Orville Moody facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Orville Moody |
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| Personal information | |
| Full name | Orville James Moody |
| Nickname | Sarge |
| Born | December 9, 1933 Chickasha, Oklahoma, US |
| Died | August 8, 2008 (aged 74) Allen, Texas, US |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st) |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Spouse | Beverly Moody |
| Children | 4 |
| Career | |
| College | Oklahoma (briefly) |
| Turned professional | 1967 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions Tour |
| Professional wins | 31 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 1 |
| Champions Tour | 11 |
| Other | 19 |
| Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 1) |
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| The Masters Tournament | T18: 1970 |
| U.S. Open | Won: 1969 |
| The Open Championship | T11: 1978 |
| PGA Championship | T7: 1969 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| PGA Player of the Year | 1969 |
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Orville Moody
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| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/ |
 United States Army |
| Years of service | 1952–1966 |
Orville James Moody (born December 9, 1933 – died August 8, 2008) was a professional golfer from the United States. He won many golf tournaments during his career. He is best known for winning the U.S. Open in 1969. He was the last champion in the 20th century to win this major tournament after going through local and sectional qualifying rounds.
Contents
Early Life & Military Service
Orville Moody was born in Chickasha, Oklahoma. He was the youngest of ten children. His father was a golf course superintendent, which meant Orville grew up around golf.
He started playing golf at Capitol Hill High School in Oklahoma City. In 1952, he won the state high school golf championship. After a short time at the University of Oklahoma, Moody joined the U.S. Army.
While in the Army, he continued to play golf. He won the All-Service championship and three Korea Open tournaments. Moody served in the Army for fourteen years. He was in charge of maintaining and teaching at all Army golf courses. He reached the rank of sergeant.
Professional Golf Career
In 1967, Orville Moody left his military career to become a professional golfer. He joined the PGA Tour. Because of his time in the Army, his nickname on the tour was "Sarge."
Before 1969, Moody didn't have much success on the PGA Tour. In April 1969, he was part of a four-way playoff at the Greater Greensboro Open. Gene Littler won that tournament.
Winning the U.S. Open
The 1969 U.S. Open was held in June at the Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas. Even the defending champion, Lee Trevino, thought Moody was a great player. Moody won the tournament by one stroke. He beat Deane Beman, Al Geiberger, and Bob Rosburg with a score of 281 over 72 holes.
After his U.S. Open win, Moody also played well in other major tournaments. He tied for 16th at the British Open. He also tied for 7th at the PGA Championship. Because of his great year, he was named PGA Player of the Year for 1969.
The U.S. Open was Moody's only win on the main PGA Tour. He finished second five times. He later played in Japan and worked as a club professional in Sulphur Springs, Texas. Moody had trouble with his putting early in his career.
Success on the Senior Tour
Orville Moody's career changed a lot when he joined the Senior PGA Tour (now called PGA Tour Champions). After turning 50 in late 1983, he quickly found success. In 1984, he won two of his first five tournaments. He finished fifth on the money list that year.
In 1989, Moody achieved something special. He became only the fourth golfer to win both the U.S. Open and the U.S. Senior Open. He started using a longer putter when he became a senior golfer. This change greatly improved his putting. He won a total of eleven tournaments on the senior tour. His last win was in 1992.
Moody had triple bypass heart surgery before the 1995 season. Despite this, he still played in 29 events that year.
Later Life
Orville Moody continued to play in charity and other golf events until 2007. He passed away the following year, in 2008, at the age of 74. He died in Allen, Texas, due to complications from a stroke and multiple myeloma. He was survived by his wife, Beverly, their son, three daughters, and eight grandchildren.
Professional Wins
Orville Moody had a successful career with 31 professional wins.
PGA Tour Wins (1)
- 1969 U.S. Open
Asia Golf Circuit Wins (1)
- 1971 Hong Kong Open
Korean Wins (5)
- 1958 Korea Open
- 1959 KPGA Championship, Korea Open
- 1960 Korea Open
- 1966 KPGA Championship
Other Wins (3)
- 1969 World Series of Golf
- 1969 World Cup (team with Lee Trevino)
- 1971 Hassan II Golf Trophy
Senior PGA Tour Wins (11)
- 1984 Daytona Beach Seniors Golf Classic
- 1984 MONY Senior Tournament of Champions
- 1987 Rancho Murieta Senior Gold Rush
- 1987 GTE Kaanapali Classic
- 1988 Vintage Chrysler Invitational
- 1988 Senior Players Reunion Pro-Am
- 1988 Greater Grand Rapids Open
- 1989 Mazda Senior Tournament Players Championship (a major senior tournament)
- 1989 U.S. Senior Open (a major senior tournament)
- 1991 PaineWebber Invitational
- 1992 Franklin Showdown Classic
Other Senior Wins (10)
- 1984 Viceroy Panama Open
- 1986 Australian PGA Seniors Championship
- 1987 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Bruce Crampton)
- 1987 Australian PGA Seniors Championship
- 1988 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Bruce Crampton)
- 1995 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Jimmy Powell)
- 1996 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Jimmy Powell)
- 1999 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Jimmy Powell)
- 2005 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Jimmy Powell)
- 2006 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Jimmy Powell)
Major Championships Overview
Orville Moody won one major championship during his career:
- 1969 U.S. Open
He also won two major championships on the Champions Tour:
- 1989 Mazda Senior Tournament Players Championship
- 1989 U.S. Senior Open
Team Appearances
Professional
- World Cup: 1969 (winners with the USA team)
See also
- 1967 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
- List of golfers with most Champions Tour wins
