Jim Turnesa

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Jim Turnesa
Turnesa in 1936
Personal information
Full nameJames R. Turnesa
Born(1912-12-09)December 9, 1912
New York City, New York
DiedAugust 27, 1971(1971-08-27) (aged 58)
Elmsford, New York
Sporting nationality United States
Career
Turned professional1931
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins11
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour2
Other9
Best results in major championships
(wins: 1)
Masters TournamentT4: 1949
PGA ChampionshipWon: 1952
U.S. Open3rd: 1948
The Open ChampionshipT5: 1954

James R. Turnesa (December 9, 1912 – August 27, 1971) was an American professional golfer and winner of the 1952 PGA Championship, beating Chick Harbert 1-up in the match-play final.[1] He was one of seven famous golfing brothers; Phil (1896–1987), Frank (1898–1949), Joe (1901–1991), Mike (1907–2000), Doug (1909–1972), Jim (1912–1971), and Willie (1914–2001). The family was referred to as a "golf dynasty" in a 2000 New York Times article.[2]

Career[edit]

Turnesa was born in Elmsford, New York, one of seven brothers who became prominent in the golfing world: Phil (1896–1987), Frank (1898–1949), Joe (1901–1991), Mike (1907–2000), Doug (1909–1972), Jim (1912–1971), and Willie (1914–2001). All but Willie turned professional[3] and Jim was the only one to win a major championship.

The Turnesa brothers were well known for their prowess on the links and they started out as caddies before competing in tournaments.[4] Jim's father Vitale was a head greenskeeper at Fairview Country Club. It was at Fairview that Jim and his brothers would apprentice under the head pro John R. Inglis.[5][6] So famous did they become as a dynasty of the sport that RKO Pictures filmed a newsreel about them in 1938 labeling the clip "The Golfing Brothers."[7]

Turnesa faced and lost to Sam Snead in the 1942 PGA Championship final. In 1948, he held the record for low score (280) in the U.S. Open for about an hour. Ben Hogan (276) and Jimmy Demaret (278) finished later, erasing his record, and he finished third. He won one other PGA Tour event, the 1951 Reading Open.[8]

He was a frequent participant in Westchester member-pro events beating out a duo that included Gene Sarazen in 1947 at a Knollwood Country Club best ball tournament.[9]

Turnesa played on the 1953 Ryder Cup team.

After serving as pro at Briar Hall and Empire State course, he was named the head pro at Ryewood Country Club in 1959 and continued there in the early 1960s.[10]

Personal life[edit]

He died in his home town of lung cancer.[11]

Professional wins (11)[edit]

PGA Tour wins (2)[edit]

Major championship is shown in bold.

Other wins (9)[edit]

Note: This list may be incomplete.

Major championships[edit]

Wins (1)[edit]

Year Championship Winning score Runner-up
1952 PGA Championship 1 up United States Chick Harbert

Note: The PGA Championship was match play until 1958

Results timeline[edit]

Tournament 1937 1938 1939
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open T50 CUT T32
The Open Championship
PGA Championship
Tournament 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
Masters Tournament NT NT NT T37 T44 T4
U.S. Open CUT T33 NT NT NT NT T39 3 T4
The Open Championship NT NT NT NT NT NT
PGA Championship 2 NT R16 QF R16 R64 R16
Tournament 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
Masters Tournament T46 T27 T60 48 T22 CUT T35 CUT
U.S. Open T38 T17 T33 CUT CUT
The Open Championship T5
PGA Championship R32 1 R32 R64 R16 R128 CUT T38
Tournament 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
Masters Tournament T39 CUT CUT
U.S. Open T46 CUT CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship T32 CUT CUT CUT T62 CUT CUT CUT T76
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

NT = no tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary[edit]

Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 0 0 0 1 1 2 14 10
U.S. Open 0 0 1 2 2 3 16 10
The Open Championship 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1
PGA Championship 1 1 0 3 7 9 23 16
Totals 1 1 1 7 11 15 54 37
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 27 (1941 U.S. Open – 1956 PGA)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1949 Masters – 1949 PGA)

U.S. national team appearances[edit]

Professional

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "PGA Championship Media Guide". Archived from the original on January 23, 2013.
  2. ^ Kilgannon, Corey (December 3, 2000). "Recalling a Golf Dynasty: Elmsford's Turnesa Family". The New York Times. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  3. ^ "Jim Turnesa Named Head Pro at Ryewood". The Daily Times. Mamaroneck, New York. December 15, 1959. p. 20 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Jim Turnesa Seeks Honors in Midget Golf". The Daily Item. Port Chester, New York. December 9, 1930. p. 14 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Club History". Fairview Country Club. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  6. ^ "John R. Inglis 'It's Been A Long And Joyful Life'". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  7. ^ Kilgannon, Corey (June 21, 2001). "Willie Turnesa, Last Brother In Golfing Family, Dies at 87". The New York Times.
  8. ^ "Miscellaneous PGA Tour records (wins by brothers)". Archived from the original on December 25, 2005. Retrieved December 24, 2006.
  9. ^ "Turnesa Duo Links Victors". The Daily Argus. Mount Vernon, NY. September 29, 1947.
  10. ^ "Pro Golf's Royal Family". The Daily News. Port Chester, New York. September 26, 1961. p. 25 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Jim Turnesa, Former PGA Champ Dies". The Morning Record. Meriden, Connecticut. Associated Press. August 28, 1971. p. 5 – via Google News Archive.
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