George Bayer

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For the founder of Hermann, Missouri, see George Bayer (pioneer).
George Bayer
Personal information
Full name George Bayer
Born September 15, 1925
Bremerton, Washington
Died March 16, 2003 (aged 77)
Palm Springs, California
Height 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight 230 lb (100 kg; 16 st)
Nationality United States
Career
College Washington
Turned professional 1954
Former tour(s) PGA Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins 6
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour 4
Other 1 (regular)
1 (senior)
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament T15: 1965
PGA Championship T3: 1962
U.S. Open T11: 1964
The Open Championship DNP

George Bayer (September 15, 1925 � March 16, 2003) was an American professional
golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour.

Bayer was born in Bremerton, Washington.[1] He attended the University of

Washington and was a member of the football team from 1946�1949; he played in the
1949 East-West Shrine Game.[2][3] After college, he was drafted by the Washington
Redskins in the 20th round (253rd overall). He was released by the Redskins and
played for the Brooklyn Brooks and Richmond Arrows of the minor league American
Football League in 1950.[4] Bayer did not begin playing golf professionally until
he was 29 years old; he started in golf as a caddie at Kitsap Golf and Country
Club, which is located between Silverdale, Washington and his hometown of
Bremerton.[2]

At 6-foot-5-inches tall and 230 pounds, the power that Bayer could generate was
astonishing. He was known for booming 300-yard drives.[4] Bayer won four times on
the PGA Tour in a four-year period made remarkable by the fact that he played in an
era of inconsistently wound balls; and laminated maple or persimmon clubs that were
made for players of average height (5'9" tall) and build (160 pounds). His
achievements came in an era when golf equipment was simply not available for
extremely tall or extremely short people.[5] He also won the par-3 contest at the
Masters Tournament in 1963.

Bayer also played on the Senior PGA Tour. His best year on that circuit was 1984,
when he finished 21st on the money list with $64,491 in earnings. His last
appearance in competitive golf was at the 2002 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf.
Bayer suffered a fatal heart attack at home in Palm Springs, California while
dining with his wife, golfer Bob Goalby and Goalby's wife.[2]
Contents

1 Professional wins (6)

1.1 PGA Tour wins (4)
1.2 Other wins (1)
1.3 Senior wins (1)
2 References
3 External links

Professional wins (6)

PGA Tour wins (4)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of victory Runner-up
1 Jul 13, 1957 Canadian Open -13 (70-68-64-69=271) 2 strokes United
States Bo Wininger
2 Nov 16, 1958 Havana Invitational +6 (75-64-74-73=286) Playoff
United States Sam Snead
3 Apr 17, 1958 Mayfair Inn Open -12 (68-67-69-68=272) 1 stroke United
States Chick Harbert
4 Mar 21, 1960 St. Petersburg Open Invitational -6 (66-69-75-72=282)
Playoff United States Jack Fleck

PGA Tour playoff record (2�2)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 1957 Western Open United States Doug Ford, United States Gene Littler,
United States Billy Maxwell Ford won with par on third extra hole
Littler and Maxwell eliminated with par on first hole
2 1958 Havana Invitational United States Sam Snead Won with par on
first extra hole
3 1960 St. Petersburg Open Invitational United States Jack Fleck Won
with birdie on first extra hole
4 1961 Ontario Open United States Eric Monti, United States Bobby Nichols
Monti won with birdie on second extra hole
Other wins (1)

1973 Michigan Open

Senior wins (1)

1997 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf � Demaret Division (with Jim Ferree)

References

"George Bayer, 77; Noted for Long Drives in Golf". Los Angeles Times. March 20,
2003.
"Bayer, also ex-Redskins lineman, dies of heart attack". ESPN. March 19, 2003.
Retrieved January 11, 2008.
"George Bayer, 77, Long-Driving Golfer". The New York Times. Associated Press.
March 20, 2003.
"George Bayer passes away". 4malamute.com. March 22, 2003. Retrieved November 3,
2007.

Penner, Andrew. "The tall and short of it: It's your swing � not body type �
that counts in golf". Golf Instruction. Retrieved November 3, 2007.

External links