Fred Wampler (golfer)

Frederick L. Wampler (October 17, 1923 – April 27, 1985) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour.

For other people named Fred Wampler, see Fred Wampler (disambiguation).
Fred Wampler
Personal information
Full nameFrederick L. Wampler
Born(1923-10-17)October 17, 1923
Bedford, Indiana
DiedApril 27, 1985(1985-04-27) (aged 61)
Nationality United States
Career
CollegePurdue University
Turned professional1950
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins10
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour1
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipT38: 1967
U.S. OpenT28: 1959
The Open ChampionshipDNP

Wampler was born in Bedford, Indiana. He played on the Purdue University golf team from 1948 to 1950. In 1950, he won the NCAA individual championship, was selected as Purdue's first All-American and won the Big Ten individual title for the third consecutive year. Wampler still shares the Big Ten tournament record for lowest individual round with a 64 in the fourth round of the 1950 Big Ten Championships.[1]

A veteran of World War II, Wampler served in the United States Navy in the Pacific prior to enrolling at Purdue University.

Wampler's only PGA Tour win came at the 1954 Los Angeles Open.[2] He finished runner-up to Sam Snead in the 1956 Greater Greensboro Open on the second hole of a sudden death playoff. Like most golfers of his generation, he earned his living primarily as a club professional. Starting in 1965, he served 17 years as the head pro at Denver Country Club.[3]

On the Senior PGA Tour, Wampler finished runner-up twice in the Senior PGA Championship. In 1975, he lost on the first playoff hole to Charlie Sifford and in 1976, he finished five strokes behind Pete Cooper.

Wampler was inducted into the Indiana Golf Hall of Fame in 1972, the Purdue University Sports Hall of Fame and the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 1997.

Wampler died at the age of 61 after an 18-year battle with chronic leukemia.[3]

Amateur wins
  • 1947 Indiana Amateur
  • 1948 Big-10 Championship
  • 1949 Indiana Amateur, Big-10 Championship
  • 1950 Big-10 Championship, NCAA Championship

Professional wins (10)

PGA Tour wins (1)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runners-up
1 Jan 11, 1954 Los Angeles Open −15 (70-70-66-75=281) 1 stroke Jerry Barber, Chick Harbert

PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 1956 Greater Greensboro Open Sam Snead Lost to birdie on second extra hole

Other wins (9)

This list may be incomplete

References
  1. "Biographical information from Purdue University Official Athletic Site".
  2. "L.A. Golf Won by Wampler". The Spokesman-Review. January 12, 1955. p. 15.
  3. "Fred Wampler 1997 Colorado Golf Hall of Fame Inductee". Retrieved April 28, 2020.
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