Bill Britton

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Bill Britton
Personal information
Full nameWilliam Timothy Britton
Born (1955-11-13) November 13, 1955 (age 69)
Staten Island, New York
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight140 lb (64 kg; 10 st)
Sporting nationalityFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Residence Rumson, New Jersey [1]
Career
College Miami Dade North
University of Florida
Turned professional1979
Former tour(s) PGA Tour
Professional wins5
Highest ranking 97 (August 4, 1991) [2]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour1
Other4
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament T7: 1990
PGA Championship 4th: 1990
U.S. Open T60: 1984
The Open Championship CUT: 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995

William Timothy Britton (born November 13, 1955) is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour for fifteen years during the 1980s and 1990s.

Contents

Early life and amateur career

Britton was born and raised on Staten Island, New York, and attended Monsignor Farrell High School. [3] He played college golf at Miami Dade College, and in 1975 he won the National Junior College Athletic Association Championship. He received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida, where he played for coach Buster Bishop's Florida Gators men's golf team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition in 1976 and 1977. [4] Britton graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree in health and human performance in 1979. He was mentored by Jim Albus, a club professional and six-time winner on the Champions Tour.

Britton is a two-time winner of the Metropolitan Amateur, and was the two-time defending champion when the tournament was held at Century Country Club in Purchase, New York, in 1977. He advanced to the quarterfinals at Century, and played Lou Mattiace, the father of future PGA Tour player Len Mattiace. In a memorable match, Mattiace dethroned the Staten Island native on the 18th green, 1-up.

Professional career

Britton then turned professional in 1979 and joined the PGA Tour in 1980. [5] During his 15 years on the Tour, Britton won once and had 23 top-10 finishes. His best finishes in majors came in 1990: T-7 at The Masters and 4th in the PGA Championship. [5] [6]

After his years as a touring pro were over, Britton became a teaching pro and author in New Jersey. He has published articles for The Met Golfer, New Jersey Golfer and Sports Illustrated. He has been named one of the "Top Ten Teachers" in New Jersey by Golf Digest . He was New Jersey Section PGA's Player of the Year in 2002, and Senior Player of the Year in 2006. [5] He has played in a limited number of PGA Tour Champions events, playing his last event in 2017. He currently serves as the head men's golf coach for Monmouth University.

Amateur wins

Professional wins (5)

PGA Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner-up
1Oct 1, 1989 Centel Classic −16 (71-66-63=200)*4 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Ronnie Black

*Note: The 1989 Centel Classic was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.

PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 1982 Walt Disney World Golf Classic Flag of the United States.svg Hal Sutton Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole

Other wins (4)

Results in major championships

Tournament19821983198419851986198719881989
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open CUTT60CUTCUTCUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship CUTT77T41
Tournament199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004
Masters Tournament T7CUT
U.S. Open
The Open Championship CUTCUTCUTCUT
PGA Championship 4CUTT21CUT
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

Summary

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament 00001121
U.S. Open 00000051
The Open Championship 00000040
PGA Championship 00011264
Totals000123176

Results in senior major championships

Tournament200720082009201020112012201320162017
Senior PGA Championship T68T16T33T75CUTT35CUTCUT
U.S. Senior Open T53T50CUT
  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Awards and honors

See also

References

  1. Edelson, Stephen. "Rumson's Britton wins Senior PGA Pro National" Archived 2015-09-30 at the Wayback Machine , Asbury Park Press , November 1, 2009. Accessed February 14, 2011.
  2. "Week 31 1991 Ending 4 Aug 1991" (pdf). OWGR . Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  3. "Bill Britton". Monsignor Farrell Hall of Fame. May 2, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  4. Florida Men's Golf 2011 Media Supplement Archived 2012-04-02 at the Wayback Machine , University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 34, 39, 41 (2010). Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 "Biographical information from Bill Britton Golf School". Archived from the original on June 15, 2009. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
  6. "Golf Major Championships".