| Wes Ellis | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Wesley Ellis, Jr. |
| Born | (1932-01-27)January 27, 1932 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | June 4, 1984(1984-06-04) (aged 52) Teaneck, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st) |
| Sporting nationality |  United States |
| Career | |
| College | University of Texas |
| Turned professional | 1954 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Professional wins | 15 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 3 |
| Other | 12 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | T15: 1965 |
| PGA Championship | T5: 1961 |
| U.S. Open | T8: 1966 |
| The Open Championship | DNP |
Wesley Ellis, Jr. (January 27, 1932 – June 4, 1984) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
Ellis was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He attended the University of Texas in Austin and was a member of the golf team from 1950–1952. He won the Massingill Trophy in 1950, and was the individual medalist at the Southwest Conference Championship in 1952. He graduated in 1953 with a degree in zoology and turned professional in 1954.
Ellis won three PGA Tour events. His first win came at the 1958 Canadian Open. He won by one stroke over Jay Hebert at the Mayfair Golf and Country Club in Edmonton, Alberta. His last win came in 1965 at the San Diego Open Invitational in a playoff against golf legend Billy Casper. His victory in San Diego was unique in that Ellis used what is commonly known as a "cross-handed" putting grip; that is, as a right-handed golfer he kept his left hand below his right. Ellis had four top-10 finishes in major championships: a T-9 at the 1956 U.S. Open, a T-8 at the 1966 U.S. Open, a 6th at the 1960 PGA Championship and a T-5 at the 1961 PGA Championship.
Ellis, like many pro golfers of his generation, earned his living primarily as a club pro. For many years he was the head pro at the Westchester Country Club in Rye, New York and lived in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. He died of kidney disease at the age of 52 at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, New Jersey. He left behind his wife, Marian, and their four children - three daughters and a son.
Professional wins (15)
PGA Tour wins (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 23, 1958 | Canadian Open | −13 (67-69-65-66=267) | 1 stroke |  Jay Hebert
|
| 2 | Feb 22, 1959 | Texas Open Invitational | −8 (66-71-72-67=276) | 2 strokes | Bill Johnston, Tom Nieporte
|
| 3 | Jan 17, 1965 | San Diego Open Invitational | −17 (66-65-71-65=267) | Playoff | Billy Casper
|
PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1958 | West Palm Beach Open Invitational | Pete Cooper
|
Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1965 | San Diego Open Invitational | Billy Casper
|
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
Other wins (12)
- 1957 Metropolitan Open
- 1961 New Jersey PGA Championship, Metropolitan Open
- 1962 New Jersey State Open, New Jersey PGA Championship
- 1963 New Jersey State Open, New Jersey PGA Championship, Metropolitan Open
- 1964 New Jersey PGA Championship
- 1968 Maracaibo Open Invitational, Westchester PGA Championship
- 1969 Westchester PGA Championship
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | WD | CUT | T24 | T34 | T15 | T36 | T16 | CUT | |||||
| U.S. Open | T9 | CUT | T43 | CUT | T40 | T36 | CUT | T24 | T8 | T12 | CUT | CUT | |||
| PGA Championship | T44 | 6 | T5 | T30 | T17 | CUT | T13 | 25 | CUT |
Note: Ellis never played in The Open Championship.
WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 5 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 7 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 7 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 31 | 19 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 8 (1965 Masters – 1967 PGA)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (four times)
References
- ^ Elliott, Len; Kelly, Barbara (1976). Who's Who in Golf. New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House. p. 58. ISBN 0-87000-225-2.
- texassports.com Longhorns in the Pros
- Tournament history from Canadian Open's official site
- Wes Ellis Jr., Leading Golfer In New Jersey Many Years