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Al Espinosa

United States · born , Monterey, California, USA · died

2.5Ryder Cup points from 4 matches

Summary

  • Ryder Cup 3 Cups · 2-1-1 · 2.5 points (62.5%)
  • Singles 1-0-1 · Foursomes 1-1-0 · Four-ball 0-0-0
  • Best major finish runner-up, 1928 PGA Championship and 1929 U.S. Open

Near misses

  1. 1928 PGA Championship Baltimore Country Club (Five Farms East) · runner-up to Leo Diegel · lost the final 6 & 5
  2. 1929 U.S. Open Winged Foot G.C. · runner-up to Bobby Jones · playoff: 36 holes, 141–164

Ryder Cup

3 Cups, 4 matches: 2 won, 1 lost, 1 halved, 2.5 points. Foursomes 1-1-0, four-ball 0-0-0, singles 1-0-1.

  1. 1927 Worcester Country Club USA · USA won 9.5–2.5 · did not play
  2. 1929 Moortown Golf Club USA · GB won 7–5 · 1-0-1, 1.5 points
  3. 1931 Scioto Country Club USA · USA won 9–3 · 1-1-0, 1 point

Rivals

Beat him

Ryder Cup partners

Ryder Cup opponents

Next in the chain: Leo Diegel's rivals →

Results by championship

    Best day

    1929 U.S. Open

    Runner-up to Bobby Jones.

    Chosen by rule: the most recent of the best major finishes. Year page: 1929.

    Career line, 1927–1931

    PGA Championship
    1928 PGA Championship: runner-up to Leo Diegel
    U.S. Open
    1929 U.S. Open: runner-up to Bobby Jones
    Ryder Cup
    1927 Ryder Cup (USA): did not play1929 Ryder Cup (USA): 1-0-11931 Ryder Cup (USA): 1-1-0
    192819301932

    5 results. Hover or tap a mark; click it for the year.

    • Runner-up
    • Ryder Cup, USA

    Al Espinosa was born on March 24, 1891, in Monterey, California, USA. Espinosa's best major finish was second, at the 1928 PGA Championship and the 1929 U.S. Open. Espinosa played in 3 Ryder Cups for USA (1927 (did not play), 1929, 1931), winning 2, losing 1 and halving 1 of 4 matches for 2.5 points.

    See Al Espinosa in our rooms: U.S. Open and Every Ground.

    Cards you pull this visit stack here. Tap one to go back to it.

    The record

    Near misses

    1. 1928 PGA Championship Baltimore Country Club (Five Farms East) · runner-up to Leo Diegel · lost the final 6 & 5
    2. 1929 U.S. Open Winged Foot G.C. · runner-up to Bobby Jones · playoff: 36 holes, 141–164

    U.S. Open top-10 finishes in his career: 3 (GNN U.S. Open room data).

    Ryder Cup

    Espinosa played 3 Ryder Cups for USA: 4 matches, 2 won, 1 lost, 1 halved, 2.5 points (62.5% of those available). By format: foursomes 1-1-0, four-ball 0-0-0, singles 1-0-1 (won-lost-halved).

    1. 1927 Worcester Country Club USA · USA won 9.5–2.5 · did not play
    2. 1929 Moortown Golf Club USA · GB won 7–5 · 1-0-1, 1.5 points
    3. 1931 Scioto Country Club USA · USA won 9–3 · 1-1-0, 1 point

    Partners, with matches played together: Leo Diegel (2).

    PGA Championship match play

    Every recorded match in our bracket file, 1916–1957: 16 won, 11 lost, including 0 of 1 finals.

    1. 1924 Round of 32 beat Arthur Ham 4 & 2
    2. 1924 Round of 16 beat Francis Gallett 4 & 3
    3. 1924 Quarterfinal lost to Ray Derr 2 & 1
    4. 1925 Round of 32 beat George Howard 5 & 3
    5. 1925 Round of 16 lost to Bill Mehlhorn 1 up
    6. 1926 Round of 32 lost to Tom Harmon Jr. 6 & 4
    7. 1927 Round of 32 beat Mel Smith 5 & 4
    8. 1927 Round of 16 beat Harry Cooper 5 & 4
    9. 1927 Quarterfinal beat Mortie Dutra 1 up
    10. 1927 Semifinal lost to Walter Hagen 1 up
    11. 1928 Round of 32 beat John Golden 8 & 7
    12. 1928 Round of 16 beat Bob MacDonald won on 37th hole
    13. 1928 Quarterfinal beat Jock Hutchison 5 & 4
    14. 1928 Semifinal beat Horton Smith 6 & 5
    15. 1928 Final lost to Leo Diegel 6 & 5
    16. 1929 Round of 32 beat David Hackney 5 & 4
    17. 1929 Round of 16 beat Bill Mehlhorn won on 40th hole
    18. 1929 Quarterfinal lost to Al Watrous 2 up
    19. 1930 Round of 32 beat Mark Fry 2 & 1
    20. 1930 Round of 16 beat Harry Cooper 4 & 3
    21. 1930 Quarterfinal lost to Gene Sarazen 2 & 1
    22. 1931 Round of 32 lost to Gene Sarazen 9 & 8
    23. 1933 Round of 32 beat Charles Schneider 3 & 2
    24. 1933 Round of 16 lost to Willie Goggin 9 & 7
    25. 1937 Round of 64 beat Clark Morse 3 & 1
    26. 1937 Round of 32 lost to Jimmy Hines 1 up
    27. 1940 Round of 64 lost to John Gibson 4 & 3

    Sources

    Every fact on this page comes from Golf Network News data sets compiled in October 2026 (Masters, PGA Championship, The Open, U.S. Women's Open, Ryder Cup, PGA Tour 2024–2026, major host sites, Champions Dinner menus, and the U.S. Open and state rooms). These are the sources those rows cite.

    1. WP: List of American Ryder Cup golfers
    2. PGA of America 2013 media guide, p. 107
    3. Golf Compendium 1924
    4. Golf Compendium 1925
    5. Golf Compendium 1927
    6. Golf Compendium 1928
    7. PGA of America winners & venues
    8. Golf Compendium 1929
    9. Golf Compendium 1930
    10. Golf Compendium 1933
    11. GC: 1927 ryder cup
    12. Wikipedia: 1927 Ryder Cup
    13. GC: 1929 ryder cup
    14. Wikipedia: 1929 Ryder Cup
    15. GC: 1931 ryder cup
    16. Wikipedia: 1931 Ryder Cup