Tony Lema
1 Major Championship • 90th All-Time
1
Wins
0
2nd Place
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First Win Age
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Last Win Age
Major Championship Wins
Career Highlights
- 1964 Open Championship — Won at St Andrews on his first time playing the course, defeating Jack Nicklaus by five strokes
- 1964 Season — Won four tournaments in four months including Bing Crosby Pro-Am at Pebble Beach
- Career — 12 PGA Tour victories with 11 runner-up finishes over four-year peak
- Ryder Cup — Stellar 9-1-1 record across 1963 and 1965 teams (best record for any player with 2+ appearances)
- 1963-1966 — Finished top 10 in over 50% of events and never missed a cut in a major championship
Did You Know?
- "Champagne Tony": Earned his nickname by buying champagne for press reporters after winning the 1962 Orange County Open, making it his signature celebration
- Tragic End: Lema died in a plane crash at age 32 in 1966, just two years after winning The Open Championship, cutting short what many believed would be a Hall of Fame career
- St Andrews Mastery: Despite never seeing the Old Course before arriving for The Open, Lema dominated with rounds of 73-68-68-70 after just one practice round