Jim Turnesa

Jim Turnesa
Jim Turnesa
	Turnesa in 1936
Personal information
Full name	James R. Turnesa
Born	December 9, 1912; New York, New York, U.S.
Died	August 27, 1971 (aged 58); Elmsford, New York, U.S.
Sporting nationality	United States
Career
Turned professional	1931
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour
Professional wins	11
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	2
Other	9
Best results in major championships; (wins: 1)
Masters Tournament	T4: 1949
PGA Championship	Won: 1952
U.S. Open	3rd: 1948
The Open Championship	T5: 1954

James R. Turnesa (December 9, 1912 – August 27, 1971) was an American professional golfer and winner of the 1952 PGA Championship, beating Chick Harbert 1-up in the match-play final.^[1] He was one of seven famous golfing brothers; Phil (1896–1987), Frank (1898–1949), Joe (1901–1991), Mike (1907–2000), Doug (1909–1972), Jim (1912–1971), and Willie (1914–2001). The family was referred to as a "golf dynasty" in a 2000 New York Times article.^[2]

Career

Turnesa was born in Elmsford, New York, one of seven brothers who became prominent in the golfing world: Phil (1896–1987), Frank (1898–1949), Joe (1901–1991), Mike (1907–2000), Doug (1909–1972), Jim (1912–1971), and Willie (1914–2001). All but Willie turned professional^[3] and Jim was the only one to win a major championship.

The Turnesa brothers were well known for their prowess on the links and they started out as caddies before competing in tournaments.^[4] Jim's father Vitale was a head greenskeeper at Fairview Country Club. It was at Fairview that Jim and his brothers would apprentice under the head pro John R. Inglis.^[5]^[6] So famous did they become as a dynasty of the sport that RKO Pictures filmed a newsreel about them in 1938 labeling the clip "The Golfing Brothers."^[7]

Turnesa faced and lost to Sam Snead in the 1942 PGA Championship final. In 1948, he held the record for low score (280) in the U.S. Open for about an hour. Ben Hogan (276) and Jimmy Demaret (278) finished later, erasing his record, and he finished third. He won one other PGA Tour event, the 1951 Reading Open.^[8]

He was a frequent participant in Westchester member-pro events beating out a duo that included Gene Sarazen in 1947 at a Knollwood Country Club best ball tournament.^[9]

Turnesa played on the 1953 Ryder Cup team.

After serving as pro at Briar Hall and Empire State course, he was named the head pro at Ryewood Country Club in 1959 and continued there in the early 1960s.^[10]

Personal life

He died in his home town of lung cancer.^[11]

Professional wins (11)

PGA Tour wins (2)

1951 Reading Open
1952 PGA Championship

Major championship is shown in bold.

Other wins (9)

Note: This list may be incomplete.

1937 Rhode Island Open
1946 Westchester PGA Championship
1947 North and South Open
1950 Havana Invitational
1956 Westchester PGA Championship
1959 Metropolitan Open
1960 Haig & Haig Scotch Foursome (with Gloria Armstrong)
1964 Westchester PGA Championship
1968 Long Island PGA Championship

Major championships

Wins (1)

Year	Championship	Winning score	Runner-up
1952	PGA Championship	1 up	Chick Harbert

Note: The PGA Championship was match play until 1958

Results timeline

Tournament	1937	1938	1939
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open	T50	CUT	T32
The Open Championship
PGA Championship

Tournament	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945	1946	1947	1948	1949
Masters Tournament				NT	NT	NT	T37	T44		T4
U.S. Open	CUT	T33	NT	NT	NT	NT		T39	3	T4
The Open Championship	NT	NT	NT	NT	NT	NT
PGA Championship			2	NT		R16	QF	R16	R64	R16

Tournament	1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959
Masters Tournament	T46			T27	T60	48	T22	CUT	T35	CUT
U.S. Open	T38			T17	T33			CUT	CUT
The Open Championship					T5
PGA Championship		R32	1	R32	R64		R16	R128	CUT	T38

Tournament	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1968	1969
Masters Tournament	T39	CUT	CUT
U.S. Open	T46	CUT			CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship	T32	CUT	CUT	CUT	T62	CUT	CUT	CUT	T76

Win

Top 10

Did not play

NT = no tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

Tournament	Wins	2nd	3rd	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	0	0	0	1	1	2	14	10
U.S. Open	0	0	1	2	2	3	16	10
The Open Championship	0	0	0	1	1	1	1	1
PGA Championship	1	1	0	3	7	9	23	16
Totals	1	1	1	7	11	15	54	37

Most consecutive cuts made – 27 (1941 U.S. Open – 1956 PGA)
Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1949 Masters – 1949 PGA)

U.S. national team appearances

Professional

Ryder Cup: 1953 (winners)
Canada Cup: 1953
Lakes International Cup: 1952 (winners)
Hopkins Trophy: 1953 (winners)

References

^ "PGA Championship Media Guide". Archived from the original on January 23, 2013.
^ Kilgannon, Corey (December 3, 2000). "Recalling a Golf Dynasty: Elmsford's Turnesa Family". The New York Times. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
^ "Jim Turnesa Named Head Pro at Ryewood". The Daily Times. Mamaroneck, New York. December 15, 1959. p. 20 – via newspapers.com.
^ "Jim Turnesa Seeks Honors in Midget Golf". The Daily Item. Port Chester, New York. December 9, 1930. p. 14 – via newspapers.com.
^ "Club History". Fairview Country Club. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
^ "John R. Inglis 'It's Been A Long And Joyful Life'". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
^ Kilgannon, Corey (June 21, 2001). "Willie Turnesa, Last Brother In Golfing Family, Dies at 87". The New York Times.
^ "Miscellaneous PGA Tour records (wins by brothers)". Archived from the original on December 25, 2005. Retrieved December 24, 2006.
^ "Turnesa Duo Links Victors". The Daily Argus. Mount Vernon, NY. September 29, 1947.
^ "Pro Golf's Royal Family". The Daily News. Port Chester, New York. September 26, 1961. p. 25 – via newspapers.com.
^ "Jim Turnesa, Former PGA Champ Dies". The Morning Record. Meriden, Connecticut. Associated Press. August 28, 1971. p. 5 – via Google News Archive.