Stan Leonard

Stan Leonard (February 2, 1915 – December 15, 2005) was a Canadian professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1950s and 1960s. Leonard won three PGA Tour events, eight Canadian PGA Championships, and 16 other significant events in Canada. He is a member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.

Early life and amateur career Leonard was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. He worked as a caddie, and had success in top British Columbia events.

In 1937, he won the Northwest Open, a significant event in the United States, as an amateur.

Professional career In 1938, Leonard turned pro. He played almost exclusively, and very successfully, on the Canadian Professional Golf Tour until 1954, while concurrently maintaining a club job at the Marine Drive Golf Club in Vancouver. He competed mainly in western Canada; money was tight, prize money was low, and travel costs to eastern Canada were high. In one of his early events on the PGA Tour, Leonard challenged to win the 1946 Crosby Pro-Am in California, before losing to Lloyd Mangrum.

Leonard won the Canadian PGA Championship eight times from 1940–1961, and this is a record. He was the low Canadian in the Canadian Open nine times from 1945–1961. He won the British Columbia Open five times, the Alberta Open nine times, and the Saskatchewan Open twice. He won a total of six significant amateur and 40 professional tournaments in Canada over the course of his career – second only to Moe Norman in Canadian golf history.

Leonard won the individual title at the Canada Cup in both 1954 and 1959.

Leonard was one of the best ball strikers and longest hitters of his era, despite being a diminutive 5' 6" in height. Part of his powerful swing could be attributed to his massive forearms. The other players noticed this physical feature and gave him the nickname Popeye.

Personal life Leonard died of heart failure in Vancouver at the age of 90.

Canadian wins (34) This list may be incomplete 1937 (1) Alberta Open 1939 (1) Alberta Open 1940 (1) Canadian PGA Championship 1941 (2) Alberta Open, Canadian PGA Championship 1942 (1) Alberta Open 1943 (1) Alberta Open 1947 (2) Alberta Open, British Columbia Open 1948 (1) Vancouver City Match Play Championship 1949 (3) Alberta Open, British Columbia Open, Vancouver City Match Play Championship 1950 (6) Alberta Open, Canadian PGA Championship, British Columbia Open, Vancouver City Match Play Championship, Saskatchewan Open, Western Canada Open 1951 (1) Canadian PGA Championship 1953 (1) Vancouver City Match Play Championship 1954 (3) Canadian PGA Championship, British Columbia Open, Vancouver City Match Play Championship 1955 (2) Alberta Open, Saskatchewan Open 1956 (1) Canadian Match Play 1957 (1) Canadian PGA Championship 1959 (1) Canadian PGA Championship 1960 (1) Canadian Match Play Open 1961 (1) Canadian PGA Championship 1962 (1) British Columbia Open

Other wins (4)

1937 Northwest Open (as an amateur) 1938 Tacoma Jubilee 1959 Canada Cup (individual event) 1960 Northwest Open

Senior wins (3) 1967 Canadian PGA Seniors' Championship 1972 Canadian PGA Seniors' Championship 1975 Canadian PGA Seniors' Championship

Results in major championships Note: Leonard never played in the PGA Championship.

CUT = missed the half-way cut "T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary Most consecutive cuts made – 6 (1957 Masters – 1961 Masters) Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1958 Masters – 1960 Masters)

Team appearances Canada Cup (representing Canada): 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959 (individual winner), 1960, 1963 Hopkins Trophy (representing Canada): 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956