Art Wall Jr.

Art Wall Jr.
Art Wall Jr.
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	U.S. Army Air Forces
Years of service	1943–1946
Battles / wars	World War II

Art Wall Jr.
Art Wall Jr.
	Wall at the 1959 Buick Open
Personal information
Full name	Arthur Jonathan Wall Jr.
Born	November 25, 1923; Honesdale, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	October 31, 2001 (aged 77); Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Sporting nationality	United States
Spouse	Jean Louise Miller Wall; (1923–2004)
Children	5
Career
College	Duke University
Status	Professional
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour; Senior PGA Tour
Professional wins	31
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	14
Other	17
Best results in major championships; (wins: 1)
Masters Tournament	Won: 1959
PGA Championship	T5: 1961
U.S. Open	T9: 1967
The Open Championship	DNP
Achievements and awards
PGA Tour; money list winner
PGA Tour; money list winner	1959
PGA Player of the Year	1959
Vardon Trophy	1959

Arthur Jonathan Wall Jr. (November 25, 1923 – October 31, 2001) was an American professional golfer, best known for winning the Masters Tournament in 1959.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Early life

Wall was born and raised in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. He and his younger brother "Dewey" caddied for their parents, starting around age ten, and began playing shortly after.^[4]^[5] The brothers served in the military during World War II. Art served in the Army Air Forces^[6] and Dewey in the Navy. Dewey was killed at the age of 20 in October 1944 when his submarine USS Shark was sunk in the Pacific Ocean near Taiwan.^[7]

Amateur career

Wall won the Pennsylvania Amateur in 1947 and 1949.^[8] He attended Duke University^[9] and graduated in 1949 with a business degree.

Professional career

Wall won 14 titles on the PGA Tour, including four in 1959. That year he was chosen as the PGA Player of the Year, and also won the money title and Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average.^[10] His most notable career achievement was his victory at the Masters.^[11]^[12] In the final round in 1959, he birdied five of his last six holes to shoot a 66 and overtake Cary Middlecoff and defending champion Arnold Palmer.^[9]^[11]^[13]

He was a member of three United States Ryder Cup teams: 1957, 1959, and 1961. Wall is also notable for sinking 45 holes-in-one in his playing career (including casual rounds), a world record for many years.^[2]^[10]^[14]

Final win

Wall's final tour win came as a grandfather at age 51 years 7 months at the Greater Milwaukee Open in 1975, which was his first tour win in nine years.^[15]^[16]^[17]

Death

Wall died at the age of 77 from respiratory failure after a lengthy illness.^[9] He is buried at Glen Dyberry Cemetery in Honesdale, Pennsylvania.

Amateur wins

1947 Pennsylvania Amateur^[8]
1949 Pennsylvania Amateur^[8]

Professional wins (31)

PGA Tour wins (14)

Legend
Major championships (1)
Other PGA Tour (13)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Aug 17, 1953	Fort Wayne Open	66-66-68-65=265	−23	Playoff	Cary Middlecoff
2	Apr 25, 1954	Tournament of Champions	69-66-70-73=278	−10	6 strokes	Al Besselink, Lloyd Mangrum
3	Sep 16, 1956	Fort Wayne Open (2)	70-64-70-65=269	−19	Playoff	Gardner Dickinson, Bill Trombley
4	Mar 10, 1957	Pensacola Open	70-68-69-66=273	−15	2 strokes	Peter Thomson
5	Jul 6, 1958	Rubber City Open Invitational	65-67-68-69=269	−15	Playoff	Dow Finsterwald
6	Jul 27, 1958	Eastern Open Invitational	69-69-71-67=276	−12	Playoff	Jack Burke Jr., Bob Rosburg
7	Jan 18, 1959	Bing Crosby National Pro-Am	69-65-70-75=279	−9	2 strokes	Jimmy Demaret, Gene Littler
8	Mar 30, 1959	Azalea Open Invitational	72-66-71-73=282	−6	3 strokes	Mike Souchak
9	Apr 5, 1959	Masters Tournament	73-74-71-66=284	−4	1 stroke	Cary Middlecoff
10	Jul 6, 1959	Buick Open Invitational	71-67-72-72=282	−6	Playoff	Dow Finsterwald
11	Jul 9, 1960	Canadian Open	66-67-67-69=269	−19	6 strokes	Bob Goalby, Jay Hebert
12	Jan 12, 1964	San Diego Open Invitational	71-65-68-70=274	−6	2 strokes	Tony Lema, Bob Rosburg
13	Aug 21, 1966	Insurance City Open Invitational	65-64-69-68=266	−18	2 strokes	Wes Ellis
14	Jul 5, 1975	Greater Milwaukee Open	67-67-67-70=271	−17	1 stroke	Gary McCord

PGA Tour playoff record (5–5)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1953	Greater Greensboro Open	Doug Ford, Sam Snead, Earl Stewart	Stewart won with par on first extra hole after 18-hole playoff; Stewart: −2 (68), Snead: −2 (68), Ford: E (70), Wall: +2 (72)
2	1953	Fort Wayne Open	Cary Middlecoff	Won 18-hole playoff; Wall: −2 (70), Middlecoff: E (72)
3	1956	Fort Wayne Open	Gardner Dickinson, Bill Trombley	Won with birdie on first extra hole
4	1958	Rubber City Open Invitational	Dow Finsterwald	Won with birdie on second extra hole
5	1958	Eastern Open Invitational	Jack Burke Jr., Bob Rosburg	Won with birdie on first extra hole
6	1959	Buick Open Invitational	Dow Finsterwald	Won 18-hole playoff; Wall: −1 (71), Finsterwald: +1 (73)
7	1960	Western Open	Stan Leonard	Lost to birdie on first extra hole
8	1962	Insurance City Open Invitational	Bob Goalby	Lost to birdie on seventh extra hole
9	1967	Canadian Open	Billy Casper	Lost 18-hole playoff; Casper: −6 (65), Wall: −2 (69)
10	1971	Canadian Open	Lee Trevino	Lost to birdie on first extra hole

Caribbean Tour wins (7)

1963 Caracas Open
1964 Maracaibo Open Invitational,^[18] Puerto Rico Open,^[18] Los Lagartos Open^[18]
1965 Panama Open, Maracaibo Open Invitational
1966 Maracaibo Open Invitational

Latin American wins (3)

1964 Ciudad Barranquilla Open,^[18] Mexican Open^[18]
1966 Caracas Open

Other wins (5)

Other senior wins (2)

1980 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Tommy Bolt)
1996 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Doug Ford)

Major championships

Wins (1)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runner-up
1959	Masters Tournament	6 shot deficit	−4 (73-74-71-66=284)	1 stroke	Cary Middlecoff

Results timeline

Tournament	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959
Masters Tournament					T34	CUT	T6	1
U.S. Open	47	T26	CUT	T16	CUT	CUT		WD
PGA Championship					R32	R64	T11	T25

Tournament	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969
Masters Tournament	WD		CUT	T21	CUT	T45	CUT	T49	T22	T40
U.S. Open	T43		T11	T40				T9	T50
PGA Championship	T39	T5	T23	T8			58			CUT

Tournament	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979
Masters Tournament	CUT	T27	CUT	T37	T37	T15	T28	T35	CUT	CUT
U.S. Open		CUT		T45
PGA Championship			T24			T50	CUT

Tournament	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1987	1988
Masters Tournament	51	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT
U.S. Open
PGA Championship

Note: Wall never played in The Open Championship.

Win

Top 10

Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" = tied

Summary

Tournament	Wins	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	1	1	2	5	31	15
U.S. Open	0	0	1	3	14	9
The Open Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0
PGA Championship	0	1	2	7	13	11
Totals	1	2	5	15	58	35

Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (1972 PGA – 1976 Masters)
Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (five times)

U.S. national team appearances

Professional

Ryder Cup: 1957, 1959 (winners), 1961 (winners)

References

^ Gundelfinger, Phil (April 6, 1959). "Wall's sensational rally takes Masters". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 26.
^ ^a ^b "Art Wall Jr., 77; golfer had 40 holes in one". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. November 1, 2001. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
^ Passov, Joe (September 24, 2009). "50 years ago, game's best player was Art Wall, not Arnold Palmer". Golf.com. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
^ "Art Wall, Jr.: still living the game". Tucson Citizen. (Arizona). (part 1). May 3, 1994. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
^ "Art Wall, Jr.: still living the game". Tucson Citizen. (Arizona). (part 2). May 3, 1994. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
^ Porter, David L. (1995). Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: 1992-1995 (Art Wall). Greenwood Press. p. 574. ISBN 9780313284311.
^ "William Riefler Wall". On Eternal Patrol. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Amateur Championship – Past Champions". Pennsylvania Golf Association. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Art Wall Jr. – Golfer, 77". The New York Times. November 1, 2001. Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
^ ^a ^b "Art Wall Jr". Autograph Magazine. Archived from the original on April 24, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
^ ^a ^b Brown, Gwilym (April 13, 1959). "Wall was wondrous". Sports Illustrated. p. 16.
^ Wright, Alfred (January 18, 1960). "The young pros go after the veterans". Sports Illustrated. p. 38.
^ "Wall birdies five of final 6; wins Masters in epic finish". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. April 6, 1959. p. 10.
^ Kindred, Dave (October 8, 2007). Do you believe her?. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^ Bunch, Ken (July 7, 1975). "Old tiger Wall on prowl with GMO win". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 1, part 2.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^ "Art Wall a winner at Milwaukee". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. (Florida). Associated Press. July 7, 1975. p. 1C.
^ "I don't think 51 is old – golfer Art Wall". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (Florida). Associated Press. July 7, 1975. p. 4C.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Trenham, Peter. "A Chronicle of the Philadelphia Section PGA and its Members, 1960–1969" (PDF). Philadelphia PGA.

External links

Duke University Athletics Hall of Fame – Art Wall Jr.
GolfCompendium.com – Art Wall
Trenham Golf History – Art Wall Jr.
Art Wall Jr. at Find a Grave

[ppgwsenrll-1] Gundelfinger, Phil (April 6, 1959). "Wall's sensational rally takes Masters". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 26.

[latobit-2] "Art Wall Jr., 77; golfer had 40 holes in one". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. November 1, 2001. Retrieved June 13, 2018.

[fyagoawl-3] Passov, Joe (September 24, 2009). "50 years ago, game's best player was Art Wall, not Arnold Palmer". Golf.com. Retrieved June 13, 2018.

[tcitpton-4] "Art Wall, Jr.: still living the game". Tucson Citizen. (Arizona). (part 1). May 3, 1994. Retrieved June 13, 2018.

[tcitptwo-5] "Art Wall, Jr.: still living the game". Tucson Citizen. (Arizona). (part 2). May 3, 1994. Retrieved June 13, 2018.

[biodicsp-6] Porter, David L. (1995). Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: 1992-1995 (Art Wall). Greenwood Press. p. 574. ISBN 9780313284311.

[onetpatl-7] "William Riefler Wall". On Eternal Patrol. Retrieved June 13, 2018.

[:0-8] "Amateur Championship – Past Champions". Pennsylvania Golf Association. Retrieved August 25, 2021.

[NYTobit-9] "Art Wall Jr. – Golfer, 77". The New York Times. November 1, 2001. Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2011.

[am-10] "Art Wall Jr". Autograph Magazine. Archived from the original on April 24, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2011.

[wwaswn-11] Brown, Gwilym (April 13, 1959). "Wall was wondrous". Sports Illustrated. p. 16.

[usogav-12] Wright, Alfred (January 18, 1960). "The young pros go after the veterans". Sports Illustrated. p. 38.

[wbfofsx-13] "Wall birdies five of final 6; wins Masters in epic finish". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. April 6, 1959. p. 10.

[14] Kindred, Dave (October 8, 2007). Do you believe her?. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)

[otwoprl-15] Bunch, Ken (July 7, 1975). "Old tiger Wall on prowl with GMO win". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 1, part 2.^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[awawnratm-16] "Art Wall a winner at Milwaukee". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. (Florida). Associated Press. July 7, 1975. p. 1C.

[gartwsar-17] "I don't think 51 is old – golfer Art Wall". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (Florida). Associated Press. July 7, 1975. p. 4C.

[philpga-18] Trenham, Peter. "A Chronicle of the Philadelphia Section PGA and its Members, 1960–1969" (PDF). Philadelphia PGA.

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