Champion: Julius Boros

Julius Boros (1920-1994) Born to Hungarian immigrant parents in Fairfield, he began caddying at the Greenfield Hill Country Club at the age of 11. As a young man, he worked for the Aluminum Company of America and later joined the Air Force. After attending Bridgeport Junior College on the GI Bill, he worked for an accounting firm and played golf at the Fairchild Wheeler course, winning the 27-hole Fairchild Wheeler championship. At the age of 30, he turned professional and devoted himself to golf full-time in 1950.

Boros quickly established himself as one of the game’s most powerful contestants, winning the title in 1952 during his first appearance at the U.S. Open. He continued to play at the highest level into his fifties, and became the oldest winner of a major when he won the National PGA Championship in 1968. He won the U.S. Open again in 1963 and the PGA Seniors title in 1971 and 1977, and played on four Ryder Cup teams from 1959 to 1967.  Boros was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1982.  

He was known for his smooth swing, and for combining ease, flawless technique, and competitive fire.  He never took a practice swing; author and golf historian Herbert Warren Wind noted, “He was the most relaxed guy. He seemed to have no nerves, and that made him very dangerous.”

 

“Swing easy, hit hard.” - Julius Boros

“By the time you get to your ball, if you don't know what to do with it, try another sport.”- Julius Boros

“Retire to what? I'm already a golfer and a fisherman. I have nothing to retire to." - Julius Boros