Ken Venturi

Kenneth Venturi (born May 15, 1931) is an American former professional golfer and golf broadcaster. Venturi was born in San Francisco, California. Venturi first gained national attention in 1956 when, as an amateur, he finished second in that year's Masters after leading from the first round. He shot a final round 80 and relinquished a four shot lead which prevented him from winning outright and thus becoming the first amateur to do so in the his... more

Kenneth Venturi (born May 15, 1931) is an American former professional golfer and golf broadcaster. Venturi was born in San Francisco, California. Venturi first gained national attention in 1956 when, as an amateur, he finished second in that year's Masters after leading from the first round. He shot a final round 80 and relinquished a four shot lead which prevented him from winning outright and thus becoming the first amateur to do so in the history of The Masters. Years later it would be compared to Greg Norman's back nine collapse in 1996. In the early 50's, Venturi had been a pupil of the great Byron Nelson and was also influenced by playing partner Ben Hogan. With this fine tuning combined with his tremendous talent, Venturi was a regular winner during his early years on the PGA Tour after turning pro at the end of 1956. He again come close to winning the Masters in 1958 and 1960, both times being edged out by Arnold Palmer. After suffering minor injuries in an automobile... less