This article originally appeared in the October issue of NCGA Golf Magazine
October being NCGA Hall of Fame month, we thought we’d take a look back at one of the members of the original Class of 2011.
That being San Francisco native and NorCal legend Kenneth Venturi.
Venturi was born in San Francisco in 1931 and developed his game at Harding Park, Lincoln Park and other local courses. The Abraham Lincoln High School alumnus first captured the nation’s attention in 1956 when as a 25-year-old amateur, he finished runner-up at the Masters after leading from the first round.
But NCGA golfers were already well aware of Mr. Venturi, as the San Jose State golfer had captured the 1949 NCGA Junior, three San Francisco City titles, the 1951 and 1952 NCGA Stroke Play Championships and the 1951 and 1956 California Amateurs.
In 1953, he played for Team USA in the Walker Cup, one of four Northern Californians to ever earn that distinction at the time.
Turning professional in 1957, Venturi proved his stellar amateur record was no fluke, winning 10 times in his first four years on tour, including four times in 1958 to lead the Tour as well as the 1960 Bing Crosby Pro-Am.
After recovering from minor injuries suffered in a car accident in 1961, Venturi provided the highlight of his professional career in 1964 when he won the U.S. Open at Congressional after nearly collapsing in the scorching heat. “My God, I’ve won the Open,” he famously said after sinking the winning putt capping a final 36-hole day in an inspiring performance that earned him Sports Illustrated’s “Sportsman of the Year” honors.
He would add earning a spot on the Ryder Cup team in 1965, where he played for longtime mentor Byron Nelson and one more victory before retiring in 1967 with 14 total wins.
Venturi would spend the next 35 years with CBS Sports as its popular lead golf analyst pairing with Pat Summerall and later, Jim Nantz. His career is somewhat of a record for longevity in its own that field.
Before his retirement from television work in 2002, Venturi led the 2000 U.S. President’s Cup Team to victory and earned the PGA of America’s “Lifetime Achievement” award in journalism for his work with CBS. A cancer survivor, for many years Venturi ran the Guiding Eyes Golf Classic, a fundraiser for providing guide dogs to the blind.