Al Balding

Al Balding
Personal information
Full nameAllan George Balding
Born(1924-04-29)April 29, 1924
Toronto, Ontario
DiedJuly 30, 2006(2006-07-30) (aged 82)
Mississauga, Ontario
Height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight185 lb (84 kg)
Sporting nationality Canada
Career
Turned professional1950
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Canadian Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins19
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour4
Other15
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT16: 1957
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenT12: 1967
The Open ChampionshipT8: 1967

Allan George Balding (April 29, 1924 – July 30, 2006) was a Canadian professional golfer, who won four events on the PGA Tour. In 1955, he became the first Canadian to win a PGA Tour event in the United States; Canadians Ken Black (1936 Vancouver Jubilee Open), Jules Huot (1937 General Brock Open) and Pat Fletcher (1954 Canadian Open) had won PGA Tour events in Canada.[1]

Biography

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Balding was born in Toronto, Ontario on April 29, 1924.[2] Growing up during the Great Depression, Balding quit school in the 7th grade and began caddying at the nearby Islington golf course, despite not previously golfing before.[3] Balding enlisted in the Canadian Army at 19 during World War II,[4][3] and saw duty in France and Germany.[3] Balding enlisted thinking that his small stature would land him in the Service Corps, however he was assigned to the 13th Field Battery of the 2nd Artillery division as a driver-mechanic.[3] He was discharged before the end of the war due to a shoulder injury sustained while "fooling around" on a motorcycle.[3] After the war in the late 1940s, Balding worked at a Toronto tire manufacturing company,[4] and later at a golf club in Burlington.[5] He had played golf only occasionally as a youth, but began playing more after the War ended, improving his game rapidly under the instruction of pro Les Franks.[5]

Balding became a professional golfer in 1950, working as a club professional in Toronto,[6] and won his first minor tournament at 26, the Ontario assistant pro championship.[7]

Balding began on the Canadian Professional Golf Tour, winning his first two tournaments in 1952. In 1955, Balding became the first Canadian to win a PGA Tour event in the United States, when he won the Mayfair Open.[8] In 1957, Balding decided to play full time on the U.S. tour, winning three events on the Tour and finished 6th on the money list with $28,000, the highest of any Canadian at that point, and would not be eclipsed until Mike Weir finished 6th on the money list in 2003.[8]

Balding would go on to win an impressive number of tournaments in many different venues over a long period of time during his career. He won ten events on the Canadian Tour from 1952 through 1973. He won four tournaments on the PGA Tour, the most of any Canadian to that point. In 1968, in Italy, he won the World Cup team title for Canada (with George Knudson), as well as the individual title.[9] Balding played on the Canadian National Team in the Canada Cup / World Cup from 1956 to 1970, except in the years 1962, 1965 and 1966. Balding was named Ontario Athlete of the Year in 1955 and 1957. He was elected to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1968.

Balding's career was slowed by several health issues, requiring shoulder surgery in 1965,[9] and being diagnosed with blood cancer in the 1970s.[10] Balding was also very critical of the Canadian golf establishment in the 1970s, noting that there were fewer Canadians on the U.S. tour in the 1970s then when he was active in the 1950s and 1960s.[11]

Balding was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 1984. He was also inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.[12] He was one of the 40 original seniors on the U.S. Senior PGA Tour in 1980.[10] Balding Court, a street on the former St. Andrew's Golf Club in Toronto is named in his honour (it is north of York Mills Road, between Yonge Street and Bayview Avenue).

Perhaps the most remarkable win of Balding's career came at the age of 76, when he captured the 2000 Canadian PGA Senior Championship, giving him professional victories in six different decades; this was attained against players as young as age 50.[13]

Balding was the uncle of Canadian auto racing driver Kat Teasdale.[14]

Balding died in Mississauga, Ontario from cancer in 2006.[15]

Professional wins (19)

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PGA Tour wins (4)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 Dec 18, 1955 Mayfair Inn Open −11 (69-66-64-70=269) 1 stroke United States Ed Oliver, United States Mike Souchak
2 Mar 24, 1957 Miami Beach Open −7 (68-69=137) 1 stroke United States Chick Harbert
3 Nov 24, 1957 West Palm Beach Open Invitational −7 (70-71-68=209) 1 stroke United States Dow Finsterwald, United States Bert Weaver
4 Dec 8, 1957 Havana Invitational −7 (70-69-70-72=281) Playoff United States Al Besselink

PGA Tour playoff record (1–3)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 1957 Havana Invitational United States Al Besselink Won with par on first extra hole
2 1959 Memphis Open South Africa Gary Player, United States Don Whitt Whitt won with par on second extra hole
Balding eliminated by birdie on first hole
3 1961 San Diego Open Invitational United States Arnold Palmer Lost to birdie on first extra hole
4 1964 Fresno Open Invitational Canada George Knudson Lost to birdie on second extra hole

Canadian wins (10)

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Other wins (3)

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Other senior wins (2)

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Results in major championships

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Tournament 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970
Masters Tournament T29 T16 T26 27 24 CUT CUT CUT
U.S. Open T32 T43 T32 T12 T43 T42 T18
The Open Championship T17 T8 9

Note: Balding never played in the PGA Championship.

  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

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Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 0 0 0 0 0 2 8 5
U.S. Open 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 7
The Open Championship 0 0 0 0 2 3 3 3
PGA Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Totals 0 0 0 0 2 7 18 15
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 8 (1956 Masters – 1962 U.S. Open)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (twice)

Team appearances

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References

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  1. ^ rcga.org, see Canadian Golf Hall of Fame profiles for Kenneth Black and Julet Huot
  2. ^ Drake 2010, p. 192.
  3. ^ a b c d e Drake 2010, p. 193.
  4. ^ a b Carroll, Dink (May 2, 1961). "Balding Playing Well". The Montreal Gazette.
  5. ^ a b Drake 2010, p. 194.
  6. ^ Barclay, James A. (1992). Golf in Canada: A History. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. ISBN 978-0-7710-1080-4.
  7. ^ Drake 2010, p. 195.
  8. ^ a b Drake 2010, p. 196.
  9. ^ a b Drake 2010, p. 198.
  10. ^ a b Drake 2010, p. 200.
  11. ^ Drake 2010, p. 203.
  12. ^ "Al Balding". oshof.ca. Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on December 28, 2014. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  13. ^ Drake 2010, p. 201.
  14. ^ "Kathryn Teasdale". Historic Racing. Archived from the original on 2016-05-08. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  15. ^ Drake 2010, p. 204.
Works cited
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