Johnny Bulla

John Guthrie Bulla (June 2, 1914 – December 7, 2003) was an American professional golfer.

Johnny Bulla
Personal information
Full nameJohn Guthrie Bulla
Born(1914-06-02)June 2, 1914
Newell, West Virginia
DiedDecember 7, 2003(2003-12-07) (aged 89)
Phoenix, Arizona
Nationality United States
Career
StatusProfessional
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins8
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour1
Other7
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT2: 1949
PGA ChampionshipT5: 1948, 1951
U.S. OpenT3: 1941
The Open Championship2nd/T2: 1939, 1946

Born in Newell, West Virginia, Bulla played on the PGA Tour, winning the 1941 Los Angeles Open, and finished runner-up three times in the majors, including twice to Sam Snead; at the British Open in 1946 and the Masters in 1949. Bulla's greatest moment might have been the British Open in 1939 at St Andrews. In miserable conditions, he drove flawlessly and never missed a fairway. The driver is on display in the Royal & Ancient Golf Club Museum, but his name is missing from the Claret Jug. Bulla finished early that day and was the leader in the clubhouse, which he held until Dick Burton, in the final group, caught him and won with a birdie on the last hole. Although Bulla never won a major, he finished in the top-10 12 times; twice each in the Masters and PGA Championship and four times each at the British Open and U.S. Open.

In January 2000, the Carolinas Golf Reporters Association inducted Bulla into the Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame. He co-founded Arizona Airways,[1] which became Frontier Airlines in 1950.

Bulla was a private pilot and before World War II, he flew himself to various tournaments.[2] He was later a commercial pilot with Eastern Airlines,[3][4] and shortly after the war, Bulla and several other touring pros bought a C-47 cargo plane from the U.S. Army Air Forces to fly themselves and their wives to golf tournaments, with Bulla at the controls.[5][6]

Bulla was the first to endorse merchandise sold outside the golf pro shop. He won the L.A. Open in 1941 with a discount golf ball, which sold for a quarter at Walgreens.[7][8]

Professional wins (8)

PGA Tour wins (1)

Other wins (7)

Results in major championships
Tournament 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open 63 T45 6
The Open Championship 2
PGA Championship
Tournament 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
Masters Tournament T21 39 NT NT NT T16 13 T13 T2
U.S. Open DQ T3 NT NT NT NT T22 T35 T8 T14
The Open Championship NT NT NT NT NT NT T2 T6 T7 27
PGA Championship NT R32 QF R32
Tournament 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
Masters Tournament 31 T8 DQ T51 CUT
U.S. Open T12 52 4 T33 CUT DQ T24
The Open Championship T14 T37
PGA Championship QF CUT
Tournament 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open CUT T54
The Open Championship CUT
PGA Championship T57 CUT CUT CUT 63 CUT CUT
  Top 10
  Did not play

NT = no tournament
DQ = disqualified
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1959 PGA Championship)
R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary
TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament010126119
U.S. Open0012481814
The Open Championship02024587
PGA Championship000224116
Totals031712234836
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 23 (1941 Masters – 1951 PGA)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 4 (1948 U.S. Open – 1949 Masters)

References
  1. Johnny Bulla
  2. "Bulla to seek second win in Oakland event". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Associated Press. January 8, 1941. p. 6.
  3. "Golf pros plan tourney air travel in own airplane". Eugene Register-Guard. October 17, 1945. p. 7.
  4. Drum, Bob (March 19, 1949). "Bulla's here to stay for a while". Pittsburgh Press. p. 6.
  5. "Bulla has solved travel problems for golfing pros". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. December 12, 1945. p. 2-final.
  6. "On this day in history - Johnny Bulla takes flight with his pals". In Golf We Trust. December 11, 2007. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  7. Murray, Jim (November 30, 1993). "Athletes today owe Bulla a lot". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  8. Huffman, Bill (December 16, 2003). "Golf legend Bulla lived rich life". East Valley Tribune. Tempe, AZ. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  9. "Arizona Open – Past Champions". PGA of America - Southwest Section. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
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