Charles R. Kocsis[1] (January 27, 1913 – May 30, 2006) was an American amateur golfer.
Kocsis was introduced to the game as a caddie at the Phoenix Country Club, which is now Rogell Municipal Golf Course. One of fourteen children, he grew up in the Old Redford area of Detroit. Attended Redford High and was victorious at the city and state championship levels.
Kocsis was the winner of six Michigan Match Play Amateurs and six Michigan Medal Play Amateurs,[2] three Michigan Opens (1931, 1945, 1946), individual intercollegiate champion[3] member of three U.S. Walker Cup teams,[1] member of two NCAA Championship teams at the University of Michigan, low amateur in the Masters, low amateur in two U.S. Opens, runner-up at the 1956 U.S. Amateur, and runner-up at the 1937 Western Amateur.
Kocsis also found success on the senior level winning the US National Open Senior Championship in 1969, 1970, and 1979. Kocsis played in the International Seniors Championship five times and won four - 1970, 1973, 1980, and 1988. He set the tournament record at Gleneagles in 1970 with a 13 under par total of 271. During his time at the University of Michigan, Kocsis became a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity.[4]
The Golf Association of Michigan voted Kocsis the Michigan amateur golfer of the century and was a member of the first class elected into the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame.
Tournament wins
- this list may be incomplete
- 1930 Michigan Amateur
- 1931 Michigan Open
- 1933 Michigan Amateur
- 1934 Michigan Amateur
- 1936 NCAA Championship[5]
- 1937 Michigan Amateur
- 1945 Michigan Open
- 1946 Michigan Open
- 1948 Michigan Amateur
- 1951 Michigan Amateur
- 1955 Michigan Amateur Medal Play
- 1958 Michigan Amateur Medal Play
- 1959 Michigan Amateur Medal Play
- 1960 Dogwood Invitational, Michigan Amateur Medal Play
- 1961 Michigan Amateur Medal Play
- 1962 Michigan Amateur Medal Play
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | NYF | NYF | NYF | NYF | 35 | T22 | ||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | T14 LA | T10 | |||||||
| U.S. Amateur | R16 | R64 | QF | R16 | ||||||
| The Amateur Championship | R16 |
| Tournament | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T44 | NT | NT | NT | ||||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | NT | NT | NT | NT | CUT | ||||
| U.S. Amateur | NT | NT | NT | NT | R32 | R16 | R16 | |||
| The Amateur Championship | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT |
| Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T35 | T14 LA | T45 | CUT | CUT | T22 | ||||
| U.S. Open | T16 LA | CUT | T32 | |||||||
| U.S. Amateur | R128 | 2 | R16 | QF | ||||||
| The Amateur Championship |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T34 | CUT | ||||||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | |||||||||
| U.S. Amateur | R128 | R64 | R32 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| The Amateur Championship |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | ||||
| U.S. Open |
Note: Kocsis never played in The Open Championship nor the PGA Championship.
LA = low amateur
NYF = tournament not yet founded
NT = no tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Sources: U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur,[6] 1938 Amateur Championship[7]
U.S. national team appearances
Amateur
- Walker Cup: 1938, 1949 (winners), 1957 (winners)
See also
- University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
- Kupelian, Vartan. Forever Scratch:Chuck Kocsis-An Amateur for the Ages. Ann Arbor Media Group, 2007.
References
- ^ a b "2011 Walker Cup Match Guide" (PDF). USGA. pp. 10–11, 16, 22. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 3, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Kocsis and Malloy Register 148s To Tie Johnson for Medal Honors" (PDF). The New York Times. June 26, 1935. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
- ^ "Lambda Chis Dominate Intercollegiate Golf" The Cross and Crescent. July 1936.
- ^ "Kocsis of Michigan Defeats Louisiana State Golfer". Battle Creek Enquirer. June 28, 1936.
- ^ USGA Championship Database Archived June 22, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Sport: After Jones". Time. June 6, 1938. Archived from the original on August 26, 2010.