Orville Moody

Orville Moody
Orville Moody
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Army
Years of service	1952–1966

Orville Moody
Orville Moody
Personal information
Full name	Orville James Moody
Nickname	Sarge
Born	December 9, 1933; Chickasha, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died	August 8, 2008 (aged 74); Allen, Texas, U.S.
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight	200 lb (91 kg; 14 st)
Sporting nationality	United States
Spouse	Beverly Moody
Children	4
Career
College	Oklahoma (briefly)
Turned professional	1967
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour; Champions Tour
Professional wins	31
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	1
PGA Tour Champions	11
Other	19
Best results in major championships; (wins: 1)
Masters Tournament	T18: 1970
PGA Championship	T7: 1969
U.S. Open	Won: 1969
The Open Championship	T11: 1978
Achievements and awards
PGA Player of the Year
PGA Player of the Year	1969

Orville James Moody (December 9, 1933 – August 8, 2008) was an American professional golfer who won numerous tournaments in his career. He won the U.S. Open in 1969, the last champion in the 20th century to win through local and sectional qualifying.^[1]^[2]

Early life

Born in Chickasha, Oklahoma, Moody was the youngest of ten children.^[3] The son of a golf course superintendent, he began his career at Capitol Hill High School in Oklahoma City, winning the 1952 state high school golf championship. After attempting college for a few weeks at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Moody joined the U.S. Army. He was able to continue playing golf while in uniform, winning the All-Service championship and three Korea Opens. He spent fourteen years in the Army, heading up maintenance supervision and instruction at all Army golf courses.^[4]

Professional golf career

Moody gave up his military career in favor of a trial run at the PGA Tour in 1967. His nickname on tour was "Sarge" because he rose to the rank of sergeant in the Army.^[4]^[5] Moody had limited success on the PGA Tour prior to 1969. In April of that year, he took part in a four-way playoff at the Greater Greensboro Open won by Gene Littler.^[6]

The U.S. Open in 1969 was played in June at the Cypress Creek Course of the Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas. Defending champion Lee Trevino picked Moody to win, saying, "He's one helluva player."^[7] Moody won by one stroke over Deane Beman, Al Geiberger, and Bob Rosburg with a 72-hole score of 281. He tied for sixteenth at the British Open, tied for seventh at the PGA Championship, and was named PGA Player of the Year for 1969.^[8]

The U.S. Open win was Moody's sole tour victory in 266 career events, although he was runner-up five times.^[9] He toured Japan, played in a few tournaments and eventually took a club pro job in Sulphur Springs, Texas.^[4] Moody was troubled by poor putting during his early pro years.

His career on the Senior PGA Tour (now PGA Tour Champions) was dramatically different. After turning fifty in late 1983, he won two of his first five tournaments in 1984 and finished fifth on the money list. In 1989, he became only the fourth man to win both the U.S. Open and the U.S. Senior Open. Moody went to a long putter after becoming a senior golfer, and this method improved his putting significantly. He had eleven wins on the senior tour, with the last in 1992.

Moody had triple bypass heart surgery prior to the 1995 season, but still managed to play in 29 events.

Later life

Moody continued to play in charity and other golf events up until 2007. The following year, he died at age 74 in Allen, Texas, from complications of a stroke he had earlier suffered and/or complications from multiple myeloma.^[9] He was survived by his wife, Beverly, their son and three daughters, and eight grandchildren.^[3]

Professional wins (31)

PGA Tour wins (1)

Legend
Major championships (1)
Other PGA Tour (0)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runners-up
1	Jun 15, 1969	U.S. Open	71-70-68-72=281	+1	1 stroke	Deane Beman, Al Geiberger, Bob Rosburg

PGA Tour playoff record (0–2)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponents	Result
1	1969	Greater Greensboro Open	Julius Boros, Gene Littler, Tom Weiskopf	Littler won with birdie on fifth extra hole Weiskopf eliminated by par on first hole
2	1973	Bing Crosby National Pro-Am	Raymond Floyd, Jack Nicklaus	Nicklaus won with birdie on first extra hole

Asia Golf Circuit wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	Apr 4, 1971	Hong Kong Open	66-66-66-68=266	−14	2 strokes	Haruo Yasuda

Korean wins (5)

Other wins (3)

This list is incomplete

1969 World Series of Golf, World Cup (team with Lee Trevino)
1971 Hassan II Golf Trophy

Senior PGA Tour wins (11)

Legend
Senior PGA Tour major championships (2)
Other Senior PGA Tour (9)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Apr 8, 1984	Daytona Beach Seniors Golf Classic	70-74-69=213	−3	Playoff	Arnold Palmer, Dan Sikes
2	May 6, 1984	MONY Senior Tournament of Champions	71-75-70-72=288	E	7 strokes	Dan Sikes
3	Aug 16, 1987	Rancho Murieta Senior Gold Rush	69-67-69=205	−11	2 strokes	Butch Baird
4	Dec 13, 1987	GTE Kaanapali Classic	65-67=132*	−12	3 strokes	John Brodie
5	Mar 6, 1988	Vintage Chrysler Invitational	66-64-70-63=263	−25	11 strokes	Al Geiberger, Harold Henning
6	Jun 5 1988	Senior Players Reunion Pro-Am	70-70-66=206	−10	Playoff	Bob Charles, Don Massengale, Bobby Nichols
7	Aug 21, 1988	Greater Grand Rapids Open	68-65-70=203	−7	1 stroke	Chick Evans, Gary Player, Chi-Chi Rodríguez
8	Jun 11, 1989	Mazda Senior Tournament Players Championship	67-69-64-71=271	−17	2 strokes	Charles Coody
9	Jul 2, 1989	U.S. Senior Open	72-73-64-70=279	−9	2 strokes	Frank Beard
10	Jun 23, 1991	PaineWebber Invitational	69-68-70=207	−9	1 stroke	Dick Hendrickson
11	Aug 30, 1992	Franklin Showdown Classic	70-67=137*	−7	Playoff	Bob Betley

*Note: Tournament shortened to 36 holes due to weather.

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (3–4)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1984	Daytona Beach Seniors Golf Classic	Arnold Palmer, Dan Sikes	Won with birdie on second extra hole
2	1985	Citizens Union Senior Golf Classic	Lee Elder, Dan Sikes, Walt Zembriski	Elder won with birdie on third extra hole Moody eliminated by birdie on second hole
3	1988	Senior Players Reunion Pro-Am	Bob Charles, Don Massengale, Bobby Nichols	Won with birdie on first extra hole
4	1989	Southwestern Bell Classic	Bobby Nichols	Lost to birdie on third extra hole
5	1989	Northville Long Island Classic	Butch Baird, Frank Beard, Don Bies	Baird won with birdie on first extra hole
6	1989	Gatlin Brothers Southwest Senior Classic	George Archer, Jimmy Powell	Archer won with par on second extra hole
7	1992	Franklin Showdown Classic	Bob Betley	Won with birdie on eighth extra hole

Other senior wins (10)

1984 Viceroy Panama Open
1986 Australian PGA Seniors Championship^[10]
1987 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Bruce Crampton)
1987 Australian PGA Seniors Championship^[10]
1988 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Bruce Crampton)
1995 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Jimmy Powell)
1996 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Jimmy Powell)
1999 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Jimmy Powell)
2005 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Jimmy Powell)
2006 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Jimmy Powell)

Major championships

Wins (1)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runners-up
1969	U.S. Open	3 shot deficit	+1 (71-70-68-72=281)	1 stroke	Deane Beman, Al Geiberger, Bob Rosburg

Results timeline

Tournament	1962	1969
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open	CUT	1
The Open Championship		T16
PGA Championship		T7

Tournament	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1978	1979	1980
Masters Tournament	T18	T20	CUT	CUT	44
U.S. Open	CUT	T27	T15	CUT		CUT
The Open Championship	CUT						T11	T19	CUT
PGA Championship	T41	CUT	WD	T30				CUT

Win

Top 10

Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1970 and 1980 Open Championships)
WD = withdrew
"T" = tied

Summary

Tournament	Wins	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	0	0	0	2	5	3
U.S. Open	1	1	1	2	7	3
The Open Championship	0	0	0	3	5	3
PGA Championship	0	0	1	1	6	3
Totals	1	1	2	8	23	12

Most consecutive cuts made – 4 (1969 U.S. Open – 1970 Masters)
Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (twice)

Champions Tour major championships

Wins (2)

Year	Championship	Winning Score	Margin	Runner-up
1989	Mazda Senior Tournament Players Championship	−17 (67−69−64−71=271)	2 strokes	Charles Coody
1989	U.S. Senior Open	−9 (72−73−64−70=279)	2 strokes	Frank Beard

U.S. national team appearances

Professional

World Cup: 1969 (winners)

References

^ "For the Record". Sports Illustrated. August 18, 2008. p. 22.
^ "U.S. Open Records - The Last Time It Happened". USGA. Archived from the original on November 15, 2015. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
^ ^a ^b Goldstein, Richard (August 11, 2008). "Orville Moody, 74, Winner of the U.S. Open, Dies". The New York Times.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Orville Moody bio". Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
^ "Open champ likes patriotic colors". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. June 16, 1970. p. 2B.
^ "Littler gets prize in golf playoff". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. April 7, 1969. p. 11.
^ Jenkins, Dan (June 23, 1969). "Old Sarge cools it". Sports Illustrated.
^ "U.S. Open History – Past Champions – 1969". USGA. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
^ ^a ^b "1969 U.S. Open champion Orville Moody dies". Golf.com. August 8, 2008.
^ ^a ^b "Australian PGA Seniors Championship Winners List" (PDF). PGA Australia.

External links

Orville Moody at the PGA Tour official site

[SI-1] "For the Record". Sports Illustrated. August 18, 2008. p. 22.

[2] "U.S. Open Records - The Last Time It Happened". USGA. Archived from the original on November 15, 2015. Retrieved July 8, 2014.

[nyt-3] Goldstein, Richard (August 11, 2008). "Orville Moody, 74, Winner of the U.S. Open, Dies". The New York Times.

[jta-4] "Orville Moody bio". Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved July 8, 2014.

[tcolr-5] "Open champ likes patriotic colors". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. June 16, 1970. p. 2B.

[6] "Littler gets prize in golf playoff". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. April 7, 1969. p. 11.

[7] Jenkins, Dan (June 23, 1969). "Old Sarge cools it". Sports Illustrated.

[8] "U.S. Open History – Past Champions – 1969". USGA. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2014.

[golf-9] "1969 U.S. Open champion Orville Moody dies". Golf.com. August 8, 2008.

[:0-10] "Australian PGA Seniors Championship Winners List" (PDF). PGA Australia.

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