Homero Blancas

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Homero Blancas
Personal information
Full nameHomero Blancas, Jr.
NicknameMr. 55
Born (1938-03-07) March 7, 1938 (age 85)
Houston, Texas
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight195 lb (88 kg; 13.9 st)
Sporting nationalityFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Career
College University of Houston
Turned professional1965
Former tour(s) PGA Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins7
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour4
PGA Tour Champions1
Other2
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament T5: 1972
PGA Championship T30: 1970
U.S. Open T4: 1972
The Open Championship DNP

Homero Blancas, Jr. (born March 7, 1938) is an American professional golfer who has played on both the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour (now known as the Champions Tour).

Contents

Amateur career

Blancas, who is of Mexican American descent, was born in Houston, Texas. [1] He attended the University of Houston from 1958 to 1962, and was a member of the golf team. Blancas shot a record-setting round of 55 (27-28) in a college tournament, which stands as the lowest round in the history of competitive golf. His 13 birdies and an eagle on a par-70 course in Longview, Texas on August 19, 1962 earned him the nickname "Mr. 55." [2] He was inducted into the University of Houston Athletics Hall of Fame in 1978.

Blancas' 55 shot round (played on a course of just over 5,000 yards) was included in the Guinness Book of Records for a time, but shortly after officials removed his name after instituting a requirement that a course must be of at least 6,500 yards to achieve inclusion. The 55 shot round is still the lowest official golf score on record for course of regular par.

Professional career

Blancas won four PGA Tour events. He turned pro in 1965 and was the PGA Rookie of the Year that year. He was a member of the 1973 Ryder Cup team. During his career on the PGA Tour, he had more than 4 dozen top-10 finishes. His best finishes in a major championship were a T-4 at the 1972 U.S. Open, and a T-5 at the 1972 Masters. Blancas spent the last 16 years of his regular career as club pro at Randolph Park in Tucson.

After turning 50 in March 1988, Blancas joined the Senior Tour. He has one victory in this venue – at the 1989 Doug Sanders Kingwood Celebrity Classic. He has 18 holes-in-one during his career, is a member of the Texas Golf Hall of Fame, and lives in Houston.

Amateur wins

Professional wins (8)

PGA Tour wins (4)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
1Sep 25, 1966 Greater Seattle-Everett Classic −18 (66-65-65-70=266)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Jacky Cupit
2May 17, 1970 Colonial National Invitation −7 (69-68-69-67=273)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Gene Littler, Flag of the United States.svg Lee Trevino
3Feb 20, 1972 Phoenix Open −11 (70-61-73-69=273)Playoff Flag of the United States.svg Lanny Wadkins
4Apr 15, 1973 Monsanto Open −11 (67-69-66-75=277)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Frank Beard

PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 1969 Michigan Golf Classic Flag of the United States.svg Larry Ziegler Lost to birdie on second extra hole
2 1972 Phoenix Open Flag of the United States.svg Lanny Wadkins Won with birdie on first extra hole

Other wins (3)

Senior PGA Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runners-up
1Jun 4, 1989 Doug Sanders Kingwood Celebrity Classic −8 (73-65-70=208)2 strokes Flag of New Zealand.svg Bob Charles, Flag of the United States.svg Walt Zembriski

Results in major championships

Tournament1963196419651966196719681969197019711972197319741975
Masters Tournament T39CUTCUTT5CUTCUTT43
U.S. Open CUTT52T36T19T4CUTT40CUT
PGA Championship T30T34CUTCUTT67T65

Note: Blancas never played in The Open Championship.

  Top 10
  Did not play

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

Sources: [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

U.S. national team appearances

Professional

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References

  1. ↑ Wright, Alfred (October 1, 1962). "Lost In A Forest Of Needles". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Little University". Chillicothe Gazette. Ohio. December 20, 1963. p. 6. Retrieved September 19, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "Blancas First Amateur To Win Louisiana Open". The Shreveport Times. Louisiana. Associated Press. December 13, 1963. p. C1. Retrieved September 19, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Homero Blancas". Golf Major Championships. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Past Winners & Results". Masters.
  6. ↑ "January claims lead". Eugene Register-Guard. April 10, 1971. pp. 1B, 2B. Retrieved September 15, 2019– via Google News Archive Search.
  7. ↑ "Masters results". Eugene Register-Guard. April 13, 1974. p. 3B. Retrieved September 15, 2019– via Google News Archive Search.
  8. ↑ "Course The Opponent, Player Says". The Tuscaloosa News. June 16, 1973. p. 5. Retrieved September 15, 2019– via Google News Archive Search.
  9. ↑ "PGA Media Guide 2012 – 94th PGA Championship" (PDF). PGA of America. pp. 52–57, 113.
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