Ed Oliver (golfer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ed Oliver |
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Oliver, circa 1953
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| Personal information | |
| Full name | Edward Stewart Oliver, Jr. |
| Nickname | Porky, Pork Chops |
| Born | September 6, 1915 Wilmington, Delaware |
| Died | September 21, 1961 (aged 46) Wilmington, Delaware |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight | 240 lb (109 kg; 17 st) |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Spouse | Clara E. Hee |
| Children | 3 sons, 1 daughter |
| Career | |
| College | none |
| Turned professional | 1940 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Professional wins | 15 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 8 |
| Other | 7 |
| Best results in Major Championships |
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| The Masters Tournament | 2nd: 1953 |
| U.S. Open | 2nd: 1952 |
| The Open Championship | DNP |
| PGA Championship | 2nd: 1946 |
Edward Stewart "Porky" Oliver, Jr. (born September 6, 1915 – died September 21, 1961) was a talented professional golfer from the United States. He played on what is now known as the PGA Tour during the 1940s and 1950s.
Contents
A Young Golfer's Journey
Ed Oliver was born in Wilmington, Delaware. He started his golf journey as a caddie at age 11 at the Dupont Country Club. A caddie is someone who carries a golfer's clubs and helps them on the course. Later, he joined the Wilmington Country Club, where he helped his team win the Philadelphia caddie championship.
Ed was a great all-around athlete. In high school, he led his baseball team to a championship. He even averaged 14 strikeouts per game as a pitcher! When he was young, his friends called him "Snowball" because he was so good at throwing snowballs.
He became a professional golfer at 19. After joining the golf tour, he gained some weight. His friend, famous golfer Sam Snead, gave him the nickname "Porky." Ed Oliver was about 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed between 215 and 240 pounds during his career.
Playing Against the Best
Ed Oliver won eight times on the PGA Tour. He was known for often finishing second in major golf championships, but he never let it get him down. He was runner-up to golf legends like Ben Hogan in the 1946 PGA Championship and the 1953 Masters. He also finished second to Julius Boros in the 1952 U.S. Open.
Ed had a special ability to play his best golf against the top players. He defeated Ben Hogan in several tournaments, including the 1941 Western Open. He also beat Byron Nelson in a big match in the 1946 PGA Championship. Nelson, another golf legend, retired after that match. Ed also defeated Sam Snead to win the 1956 White Sulphur Springs Open.
In 1940, Ed Oliver was disqualified from the U.S. Open. This was a very controversial decision. He had tied for the lead but was disqualified for starting his round 30 minutes early due to concerns about bad weather. Even famous golfer Bobby Jones called it "the most unfortunate golfing occasion."
Ed Oliver was a very popular player because of his positive attitude. Fellow golfer Ken Venturi once called him "the greatest ambassador to golf who ever played."
Serving His Country and Facing Challenges
Ed Oliver played on three Ryder Cup teams for the United States. The Ryder Cup is a major team golf competition between the U.S. and Europe. He helped the U.S. team win in 1947, 1951, and 1953. In the 1953 matches, he and his childhood friend Dave Douglas won a key point that helped the U.S. team secure the victory.
Ed lost four and a half years of his prime golfing career (from age 25 to 30) because he served in the U.S. Army during World War II.
He was also involved in several serious car accidents. One accident in 1949, when his car was hit by a lumber truck, caused injuries that affected his golf game for many years. To spend more time with his family and have a steady income, he took jobs as a head golf professional at clubs in New York, Washington, and Massachusetts. These jobs meant he couldn't play on the PGA Tour as much.
Battling Cancer and His Legacy
In 1960, Ed Oliver was diagnosed with cancer. He had surgery to remove part of a lung. Amazingly, he played in a golf tournament just a few months later, though he didn't make the cut.
Even while fighting cancer, Ed became a strong supporter of cancer research. Many golf tournaments and fundraisers were held to help him and his family, and to raise money for cancer research. Famous people like Presidents Kennedy and Eisenhower, Bob Hope, and Bing Crosby joined a national committee to support him.
In August 1961, the PGA named him the "Honorary Captain" of that year's Ryder Cup Team. Ed Oliver passed away in September 1961 at age 46 in Wilmington, Delaware, less than a month before the Ryder Cup matches.
Ed Oliver's legacy lives on. He was inducted into the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame in 1976. The golf course of the Wilmington Country Club, where he started as a caddie, was redesigned and is now called the Ed Oliver Golf Club. In 2022, he was inducted into the Caddie Hall of Fame. He and his wife Clara are buried in Wilmington. They had three sons and one daughter.
Professional wins
PGA Tour wins (8)
- 1940 (3) Bing Crosby Pro-Am, Phoenix Open, St. Paul Open
- 1941 (1) Western Open
- 1947 (1) San Antonio Texas Open
- 1948 (1) Tacoma Open Invitational
- 1953 (1) Kansas City Open
- 1958 (1) Houston Open
Other wins
- 1936 Central Pennsylvania Open
- 1937 Wood Memorial
- 1938 South Jersey Open, Central Pennsylvania Open
- 1939 Buffalo Open
- 1940 Buffalo Open
- 1940 Mid-South Better-Ball Championship (partnered with Clayton Heafner)
- 1945 Delaware Open
- 1948 Pacific Northwest PGA Championship
- 1949 Northwest Open, Philippine World Open, Washington State PGA Championship, Idaho Open, Esmeralda Open, Goodwill Open
- 1954 Wood Memorial
- 1956 Massachusetts Open, White Sulphur Open
- 1959 Jamaica Open, Montana Open, Lake Tahoe Pro-Am
U.S. national team appearances
- Ryder Cup: 1947 (winners), 1951 (winners), 1953 (winners)
- Lakes International Cup: 1952 (winners)
- Hopkins Trophy: 1953 (winners), 1954 (winners)
