Fred Hawkins (golfer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fred Hawkins |
|
|---|---|
Hawkins in 2010
|
|
| Personal information | |
| Born | September 3, 1923 Antioch, Illinois |
| Died | December 6, 2014 (aged 91) Sebring, Florida |
| Height | 6 ft 1.5 in (1.87 m) |
| Weight | 165 lb (75 kg; 11.8 st) |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Career | |
| College | University of Illinois Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy |
| Turned professional | 1947 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions Tour |
| Professional wins | 3 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 1 |
| Other | 2 |
| Best results in Major Championships |
|
| The Masters Tournament | T2: 1958 |
| U.S. Open | T6: 1951, 1957 |
| The Open Championship | DNP |
| PGA Championship | T5: 1955, 1956 |
Fred Hawkins (born September 3, 1923 – died December 6, 2014) was an American professional golfer. He was a well-known player on the PGA Tour from the mid-1940s to the mid-1960s. He also played on the Champions Tour later in his career.
Fred Hawkins was born in Antioch, Illinois. He went to college at the University of Illinois and the Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy. He became a professional golfer in 1947.
He had one big win on the PGA Tour. He also finished second 19 times in other PGA Tour events. His best year was 1956. That year, he won the Oklahoma City Open. He also earned a lot of money, finishing fourth on the money list.
Fred Hawkins also did very well in major golf tournaments. These are the biggest and most important golf events. He tied for second place at the 1958 Masters Tournament. This was a huge achievement, as the tournament was won by the famous golfer Arnold Palmer. He also tied for sixth place at the 1957 U.S. Open.
In 1957, Fred Hawkins was chosen to play for the United States in the Ryder Cup. This is a special team competition between golfers from the U.S. and Europe.
After his main career, Fred Hawkins played on the Senior PGA Tour (now called the Champions Tour) from 1980 to 1991. He finished third twice in tournaments on this tour.
Fred Hawkins lived in El Paso, Texas for many years. Later, he lived in Sebring, Florida until he passed away in 2014.
Contents
Fred Hawkins' Golf Wins
Fred Hawkins won three professional golf tournaments during his career.
PGA Tour Wins
Fred Hawkins won one tournament on the PGA Tour. This was his biggest win.
| Tournament Name | Date | Winning Score | How much he won by | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma City Open | September 23, 1956 | 9 strokes under par (279) | 2 strokes | Gardner Dickinson |
Playoff Record
Fred Hawkins played in one playoff on the PGA Tour and lost it. A playoff happens when players are tied at the end of a tournament. They play extra holes to decide the winner.
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Colonial National Invitation | Ben Hogan | Lost an 18-hole playoff. Ben Hogan shot 1 stroke under par, while Fred Hawkins shot 3 strokes over par. |
Other Tournament Wins
Besides his PGA Tour win, Fred Hawkins also won two other professional tournaments:
- 1950 Cavalier Specialists Invitational
- 1961 New Mexico Open
Fred Hawkins in Major Championships
Major championships are the most important golf tournaments in the world. Fred Hawkins played in three of the four major championships. He never played in The Open Championship (also known as the British Open).
Here's how he did in the major tournaments he played in:
| Tournament | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T7 | T10 | T58 | T29 | T16 | T2 | 7 | T16 | T24 | CUT | ||||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | T6 | T48 | T19 | CUT | T6 | T11 | CUT | CUT | T38 | CUT | |||||
| PGA Championship | QF | QF | R128 | T14 | T28 | T10 | T22 | CUT |
Top 10 (Finished in the top 10 players) Did not play CUT = missed the cut (did not play all rounds of the tournament)
R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round where the player lost in the PGA Championship (which used to be a match play tournament)
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Major Championship Highlights
Fred Hawkins had some great results in major championships:
- He finished second once.
- He finished in the top 5 three times.
- He finished in the top 10 nine times.
- He made the cut in 22 out of 29 major tournaments he played. This means he played all the rounds in most of them.
His longest streak of making the cut was 10 tournaments in a row (from the 1956 PGA Championship to the 1960 Masters). He also had a streak of two top-10 finishes in a row (1951 U.S. Open and 1952 Masters).
Playing for the U.S. Team
Fred Hawkins was part of the 1957 Ryder Cup team for the United States. The Ryder Cup is a famous golf competition where teams from the United States and Europe play against each other. It's a big honor to be chosen for this team.
