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Billy Casper

United States · born , San Diego, California, USA · died

3major championships

Summary

  • First major 1959 U.S. Open
  • Last major 1970 The Masters
  • Ryder Cup 8 Cups · 20-10-7 · 23.5 points (63.5%)
  • Ryder Cup captain 1979
  • Runner-up in majors 4 times

Wins

  1. 1959 U.S. Open Winged Foot G.C. · 282 (+2) · by 1 stroke from Bob Rosburg
  2. 1966 U.S. Open Olympic Club · 278 (-2) · won a playoff against Arnold Palmer
  3. 1970 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · 279 (-9) · won a playoff against Gene Littler

Near misses

  1. 1958 PGA Championship Llanerch Country Club · runner-up to Dow Finsterwald · 278
  2. 1965 PGA Championship Laurel Valley Golf Club · runner-up to Dave Marr · 282
  3. 1968 The Open Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course) · finished 4 · 292 (+4)
  4. 1969 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · runner-up to George Archer · 282
  5. 1971 PGA Championship PGA National Golf Club · runner-up to Jack Nicklaus · 283
  6. 1971 The Open Royal Birkdale Golf Club · finished T7 · 284 (-8)

Ryder Cup

8 Cups, 37 matches: 20 won, 10 lost, 7 halved, 23.5 points. Foursomes 8-5-2, four-ball 6-3-3, singles 6-2-2.

  1. 1961 Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club USA · USA won 14.5–9.5 · 3-0-0, 3 points
  2. 1963 Atlanta Athletic Club (East Lake course) USA · USA won 23–9 · 4-0-1, 4.5 points
  3. 1965 Royal Birkdale Golf Club USA · USA won 19.5–12.5 · 1-3-2, 2 points
  4. 1967 Champions Golf Club USA · USA won 23.5–8.5 · 4-0-1, 4.5 points · automatic
  5. 1969 Royal Birkdale Golf Club USA · tied 16–16 · 2-1-2, 3 points
  6. 1971 Old Warson Country Club USA · USA won 18.5–13.5 · 0-3-0, 0 points
  7. 1973 Muirfield USA · USA won 19–13 · 4-2-0, 4 points
  8. 1975 Laurel Valley Golf Club USA · USA won 21–11 · 2-1-1, 2.5 points
  9. 1979 Captain USA · won 17–11

Rivals

Beat him

Beaten in finals and playoffs

Ryder Cup partners

Ryder Cup opponents

Next in the chain: Dow Finsterwald's rivals →

Moments

  1. 1970 Masters Billy Casper beat Gene Littler 69 to 74 in a Monday playoff, the last 18-hole playoff in Masters history.
  2. 1970 Masters Tom Watson made his Masters debut as an amateur and missed the cut after rounds of 77 and 76.

Records and firsts

  1. — Ryder Cup Most points, USA · 23.5 · 20-10-7, 8 apps (1961–1975)

Results by championship

    Best day

    1959 U.S. Open

    Winged Foot G.C., Mamaroneck, NY · 282 (+2) · by 1 stroke from Bob Rosburg

    Chosen by rule: his widest winning margin in a major. Year page: 1959.

    Career line, 1958–1975

    Masters
    1969 Masters: runner-up to George Archer1970 Masters: won
    PGA Championship
    1958 PGA Championship: runner-up to Dow Finsterwald1965 PGA Championship: runner-up to Dave Marr1971 PGA Championship: runner-up to Jack Nicklaus
    U.S. Open
    1959 U.S. Open: won1966 U.S. Open: won
    The Open
    1968 The Open: finished 41971 The Open: finished T7
    Ryder Cup
    1961 Ryder Cup (USA): 3-0-01963 Ryder Cup (USA): 4-0-11965 Ryder Cup (USA): 1-3-21967 Ryder Cup (USA): 4-0-11969 Ryder Cup (USA): 2-1-21971 Ryder Cup (USA): 0-3-01973 Ryder Cup (USA): 4-2-01975 Ryder Cup (USA): 2-1-1
    1960196519701975

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

    • Major win
    • Runner-up
    • Top 10
    • Ryder Cup, USA

    Billy Casper was born on June 24, 1931, in San Diego, California, USA. Casper won 3 major championships: 1 Masters (1970) and 2 U.S. Opens (1959, 1966). Casper played in 8 Ryder Cups for USA (1961, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1975), winning 20, losing 10 and halving 7 of 37 matches for 23.5 points, and captained the side in 1979.

    See Billy Casper in our rooms: The Masters, U.S. Open, The Open, Greatest Golfer by State and Every Ground.

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

    The record

    Wins in the majors (3)

    1. 1959 U.S. Open Winged Foot G.C., Mamaroneck, NY · 282 (+2) · by 1 stroke from Bob Rosburg
    2. 1966 U.S. Open Olympic Club, San Francisco, CA · 278 (-2) · won a playoff against Arnold Palmer (18 holes, 69–73)
    3. 1970 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · 279 (-9) · won a playoff against Gene Littler (Casper 69; Littler 74)

    Near misses

    Top-10 finishes are listed for The Open, the one championship with a full top 10 every year.

    1. 1958 PGA Championship Llanerch Country Club · runner-up to Dow Finsterwald · 278
    2. 1965 PGA Championship Laurel Valley Golf Club · runner-up to Dave Marr · 282
    3. 1968 The Open Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course) · finished 4 · 292 (+4)
    4. 1969 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · runner-up to George Archer · 282
    5. 1971 PGA Championship PGA National Golf Club · runner-up to Jack Nicklaus · 283
    6. 1971 The Open Royal Birkdale Golf Club · finished T7 · 284 (-8)

    U.S. Open top-10 finishes in his career: 6 (GNN U.S. Open room data).

    Ryder Cup

    Casper played 8 Ryder Cups for USA: 37 matches, 20 won, 10 lost, 7 halved, 23.5 points (63.5% of those available). By format: foursomes 8-5-2, four-ball 6-3-3, singles 6-2-2 (won-lost-halved).

    1. 1961 Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club USA · USA won 14.5–9.5 · 3-0-0, 3 points
    2. 1963 Atlanta Athletic Club (East Lake course) USA · USA won 23–9 · 4-0-1, 4.5 points
    3. 1965 Royal Birkdale Golf Club USA · USA won 19.5–12.5 · 1-3-2, 2 points
    4. 1967 Champions Golf Club USA · USA won 23.5–8.5 · 4-0-1, 4.5 points · automatic
    5. 1969 Royal Birkdale Golf Club USA · tied 16–16 · 2-1-2, 3 points
    6. 1971 Old Warson Country Club USA · USA won 18.5–13.5 · 0-3-0, 0 points
    7. 1973 Muirfield USA · USA won 19–13 · 4-2-0, 4 points
    8. 1975 Laurel Valley Golf Club USA · USA won 21–11 · 2-1-1, 2.5 points
    9. 1979 Captain USA · won 17–11

    Partners, with matches played together: Gene Littler (4), Arnold Palmer (3), Gay Brewer (3), Frank Beard (3), Lee Trevino (3), Billy Maxwell (2), Julius Boros (2), Miller Barber (2), Dave Ragan (1), Tom Weiskopf (1), Raymond Floyd (1), Johnny Miller (1), Hale Irwin (1).

    Masters Champions Dinner

    No menu has been recorded for the 1971 (as the 1970 champion) dinner. Until about 1986 champions did not design the meal: the club served its standard menu.

    Records and firsts

    Rows from our record tables that name this player, worded as the tables word them.

    1. — Ryder Cup Most points, USA · 23.5 · 20-10-7, 8 apps (1961–1975)

    Sources

    Elsewhere: Wikipedia.

    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. golfcompendium.com: masters winners
    2. golfcompendium.com: us open winners
    3. golfcompendium.com: british open winners
    4. golfcompendium.com: pga championship winners
    5. Wikipedia: Billy Casper
    6. golfcompendium.com: pga tour career wins
    7. where2golf.com: billy casper
    8. skysports.com: billy casper three time major champion has died aged 83
    9. golfcompendium.com: 1969 masters tournament
    10. Wikipedia: Masters Tournament
    11. pga.com: list masters champions
    12. WP: List of American Ryder Cup golfers
    13. rydercup.com — link no longer works (checked October 17, 2026): https://rydercup.com/news-media/usa/ryder-cup-team-usa-past-captains
    14. Golf Compendium
    15. GNN U.S. Open room (champions data)
    16. Wikipedia: 1970 Masters Tournament
    17. golfcompendium.com: 1970 masters tournament
    18. irishgolfer.ie: the changing face of augusta national
    19. todays-golfer.com: how the masters prize money has changed over the years
    20. golf.com: masters purse masters winners payouts alltime
    21. pgatour.com: what is the cut at the masters tournament augusta national (archived copy; the original link no longer works)
    22. todays-golfer.com: cut rules
    23. golfcompendium.com: what is the cut at the masters
    24. nbcsports.com: by the numbers jumpsuit numbers for every masters champions caddie
    25. R&A 1968
    26. R&A 1971
    27. GC: 1961 ryder cup
    28. WP 1961
    29. GC: 1963 ryder cup
    30. WP 1963
    31. GC: 1965 ryder cup
    32. WP 1965
    33. GC: 1967 ryder cup
    34. WP 1967
    35. GC: 1969 ryder cup
    36. WP 1969
    37. GC: 1971 ryder cup
    38. WP 1971
    39. GC: 1973 ryder cup
    40. WP 1973
    41. GC: 1975 ryder cup
    42. WP 1975
    43. The Golf News Net, points
    44. The Analyst (Opta)