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Julius Boros

United States · born , Fairfield, Connecticut, USA · died

3major championships

Summary

  • First major 1952 U.S. Open
  • Last major 1968 PGA Championship
  • Ryder Cup 4 Cups · 9-3-4 · 11 points (68.8%)
  • Runner-up in majors 1 time

Wins

  1. 1952 U.S. Open Northwood Club · 281 (+1) · by 4 strokes from Ed Oliver
  2. 1963 U.S. Open The Country Club · 293 (+9) · won a playoff against Jacky Cupit and Arnold Palmer
  3. 1968 PGA Championship Pecan Valley Golf Club · 281 (+1) · by 1 stroke from Bob Charles and Arnold Palmer

Near misses

  1. 1956 U.S. Open Oak Hill C.C. · runner-up to Cary Middlecoff

Ryder Cup

4 Cups, 16 matches: 9 won, 3 lost, 4 halved, 11 points. Foursomes 5-0-2, four-ball 1-1-1, singles 3-2-1.

  1. 1959 Eldorado Country Club USA · USA won 8.5–3.5 · 1-0-0, 1 point
  2. 1963 Atlanta Athletic Club (East Lake course) USA · USA won 23–9 · 2-1-2, 3 points
  3. 1965 Royal Birkdale Golf Club USA · USA won 19.5–12.5 · 4-1-0, 4 points
  4. 1967 Champions Golf Club USA · USA won 23.5–8.5 · 2-1-2, 3 points · automatic

Rivals

Beat him

Beaten in finals and playoffs

Ryder Cup partners

Ryder Cup opponents

Next in the chain: Cary Middlecoff's rivals →

Moments

  1. 1968 PGA Championship Needing a birdie at 18 to take the lead, Arnold Palmer hooked his drive, reached the green with a 3-wood and missed the putt, finishing one behind for the second of his three PGA runner-up finishes.
  2. 1968 PGA Championship Julius Boros, 48, pitched close from off the final green and saved par to become the oldest major champion, a record that stood until Mickelson in 2021.

Records and firsts

  1. 1968 PGA Championship Oldest PGA champions: 48 years 4 months 18 days

Results by championship

    Best day

    1968 PGA Championship

    Pecan Valley Golf Club, San Antonio, Texas · 281 (+1) · by 1 stroke from Bob Charles and Arnold Palmer

    Needing a birdie at 18 to take the lead, Arnold Palmer hooked his drive, reached the green with a 3-wood and missed the putt, finishing one behind for the second of his three PGA runner-up finishes.

    Julius Boros, 48, pitched close from off the final green and saved par to become the oldest major champion, a record that stood until Mickelson in 2021.

    Record: 48 years 4 months 18 days

    Chosen by rule: the major win our record tables single out. Year page: 1968.

    Career line, 1952–1968

    PGA Championship
    1968 PGA Championship: won
    U.S. Open
    1952 U.S. Open: won1956 U.S. Open: runner-up to Cary Middlecoff1963 U.S. Open: won
    Ryder Cup
    1959 Ryder Cup (USA): 1-0-01963 Ryder Cup (USA): 2-1-21965 Ryder Cup (USA): 4-1-01967 Ryder Cup (USA): 2-1-2
    195519601965

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

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

    Julius Boros was born on March 3, 1920, in Fairfield, Connecticut, USA. Boros won 3 major championships: 1 PGA Championship (1968) and 2 U.S. Opens (1952, 1963). Boros played in 4 Ryder Cups for USA (1959, 1963, 1965, 1967), winning 9, losing 3 and halving 4 of 16 matches for 11 points.

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

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    The record

    Wins in the majors (3)

    1. 1952 U.S. Open Northwood Club, Dallas, TX · 281 (+1) · by 4 strokes from Ed Oliver
    2. 1963 U.S. Open The Country Club, Brookline, MA · 293 (+9) · won a playoff against Jacky Cupit and Arnold Palmer (18 holes)
    3. 1968 PGA Championship Pecan Valley Golf Club, San Antonio, Texas · 281 (+1) · by 1 stroke from Bob Charles and Arnold Palmer

    Near misses

    1. 1956 U.S. Open Oak Hill C.C. · runner-up to Cary Middlecoff

    U.S. Open top-10 finishes in his career: 11 (GNN U.S. Open room data).

    Ryder Cup

    Boros played 4 Ryder Cups for USA: 16 matches, 9 won, 3 lost, 4 halved, 11 points (68.8% of those available). By format: foursomes 5-0-2, four-ball 1-1-1, singles 3-2-1 (won-lost-halved).

    1. 1959 Eldorado Country Club USA · USA won 8.5–3.5 · 1-0-0, 1 point
    2. 1963 Atlanta Athletic Club (East Lake course) USA · USA won 23–9 · 2-1-2, 3 points
    3. 1965 Royal Birkdale Golf Club USA · USA won 19.5–12.5 · 4-1-0, 4 points
    4. 1967 Champions Golf Club USA · USA won 23.5–8.5 · 2-1-2, 3 points · automatic

    Partners, with matches played together: Tony Lema (5), Billy Casper (2), Dow Finsterwald (1), Gene Littler (1), Arnold Palmer (1).

    Records and firsts

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

    1. 1968 PGA Championship Oldest PGA champions: 48 years 4 months 18 days

    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. where2golf
    2. Golf Compendium PGA Tour career wins
    3. Golf Compendium winners list
    4. WP: List of American Ryder Cup golfers
    5. GNN U.S. Open room (champions data)
    6. Golf Compendium 1968
    7. PGA of America 2012 media guide
    8. The Golf News Net history table (2026)
    9. Today's Golfer purse history
    10. PGA of America 1968 leaderboard
    11. PGA of America 2013 media guide, p. 62
    12. PGA of America 2012 media guide, p. 148
    13. GC: 1959 ryder cup
    14. Wikipedia: 1959 Ryder Cup
    15. GC: 1963 ryder cup
    16. WP 1963
    17. GC: 1965 ryder cup
    18. WP 1965
    19. GC: 1967 ryder cup
    20. WP 1967