death_date majorwins prowins year birth_date usopen death_place extour name fullname pga birth_place pgawins height award masters open weight yearpro article_title
2 june 1989 1 7 1957 1957 28 august 1924 '' ` won '' ' : 1957 palm springs , california pga tour dick mayer alvin richard mayer 5th : 1957 stamford , connecticut 7 5 11 pga winner player of the year pga tour leading money t4 : 1959 '' ` won '' ' : 1957 165 lb kg st on 1949 dick mayer

dick mayer

alvin richard mayer -lrb- august 28 , 1924 -- june 2 , 1989 -rrb- was an american professional golfer .
mayer was born in stamford , connecticut .
he apprenticed with renowned player and teacher claude harmon at the winged foot golf club in suburban new york city .
mayer won seven times on the pga tour , between 1953 and 1965 .
mayer almost won the 1954 u.s. open , but a triple bogey on the final hole left him tied for third , two shots back , as ed furgol won .
mayer 's career year was 1957 , when he finished the regulation 72 holes of the u.s. open at inverness club tied with defending champion cary middlecoff .
he won the 18-hole playoff 72 to 79 , and his prize was $ 7,200 .
he later won $ 50,000 at the world championship of golf , topped the pga tour money list with winnings of $ 65,835 , and won the pga player of the year award .
he also played on the 1957 ryder cup team .
mayer battled alcoholism , which kept him from winning more often on the tour .
mayer died at age 64 in palm springs , california .
