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Vic Ghezzi

United States · born , Rumson, New Jersey, USA · died

1major championship

Summary

  • First major 1941 PGA Championship
  • Runner-up in majors 1 time

Wins

  1. 1941 PGA Championship Cherry Hills Country Club · won the final won on 38th hole against Byron Nelson

Near misses

  1. 1946 U.S. Open Canterbury G.C. · runner-up to Lloyd Mangrum · playoff: 36 holes

Rivals

Beat him

Beaten in finals and playoffs

Next in the chain: Lloyd Mangrum's rivals →

Moments

  1. 1941 PGA Championship Nelson was 3 up after 27 holes, but Ghezzi won the first three holes of the final nine to square the match and then missed a four-foot putt to win on the 36th.
  2. 1941 PGA Championship On the 38th hole Nelson missed a three-foot putt and Ghezzi holed his three-footer for the title.

Results by championship

    Best day

    1941 PGA Championship

    Cherry Hills Country Club, Englewood, Colorado · won the final won on 38th hole against Byron Nelson

    Nelson was 3 up after 27 holes, but Ghezzi won the first three holes of the final nine to square the match and then missed a four-foot putt to win on the 36th.

    On the 38th hole Nelson missed a three-foot putt and Ghezzi holed his three-footer for the title.

    Chosen by rule: his most recent major win. Year page: 1941.

    Career line, 1941–1946

    PGA Championship
    1941 PGA Championship: won
    U.S. Open
    1946 U.S. Open: runner-up to Lloyd Mangrum
    194219441946

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

    • Major win
    • Runner-up

    Vic Ghezzi was born on October 19, 1910, in Rumson, New Jersey, USA. Ghezzi won one major championship: the 1941 PGA Championship.

    See Vic Ghezzi in our rooms: U.S. 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 (1)

    1. 1941 PGA Championship Cherry Hills Country Club, Englewood, Colorado · won the final won on 38th hole against Byron Nelson

    Near misses

    1. 1946 U.S. Open Canterbury G.C. · runner-up to Lloyd Mangrum · playoff: 36 holes

    U.S. Open top-10 finishes in his career: 2 (GNN U.S. Open room data).

    PGA Championship match play

    Every recorded match in our bracket file, 1916–1957: 26 won, 18 lost, including 1 of 1 finals.

    1. 1932 Round of 32 lost to Ralph Stonehouse 6 & 5
    2. 1933 Round of 32 lost to Johnny Farrell 1 up
    3. 1934 Round of 32 beat Eddie Burke 2 & 1
    4. 1934 Round of 16 lost to Paul Runyan 2 & 1
    5. 1935 Round of 64 beat Billy Burke 2 up
    6. 1935 Round of 32 lost to Al Zimmerman 2 & 1
    7. 1936 Round of 64 beat Mike Turnesa 5 & 4
    8. 1936 Round of 32 beat Fay Coleman 1 up
    9. 1936 Round of 16 lost to Jimmy Hines 4 & 3
    10. 1937 Round of 64 beat Mike Turnesa 3 & 2
    11. 1937 Round of 32 beat Sam Parks Jr. 1 up
    12. 1937 Round of 16 lost to Tony Manero 3 & 1
    13. 1939 Round of 64 beat Joe Belfore 3 & 2
    14. 1939 Round of 32 lost to Emerick Kocsis 3 & 1
    15. 1940 Round of 64 beat George Smith 2 & 1
    16. 1940 Round of 32 lost to Walter Hagen 2 & 1
    17. 1941 Round of 64 beat Joe Pezzullo 3 & 2
    18. 1941 Round of 32 beat Augie Nordone 1 up
    19. 1941 Round of 16 beat Jack Grout 1 up
    20. 1941 Quarterfinal beat Jimmy Hines 8 & 7
    21. 1941 Semifinal beat Lloyd Mangrum 1 up
    22. 1941 Final beat Byron Nelson won on 38th hole
    23. 1942 Round of 32 lost to Jimmy Demaret 4 & 3
    24. 1945 Round of 32 beat Ed Dudley 7 & 6
    25. 1945 Round of 16 beat Herman Barron 2 up
    26. 1945 Quarterfinal lost to Sam Byrd 7 & 6
    27. 1946 Round of 64 beat Jim Gantz 1 up
    28. 1946 Round of 32 lost to Dick Shoemaker 1 up
    29. 1947 Round of 64 beat Herman Keiser 6 & 5
    30. 1947 Round of 32 beat Earl Martin 6 & 5
    31. 1947 Round of 16 beat Jim Turnesa 4 & 3
    32. 1947 Quarterfinal beat Lew Worsham 3 & 2
    33. 1947 Semifinal lost to Chick Harbert 6 & 5
    34. 1948 Round of 64 lost to Frank Moore 7 & 6
    35. 1950 Round of 64 lost to Dick Metz 2 & 1
    36. 1951 Round of 64 beat Eddie Burke 3 & 2
    37. 1951 Round of 32 beat Rod Munday 4 & 3
    38. 1951 Round of 16 lost to Reggie Myles 1 up
    39. 1952 Round of 64 beat Claude Harmon won on 19th hole
    40. 1952 Round of 32 beat Mel Carpenter 5 & 3
    41. 1952 Round of 16 lost to Bob Hamilton 9 & 8
    42. 1953 Round of 64 lost to Jimmy Clark 2 & 1
    43. 1955 Round of 64 beat Pete Cooper 4 & 3
    44. 1955 Round of 32 lost to Don Fairfield won on 23rd hole

    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 bio
    3. Golf Compendium PGA Tour career wins
    4. Golf Compendium winners list
    5. PGA of America winners & venues
    6. Golf Compendium 1941
    7. The Golf News Net history table (2026)
    8. Today's Golfer purse history
    9. Trenham, Philadelphia PGA history 1940–1949
    10. Sports Illustrated Vault, Nelson 1945 (1995) — link no longer works (checked October 17, 2026): https://vault.si.com/vault/1995/07/24/major-hurdle-to-overcome-a-history-of-failure-in-the-pga-championship-byron-nelson-had-to-beat-a-man-with-a-past
    11. PGA of America 2013 media guide, p. 90
    12. Golf Compendium 1934
    13. Golf Compendium 1936
    14. Golf Compendium 1937
    15. Golf Compendium 1945
    16. Golf Compendium 1947
    17. Golf Compendium 1951
    18. Golf Compendium 1952
    19. Golf Compendium 1953