Bruce Lietzke

Bruce Lietzke
Bruce Lietzke
Personal information
Full name	Bruce Alan Lietzke
Born	July 18, 1951; Kansas City, Kansas, U.S.
Died	July 28, 2018 (aged 67); Athens, Texas, U.S.
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight	205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st)
Nationality	United States
Career
College	University of Houston
Turned professional	1974
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour; Champions Tour
Professional wins	22
Highest ranking	14 (September 13, 1992)[1]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	13
PGA Tour Champions	7
Other	2
Best results in major championships;
Masters Tournament	6th/T6: 1979, 1985
PGA Championship	2nd: 1991
U.S. Open	T17: 1981
The Open Championship	T6: 1981

Bruce Alan Lietzke (July 18, 1951 – July 28, 2018) was an American professional golfer who won 13 tournaments on the PGA Tour between 1977 and 1994, including two victories in the Canadian Open. His best finish in a major championship was at the 1991 PGA Championship where he finished second, three strokes behind John Daly. He had seven victories on the Champions Tour, including one senior major title, the 2003 U.S. Senior Open. He played in the 1981 Ryder Cup.

Early life

Lietzke was born in Kansas City, Kansas.[2][3] He moved to Beaumont, Texas with his parents in 1960 and lived there until 1977, graduating from Forest Park High School in 1969.[4]

Acknowledgments

Lietzke credited his older brother, Duane, for introducing him to the game of golf at age five. He also credits Henry Homberg, a local Beaumont professional, along with Duane for having the greatest influences on his game when he first started playing. Lietzke attended the University of Houston in Houston, Texas. He graduated in 1973 and turned pro in 1974.

Successes

Lietzke's first PGA Tour victory was in the 1977 Tucson Open. Although he had to wait until the Champions Tour to win a major in the 2003 U.S. Senior Open, Lietzke had a relatively successful career, winning a combined total of 20 tournaments on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. His career year on the PGA Tour was 1981, when he had three tournament victories. He played on the winning 1981 U.S. Ryder Cup team at Walton Heath Golf Club in England in what is considered by many to be the finest American team ever assembled.[5]

Lietzke's best finish in a major on the PGA Tour was a solo second place at the 1991 PGA Championship.[6]

Lietzke was well known for not practicing a great deal, and not playing in a large number of tournaments compared to his fellow competitors, electing to spend more time with his family. He did not play more than 25 events in any PGA Tour season and never played more than 20 tournaments in a single season after 1988.[7] Despite this he never finished below 74th on the money list. During his career, Lietzke played in 506 PGA Tour events.

Hobbies

Lietzke enjoyed collecting classic cars and built an 11-car garage at his home in which to store his large collection; the crown jewel was a 1967 yellow Corvette Stingray convertible. He listed Bruce Springsteen as his favorite entertainer and Don "Big Daddy" Garlits as his favorite athlete. He made his home in Dallas, Texas.

Lietzke was an avid supporter of the Sour Mash Open in Parkersburg, West Virginia. He played in the event numerous times. "The Bryce-Lietzke-Martin Scholarship Fund was the first fund established by the Sour Mash Open Golf Tournament Committee in 1990 in honor of the late Dr. John Coyle Bryce, PGA Golf Professional, Bruce Lietzke, and Larry Martin. The earnings of the fund are used to provide scholarships to worthy Wood County students who have shown an interest in golf."[8]

Personal life

Lietzke and Jerry Pate were brothers-in-law. Lietzke's wife, Rose, and Pate's wife, Soozi, are sisters. Lietzke and Pate played together in the 1981 Ryder Cup.[9]

Medical problems and death

In April 2017, Lietzke was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma.[10] He died on July 28, 2018 from complications of the disease and attempts at treating it, which his body rejected.[11][12]

Professional wins (22)

PGA Tour wins (13)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Jan 16, 1977	Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open	−13 (70-66-70-69=275)	Playoff	Gene Littler
2	Feb 6, 1977	Hawaiian Open	−15 (67-70-67-69=273)	3 strokes	Don January, Takashi Murakami
3	Jun 25, 1978	Canadian Open	−1 (76-67-67-73=283)	1 stroke	Pat McGowan
4	Feb 18, 1979	Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open (2)	−15 (63-66-68-68=265)	2 strokes	Buddy Gardner, Jim Thorpe, Tom Watson
5	May 18, 1980	Colonial National Invitation	−9 (63-68-71-69=271)	1 stroke	Ben Crenshaw
6	Jan 18, 1981	Bob Hope Desert Classic	−25 (65-66-65-70-69=335)	2 strokes	Jerry Pate
7	Feb 8, 1981	Wickes-Andy Williams San Diego Open	−10 (68-72-70-68=278)	Playoff	Raymond Floyd, Tom Jenkins
8	May 10, 1981	Byron Nelson Golf Classic	+1 (68-74-69-70=281)	Playoff	Tom Watson
9	Aug 1, 1982	Canadian Open (2)	−7 (68-68-68-73=277)	2 strokes	Hal Sutton
10	Mar 4, 1984	Honda Classic	−8 (72-70-70-68=280)	Playoff	Andy Bean
11	May 15, 1988	GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic (2)	−9 (66-69-66-70=271)	Playoff	Clarence Rose
12	May 24, 1992	Southwestern Bell Colonial (2)	−13 (69-68-64-66=267)	Playoff	Corey Pavin
13	Oct 23, 1994	Las Vegas Invitational	−28 (66-67-68-66-65=332)	1 stroke	Robert Gamez

PGA Tour playoff record (6–6)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1977	Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open	Gene Littler	Won with birdie on fourth extra hole
2	1977	MONY Tournament of Champions	Jack Nicklaus	Lost to birdie on third extra hole
3	1978	Tallahassee Open	Barry Jaeckel	Lost to par on first extra hole
4	1981	Wickes-Andy Williams San Diego Open	Raymond Floyd, Tom Jenkins	Won with birdie on second extra hole Jenkins eliminated with par on first hole
5	1981	Byron Nelson Golf Classic	Tom Watson	Won with par on first extra hole
6	1984	Honda Classic	Andy Bean	Won with par on first extra hole
7	1988	GTE Byron Nelson Classic	Clarence Rose	Won with birdie on first extra hole
8	1992	GTE Byron Nelson Classic	Billy Ray Brown, Ben Crenshaw, Raymond Floyd	Brown won with birdie on first extra hole
9	1992	Southwestern Bell Colonial	Corey Pavin	Won with birdie on first extra hole
10	1992	Canadian Open	Greg Norman	Lost to birdie on second extra hole
11	1995	Mercedes Championships	Steve Elkington	Lost to birdie on second extra hole
12	1998	Bob Hope Chrysler Classic	Fred Couples	Lost to birdie on first extra hole

Other wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runners-up
1	Nov 16, 1997	Franklin Templeton Shark Shootout (with Scott McCarron)	−30 (68-59-59=186)	2 strokes	David Duval and Scott Hoch

Champions Tour wins (7)

Legend
Senior major championships (1)
Other Champions Tour (6)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Aug 12, 2001	3M Championship	−9 (72-66-69=207)	2 strokes	Doug Tewell
2	Sep 23, 2001	SAS Championship	−15 (69-66-66=201)	3 strokes	Allen Doyle, Gary McCord
3	Feb 24, 2002	Audi Senior Classic	−8 (75-66-67=208)	1 stroke	Hale Irwin, Gary McCord
4	May 12, 2002	TD Waterhouse Championship	−11 (69-64=133)	2 strokes	Larry Nelson
5	Sep 22, 2002	SAS Championship (2)	−14 (72-63-67=202)	4 strokes	Gil Morgan, Sammy Rachels, Tom Watson
6	Apr 27, 2003	Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf	−10 (70-65-71=26)	1 stroke	David Eger, Dana Quigley
7	Jun 29, 2003	U.S. Senior Open	−7 (69-71-64-73=277)	2 strokes	Tom Watson

Other senior wins (1)

2002 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Raphael Division (with Bill Rogers)

Results in major championships

Tournament	1972	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979
Masters Tournament				T28		6
U.S. Open	CUT	CUT	T47	T19	T20	T41
The Open Championship
PGA Championship			T38	T15	62	T16

Tournament	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
Masters Tournament	CUT	T11	T20	T42	T33	T6	T31	49		T34
U.S. Open	T38	T17	CUT	CUT		T31
The Open Championship	T19	T6	CUT
PGA Championship	T30	T4	T16	T6	T65	T18	T5	T28	T62	T46

Tournament	1990	1991	1992	1993	1995
Masters Tournament			T13	T31	T31
U.S. Open
The Open Championship
PGA Championship	CUT	2	T73	CUT	T23

Top 10

Did not play

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

Summary

Tournament	2nd	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	0	0	2	5	14	13
U.S. Open	0	0	0	3	11	7
The Open Championship	0	0	1	2	3	2
PGA Championship	1	3	4	9	19	17
Totals	1	3	7	19	47	39

Most consecutive cuts made – 13 (1983 PGA – 1989 PGA)
Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1981 Open Championship – 1981 PGA)

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
The Players Championship	CUT	CUT	T40	CUT	CUT	T24	T4	4	T3	T12	T7	T40	CUT	CUT	3

Tournament	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
The Players Championship	T11	T6	T46	T28	CUT	T43	CUT		T13	T32