Golf has lost another of its legends in recent weeks with the death overnight of three-time Major winning Billy Casper.
Casper, who also captured 51 PGA Tour titles, died in Utah after battling for some months through ill health.
Casper’s death comes closely following the passing of Australian-born great Kel Nagle while Charlie Sifford also died recently.
I had the pleasure of first meeting Billy Casper in Morocco of all places when he regularly attended the Hassan II Trophy and before it became a European Tour event.
Casper has the distinction of having won once in 16 consecutive seasons from 1956-71, trailing the all-time Tour record of 17 years shared by Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.
Billy Casper wins the 1970 Masters and with George Archer fitting the traditional Augusta National green jacket.
Casper captured the first of his three Majors in winning the 1959 US Open at Winged Foot before winning the event in 1966 when he defeated Palmer in a play-off at the Olympic Club.
Then in 1970 Casper, and a year after finishing joint runner-up, he defeated Gene Littler to win the Masters.
“When I drive into Augusta and down Magnolia Lane, there’s just a spirit and nostalgia about it that you experience nowhere else,” said Casper when aged 77. “Why? Because it’s the same place every year.”
Casper also captured the PGA Tour’s money title 1966 and ’68, and was named ‘PGA Player of the Year’ in 1966 and 1970 while he also secured five Vardon trophies for lowest scoring average the span of a decade.
He also excelled in the Ryder Cup representing the USA in eight consecutive teams from 1961-75, and had the record as the winningest American in Ryder Cup history enjoying a 20-10-7 record and lead the points scoring with 23.5 points.
Casper then captained the 1979 USA Team to a six point victory at The Greenbrier over a John Jacobs led European Team featuring the likes of Seve Ballesteros, Tony Jacklin, Sandy Lyle and Nick Faldo.
In 1978 Casper was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
But what is not widely known that for more than 20 years, Casper has raised funds for kids in San Diego and through his organization, Billy’s Kids, he has raised more than 20 million dollars.
Another golfing legend in Billy Casper passes away aged 84.
Casper was born on June 24, 1931 in San Diego and was introduced to golf by his father when he was four but then his parents divorced when he was 12.
Golf turned into a refuge for Casper, who developed one of the greatest short games in golf history. He credits deciding to caddie at San Diego Country Club at the age of 11 as his “most important decision.”
Casper met his wife Shirley when the two were in high school, she a sophomore and he a senior. They were married after Casper dropped out at Notre Dame after just one semester before they were married in 1952 and just weeks after she graduated from high school.
Before turning pro in 1954, Casper spent four years in the Navy, stationed in San Diego, relishing in the structure the military provided. He would later perform often for military members.
In their 62 years together, Billy and Shirley Casper had five children together, adopting another six. Casper became a Mormon in his 30s, remaining a devoted member of the church throughout his life.
Despite his achievements, Casper largely lived in the shadow of the Big Three — Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player and, in fact, he titled his autobiography “The Big Three and Me.”
Nicklaus didn’t see Casper that way and paid this Facebook tribute to Casper: “I have said many times that during my career, when I looked up at a leaderboard, I wasn’t just looking to see where a Palmer or a Player or a Trevino was. I was also checking to see where Billy Casper was.”
