# Orville Moody

Orville James Moody (December 9, 1933 – August 8, 2008) was an American professional golfer who won numerous tournaments in his career. He won the U.S. Open in 1969, the last champion in the 20th century to win through local and sectional qualifying.

## Early life

Born in Chickasha, Oklahoma, Moody was the youngest of ten children. The son of a golf course superintendent, he began his career at Capitol Hill High School in Oklahoma City, winning the 1952 state high school golf championship. After attempting college for a few weeks at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Moody joined the U.S. Army. He was able to continue playing golf while in uniform, winning the All-Service championship and three Korea Opens. He spent fourteen years in the Army, heading up maintenance supervision and instruction at all Army golf courses.

## Professional golf career

Moody gave up his military career in favor of a trial run at the PGA Tour in 1967. His nickname on tour was "Sarge" because he rose to the rank of sergeant in the Army. Moody had limited success on the PGA Tour prior to 1969. In April of that year, he took part in a four-way playoff at the Greater Greensboro Open won by Gene Littler.
The U.S. Open in 1969 was played in June at the Cypress Creek Course of the Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas. Defending champion Lee Trevino picked Moody to win, saying, "He's one helluva player." Moody won by one stroke over Deane Beman, Al Geiberger, and Bob Rosburg with a 72-hole score of 281. He tied for sixteenth at the British Open, tied for seventh at the PGA Championship, and was named PGA Player of the Year for 1969.
The U.S. Open win was Moody's sole tour victory in 266 career events, although he was runner-up five times. He toured Japan, played in a few tournaments and eventually took a club pro job in Sulphur Springs, Texas. Moody was troubled by poor putting during his early pro years.
His career on the Senior PGA Tour (now PGA Tour Champions) was dramatically different. After turning fifty in late 1983, he won two of his first five tournaments in 1984 and finished fifth on the money list. In 1989, he became only the fourth man to win both the U.S. Open and the U.S. Senior Open. Moody went to a long putter after becoming a senior golfer, and this method improved his putting significantly. He had eleven wins on the senior tour, with the last in 1992.
Moody had triple bypass heart surgery prior to the 1995 season, but still managed to play in 29 events.

## Later life

Moody continued to play in charity and other golf events up until 2007. The following year, he died at age 74 in Allen, Texas, from complications of a stroke he had earlier suffered and/or complications from multiple myeloma. He was survived by his wife, Beverly, their son and three daughters, and eight grandchildren.

## Professional wins (31)
### PGA Tour wins (1)

* Legend
* Major championships (1)
* Other PGA Tour (0)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
| 1 | Jun 15, 1969 | U.S. Open | 71-70-68-72=281 | +1 | 1 stroke | Deane Beman, Al Geiberger, Bob Rosburg |
PGA Tour playoff record (0–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
| 1 | 1969 | Greater Greensboro Open | Julius Boros, Gene Littler, Tom Weiskopf | Littler won with birdie on fifth extra hole Weiskopf eliminated by par on first hole |
| 2 | 1973 | Bing Crosby National Pro-Am | Raymond Floyd, Jack Nicklaus | Nicklaus won with birdie on first extra hole |

### Asia Golf Circuit wins (1)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | Apr 4, 1971 | Hong Kong Open | 66-66-66-68=266 | −14 | 2 strokes | Haruo Yasuda |

### Korean wins (5)

* 1958 Korea Open
* 1959 KPGA Championship, Korea Open
* 1960 Korea Open
* 1966 KPGA Championship

### Other wins (3)

This list is incomplete
* 1969 World Series of Golf, World Cup (team with Lee Trevino)
* 1971 Hassan II Golf Trophy

### Senior PGA Tour wins (11)

* Legend
* Senior PGA Tour major championships (2)
* Other Senior PGA Tour (9)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | Apr 8, 1984 | Daytona Beach Seniors Golf Classic | 70-74-69=213 | −3 | Playoff | Arnold Palmer, Dan Sikes |
| 2 | May 6, 1984 | MONY Senior Tournament of Champions | 71-75-70-72=288 | E | 7 strokes | Dan Sikes |
| 3 | Aug 16, 1987 | Rancho Murieta Senior Gold Rush | 69-67-69=205 | −11 | 2 strokes | Butch Baird |
| 4 | Dec 13, 1987 | GTE Kaanapali Classic | 65-67=132* | −12 | 3 strokes | John Brodie |
| 5 | Mar 6, 1988 | Vintage Chrysler Invitational | 66-64-70-63=263 | −25 | 11 strokes | Al Geiberger, Harold Henning |
| 6 | Jun 5 1988 | Senior Players Reunion Pro-Am | 70-70-66=206 | −10 | Playoff | Bob Charles, Don Massengale, Bobby Nichols |
| 7 | Aug 21, 1988 | Greater Grand Rapids Open | 68-65-70=203 | −7 | 1 stroke | Chick Evans, Gary Player, Chi-Chi Rodríguez |
| 8 | Jun 11, 1989 | Mazda Senior Tournament Players Championship | 67-69-64-71=271 | −17 | 2 strokes | Charles Coody |
| 9 | Jul 2, 1989 | U.S. Senior Open | 72-73-64-70=279 | −9 | 2 strokes | Frank Beard |
| 10 | Jun 23, 1991 | PaineWebber Invitational | 69-68-70=207 | −9 | 1 stroke | Dick Hendrickson |
| 11 | Aug 30, 1992 | Franklin Showdown Classic | 70-67=137* | −7 | Playoff | Bob Betley |
*Note: Tournament shortened to 36 holes due to weather.
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (3–4)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
| 1 | 1984 | Daytona Beach Seniors Golf Classic | Arnold Palmer, Dan Sikes | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 2 | 1985 | Citizens Union Senior Golf Classic | Lee Elder, Dan Sikes, Walt Zembriski | Elder won with birdie on third extra hole Moody eliminated by birdie on second hole |
| 3 | 1988 | Senior Players Reunion Pro-Am | Bob Charles, Don Massengale, Bobby Nichols | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 4 | 1989 | Southwestern Bell Classic | Bobby Nichols | Lost to birdie on third extra hole |
| 5 | 1989 | Northville Long Island Classic | Butch Baird, Frank Beard, Don Bies | Baird won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 6 | 1989 | Gatlin Brothers Southwest Senior Classic | George Archer, Jimmy Powell | Archer won with par on second extra hole |
| 7 | 1992 | Franklin Showdown Classic | Bob Betley | Won with birdie on eighth extra hole |

### Other senior wins (10)

* 1984 Viceroy Panama Open
* 1986 Australian PGA Seniors Championship
* 1987 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Bruce Crampton)
* 1987 Australian PGA Seniors Championship
* 1988 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Bruce Crampton)
* 1995 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Jimmy Powell)
* 1996 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Jimmy Powell)
* 1999 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Jimmy Powell)
* 2005 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Jimmy Powell)
* 2006 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Jimmy Powell)

## Major championships
### Wins (1)

| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runners-up |
| 1969 | U.S. Open | 3 shot deficit | +1 (71-70-68-72=281) | 1 stroke | Deane Beman, Al Geiberger, Bob Rosburg |

### Results timeline

| Tournament | 1962 | 1969 |
| Masters Tournament | | |
| U.S. Open | CUT | 1 |
| The Open Championship | | T16 |
| PGA Championship | | T7 |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 |
| Masters Tournament | T18 | T20 | CUT | CUT | 44 | | | | |
| U.S. Open | CUT | T27 | T15 | CUT | | CUT | | | |
| The Open Championship | CUT | | | | | | T11 | T19 | CUT |
| PGA Championship | T41 | CUT | WD | T30 | | | | CUT | |
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1970 and 1980 Open Championships) WD = withdrew "T" = tied

### Summary

| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| U.S. Open | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 3 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 |
| Totals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 23 | 12 |
* Most consecutive cuts made – 4 (1969 U.S. Open – 1970 Masters)
* Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (twice)

## Champions Tour major championships
### Wins (2)

| Year | Championship | Winning Score | Margin | Runner-up |
| 1989 | Mazda Senior Tournament Players Championship | −17 (67−69−64−71=271) | 2 strokes | Charles Coody |
| 1989 | U.S. Senior Open | −9 (72−73−64−70=279) | 2 strokes | Frank Beard |

## U.S. national team appearances

Professional
* World Cup: 1969 (winners)