Al Balding

Allan George Balding (April 29, 1924 – July 30, 2006) was a Canadian professional golfer, who won four events on the PGA Tour. In 1955 he became the first Canadian to win a PGA Tour event in the United States; Canadians Ken Black (1936 Vancouver Jubilee Open), Jules Huot (1937 General Brock Open) and Pat Fletcher (1954 Canadian Open) had won PGA Tour events in Canada.[1]

Al Balding
Personal information
Full nameAllan George Balding
Born(1924-04-29)April 29, 1924
Toronto, Ontario
DiedJuly 30, 2006(2006-07-30) (aged 82)
Mississauga, Ontario
Height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight185 lb (84 kg)
Nationality Canada
Career
Turned professional1950
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Canadian Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins18
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour4
Other14
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT16: 1957
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenT12: 1967
The Open ChampionshipT8: 1967

Biography

Balding was born in Toronto, Ontario. He served for three years as a member of the Canadian Army during World War II,[2] and saw duty in France and Germany. After the war in the late 1940s, Balding worked at a Toronto tire manufacturing company.[2] He had played golf only occasionally as a youth, but began playing more after the War ended, improving his game rapidly.

Balding became a professional golfer in 1950, working as a club professional in Toronto.[3]

Balding began on the Canadian Professional Golf Tour, winning his first two tournaments in 1952. In 1955, Balding became the first Canadian to win a PGA Tour event in the United States, when he won the Mayfair Open. In 1957, he won three events on the Tour and finished 6th on the money list, the highest of any Canadian at that point.

Balding would go on to win an impressive number of tournaments in many different venues over a long period of time during his career. He won ten events on the Canadian Tour from 1952 through 1973. He won four tournaments on the PGA Tour, the most of any Canadian to that point. In 1968, in Italy, he won the World Cup team title for Canada (with George Knudson), as well as the individual title. Balding played on the Canadian National Team in the Canada Cup / World Cup from 1956 to 1970, except in the years 1962, 1965 and 1966. Balding was named Ontario Athlete of the Year in 1955 and 1957. He was elected to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1968.

Balding was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 1984. He was also inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.[4] He was one of the 40 original seniors on the U.S. Senior PGA Tour in 1980. Balding Court, a street on the former St. Andrew's Golf Club in Toronto is named in his honour (it is north of York Mills Road, between Yonge Street and Bayview Avenue).

Perhaps the most remarkable win of Balding's career came at the age of 76, when he captured the 2000 Canadian PGA Senior Championship, giving him professional victories in six different decades; this was attained against players as young as age 50.

Balding was the uncle of Canadian auto racing driver Kat Teasdale.[5]

Balding died in Mississauga, Ontario from cancer.

Professional wins (18)

PGA Tour wins (4)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
1 Dec 18, 1955 Mayfair Inn Open −11 (69-66-64-70=269) 1 stroke Porky Oliver, Mike Souchak
2 Mar 24, 1957 Miami Beach Open −7 (68-69=137) 1 stroke Chick Harbert
3 Nov 24, 1957 West Palm Beach Open −7 (70-71-68=209) 1 stroke Dow Finsterwald, Bert Weaver
4 Dec 8, 1957 Havana Invitational −7 (70-69-70-72=281) Playoff Al Besselink

Canadian wins (10)

Other wins (2)

Other senior wins (2)
  • 1994 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Jay Hebert)
  • 2000 Canadian PGA Seniors' Championship

Results in major championships
Tournament 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970
Masters Tournament T29 T16 T26 27 24 CUT CUT CUT
U.S. Open T32 T43 T32 T12 T43 T42 T18
The Open Championship T17 T8 9

Note: Balding never played in the PGA Championship.

  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary
TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament00000285
U.S. Open00000277
The Open Championship00002333
PGA Championship00000000
Totals0000271815
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 8 (1956 Masters – 1962 U.S. Open)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (twice)

Team appearances
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References
  1. rcga.org, see Canadian Golf Hall of Fame profiles for Kenneth Black and Julet Huot
  2. Carroll, Dink (May 2, 1961). "Balding Playing Well". The Montreal Gazette.
  3. Barclay, James A. (1992). Golf in Canada: A History. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. ISBN 978-0-7710-1080-4.
  4. "Al Balding". Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  5. "Kathryn Teasdale". Historic Racing. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
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