Roberto De Vicenzo (14 April 1923 – 1 June 2017) was a professional golfer from Argentina. He won a record 229 professional tournaments worldwide during his career, including seven on the PGA Tour and most famously the 1967 Open Championship. He is perhaps best remembered for signing an incorrect scorecard that kept him out of a playoff for the 1968 Masters Tournament.

Early life

De Vicenzo was born on 14 April 1923 in Villa Ballester, a northern suburb of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was raised in the Villa Pueyrredón neighborhood of Buenos Aires, and acquired the game of golf as a caddie. He developed his skills at the Ranelagh Golf Club, and later relocated to the town of the same name.

Career

De Vicenzo won his first Argentine tournament, the Abierto del Litoral, in 1942; his first World Cup in 1953; and a major tournament, The Open Championship, in 1967. De Vicenzo is best remembered for his misfortune in the 1968 Masters Tournament. On the par-4 17th hole, Roberto De Vicenzo made a birdie, but playing partner Tommy Aaron inadvertently entered a 4 instead of 3 on the scorecard. He did not check the scorecard for the error before signing it, and according to the Rules of Golf the higher score had to stand and be counted. If not for this mistake, De Vicenzo would have tied for first place with Bob Goalby, and the two would have met in an 18-hole playoff the next day. His quote afterwards became legendary for its poignancy: "What a stupid I am!" In 1970 he was voted the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. De Vicenzo subsequently found great success in the early days of the Senior PGA Tour, winning the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf two times and the inaugural U.S. Senior Open in 1980. He also won the 1974 PGA Seniors' Championship, and represented Argentina 15 times in the Canada Cup/World Cup, leading Argentina to victory in 1953.

Retirement

De Vicenzo was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1989, and officially retired on 12 November 2006, at age 83 with over 200 international victories. The Museum of Golf in Argentina in Berazategui was founded because of his hard work. It was named in his honor upon its completion in 2006. De Vicenzo died 1 June 2017 at the age of 94.

Books about his life

There are two books on the life of Roberto De Vicenzo, with similar names. The first of them is called "Roberto De Vicenzo. Gentleman, Sportsman, Winner", made by Luis Melnik, and the second has the title "Roberto De Vicenzo. Gentleman, Sportsman, Winner. Premium Edition", which was written by journalist Daniel Mancini, work that includes the definitive statistics of De Vicenzo's career together with Roberto's vision of each of his sporting experiences, plus the description of the great players he faced, the details of his beginnings, the specific references to his triumph at the British Open and what happened at the Masters in Augusta, a significant event that identifies all the protagonists of that historic outcome.

Professional wins (229)

PGA Tour wins (7)

European circuit wins (9)

Argentine Tour wins (132)

this list is incomplete

Latin America/Caribbean wins (60)

this list may be incomplete

Other wins (3)

Senior PGA Tour wins (2)

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

Other senior wins (16)

this list may be incomplete

Major championships

Wins (1)

Results timeline

{{legend|lime|Win}} {{legend|yellow|Top 10}} {{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}} CUT = missed the half-way cut R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play "T" = tied

Summary

Champions Tour major championships

Wins (1)

Team appearances