Butch Baird

Fred "Butch" Baird (born July 20, 1936) is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour (now known as the Champions Tour).

Butch Baird
Personal information
Full nameFred Baird
Born (1936-07-20) July 20, 1936
Chicago, Illinois
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st)
Nationality United States
ResidenceScottsdale, Arizona
Career
Turned professional1959
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins14
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour2
PGA Tour Champions2
Other9 (regular)
1 (senior)
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentCUT: 1977
PGA ChampionshipT28: 1966
U.S. OpenT4: 1976
The Open ChampionshipCUT: 1978

Early life

Baird was born in Chicago, Illinois. He learned the game at the age of 14 from his father. He turned pro in 1959 after working in the Texas oil fields for a few years after high school.[1]

Professional career

Baird won two official PGA Tour events during his career: the 1961 Waco Turner Open and the 1976 San Antonio Texas Open. The San Antonio victory came 15 years, 5 months and 10 days after the Waco win, and was the record for longest time span between victories in PGA history until eclipsed by Robert Gamez in 2005.[2][3] His career year came in 1976, when in addition to his San Antonio win, he finished 46th on the money list with $58,192. Also in 1976, came his best finish in a major championship — a T-4 at the U.S. Open.[4]

Baird now lives in Scottsdale, Arizona as do many other professional golfers. He has a golf-memorabilia marketing business, BBJM Golf Enterprises, with partner Jack Mishler. His son, Briny, is also a professional golfer.

Professional wins (14)

PGA Tour wins (2)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
1May 7, 1961Waco Turner Open−7 (73-72-68-68=281)1 stroke Rex Baxter
2Oct 17, 1976San Antonio Texas Open−15 (68-70-70-65=273)Playoff Miller Barber

PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 1976 San Antonio Texas Open Miller Barber Won with birdie on first extra hole

PGA Tour satellite win (1)

Caribbean Tour wins (5)

Other wins (3)

Senior PGA Tour wins (2)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 Oct 19, 1986 Cuyahoga Seniors International −3 (70-71-69=210) 4 strokes Chi-Chi Rodríguez
2 Jun 18, 1989 Northville Long Island Classic −9 (58-62-63=183)* Playoff Frank Beard, Don Bies,
Orville Moody

*Note: The 1989 Northville Long Island Classic was played over 16 holes for each round due to flooding.[5]

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1987 MONY Senior Tournament of Champions Don January Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole
2 1989 Northville Long Island Classic Frank Beard, Don Bies,
Orville Moody		 Won with birdie on first extra hole

Other senior wins (1)

Results in major championships
Tournament 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open CUT CUT CUT T42
The Open Championship
PGA Championship CUT T28 T32
Tournament 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982
Masters Tournament CUT
U.S. Open T52 T4 CUT T53
The Open Championship CUT
PGA Championship T40 CUT T42
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

References
  1. Golf Today November 2003 article
  2. "Biographical information from PGA Tour's official site". Archived from the original on February 12, 2007. Retrieved May 9, 2007.
  3. "Victory Records from PGA Tour's official site". Archived from the original on January 3, 2006. Retrieved September 29, 2006.
  4. "Golf Major Championships".
  5. Baird wins Senior event on extra hole
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