursomes Championship. Bruce then won his first Goulburn Golf Club Open Championship in 1956. In 1959, he won the Australian Amateur championship.
Bruce decided to become a professional golfer after a teacher at St Patrick's College in Goulburn gave him an ultimatum: "It's school or golf, Devlin."
Bruce Devlin's Professional Golf Career
Bruce Devlin became a professional golfer in 1961. The next year, he joined the PGA Tour, which is a major golf tour in the United States. During his time on the PGA Tour, he won eight tournaments. These wins happened between 1964 and 1972. In 1972, he earned a lot of money, finishing eighth on the money list.
In 1970, Bruce Devlin and David Graham played together for Australia in the World Cup in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Australian team had a huge lead going into the final round. They won the tournament by eight strokes, setting a new record for the lowest total score. Devlin and Graham played for Australia again in the 1971 World Cup.
At the 1975 Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational, Bruce Devlin had a tough moment on the 18th hole. He hit several shots into the water in front of the green. Because of this, the pond there was later nicknamed "Devlin’s Billabong." A "billabong" is an Australian term for a small lake or pond.
Bruce Devlin is one of only four golfers to ever score a double eagle at the Masters Tournament. A double eagle means finishing a hole three strokes under par. He did this in 1967 on the 8th hole, hitting the ball into the hole from 248 yards away.
Later Career and Other Work
After his main PGA Tour career, Bruce Devlin played on the Senior PGA Tour. He won one tournament there, the 1995 FHP Health Care Classic. At the end of 1998, Devlin decided to stop playing on the Senior PGA Tour. He wanted to focus on his work as a golf course designer and his job as a golf commentator for ESPN.
For the past 30 years, Bruce Devlin has mostly focused on designing golf courses. He has designed and built over 150 golf courses around the world. These courses are in places like Australia, Japan, Scotland, the Bahamas, and the United States. Many of his courses are in Florida and Texas. Some of these courses have even hosted major professional golf tournaments. His golf design company is based in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Devlin also worked as a television commentator for golf. He worked for NBC from 1977 to 1982. Then he worked for ESPN from 1983 to 1987. Since 1999, he has sometimes covered professional golf for ESPN.
Bruce Devlin's Personal Life
Bruce and Gloria Devlin had three children: Kelvin, Kerrie, and Kurt. They also have eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Gloria Devlin passed away in 2022.
Amateur Wins
Bruce Devlin had several important wins as an amateur golfer:
- 1958 Lake Macquarie Amateur, New South Wales Amateur
- 1959 Australian Amateur
Professional Wins
Bruce Devlin won a total of 32 professional golf tournaments.
- He won 8 tournaments on the PGA Tour.
- He won 1 tournament on the PGA Tour of Australia.
- He won 3 tournaments on the New Zealand Golf Circuit.
- He won 16 other tournaments in Australia.
- He won 3 other international tournaments, including the French Open in 1963 and the World Cup team event in 1970.
- He won 1 tournament on the Senior PGA Tour.
Major Championship Results
Bruce Devlin played in many major golf championships. These include the Masters Tournament, U.S. Open, The Open Championship, and PGA Championship.
- He finished in the top 5 at the Masters Tournament three times.
- He finished in the top 10 at the U.S. Open five times.
- He finished in the top 5 at The Open Championship two times.
- He finished in the top 10 at the PGA Championship once.
Team Appearances
Bruce Devlin represented Australia in several team golf events.
Amateur Teams
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing Australia): 1958 (team winners), 1960
- Commonwealth Tournament (representing Australia): 1959
- Australian Men's Interstate Teams Matches (representing New South Wales): 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 (all team winners)
Professional Teams
- World Cup (representing Australia): 1963, 1964, 1966, 1970 (winners), 1971
