(1923-06-10)June 10, 1923[1] Merchantville, New Jersey, U.S.
Died
April 10, 2017(2017-04-10) (aged 93) Florida, U.S.
Height
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight
220 lb (100 kg; 16 st)
Sporting nationality
United States
Spouse
Jo Ann Stillwagon
Career
College
University of Miami
Turned professional
1949
Former tour(s)
PGA Tour Champions Tour
Professional wins
18
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour
5[2]
Other
13
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament
T3: 1952
PGA Championship
T33: 1956, 1957, 1964
U.S. Open
T6: 1951
The Open Championship
DNP
Albert Cornelius Besselink (June 10, 1923 – April 10, 2017) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1950s and 1960s.
Besselink grew up in Merchantville, New Jersey.[3] He attended the University of Miami and was the first UM golfer to win a national tournament. He won the Southern Intercollegiate Championship twice before graduating in 1949.[4] He turned pro later that year.
Besselink won five PGA Tour events including the inaugural Tournament of Champions in 1953. The field was made up of 20 professionals, all tournament winners in the prior twelve months. With a six-foot par putt on the 18th hole, he finished with a 280, beating Chandler Harper by one stroke. Besselink was paid off with a wheelbarrow filled with silver dollars. He also had bet $500 on himself at 25 to 1, earning another $12,500.[5] Because he had just heard that Babe Zaharias had been diagnosed with cancer he donated half of his $10,000 first prize to the Damon Runyon Cancer Fund. Besselink and Zaharias had won the International Two-Ball Championship at Orlando in February 1952.[6]
Besselink was called "Bessie" by the other tour players and was known for living life with a gambler's recklessness and a showman's flair.[7] One famous example of his showmanship occurred during the third round of the 1965 Colonial National Invitation in Fort Worth when Besselink played the final four holes of his third round with a red rose—plucked from a bush at the 15th hole—between his teeth. Afterward, Besselink said the gesture was a nod to the "loveliness of Texas women in general and Fort Worth women in particular." The next day, locker room attendants presented Besselink with 50 roses sent by female fans.
In 2016, it was reported that Besselink, then aged 93, was living in a one-storey care home in South Florida. He was by then using a wheelchair and suffering from severe memory loss.[8] Besselink died in Florida on April 10, 2017, at the age of 93.[9]
^"Conlin". The Sacramento Bee. April 26, 1981. p. 42 – via newspapers.com.
^PGA Tour 2000 Official Media Guide of the PGA Tour. PGA Tour. November 2000. pp. 6–17.
^"Besselink Posts 65 for 135 Total to Gain One-Stroke Margin in Azalea Golf; Gajda is Second in $20,000 Event Besselink Gets 8 Birdies in Gaining Lead -- Four Tied for Third Place", The New York Times, March 29, 1964. Accessed November 26, 2007.
^"Al Besselink 1946 to 1949". University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame official site. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
^Myers, Bob (April 27, 1953). "Besselink Grabs $10,000 Prize In Champs' Tourney". The Charlotte Observer. North Carolina. AP. p. 16 – via newspapers.com.
^"Besselink, Zaharias Win At Orlando". The Atlanta Constitution. Georgia. AP. February 25, 1952. p. 11 – via newspapers.com.
^"Whoa, Bessie". Golfonline.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2007. Retrieved October 23, 2006.
^From the Mag: Catching up with Al 'Bessie' Besselink
^"Albert Cornelius Besselink". Forever Missed. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
Cornelius Besselink (June 10, 1923 – April 10, 2017) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1950s and 1960s. Besselink grew...
Playoff Johnny Pott 70,000 11,000 1964 Ken Venturi 273 −11 1 stroke AlBesselink Paul Bondeson Sam Carmichael Jim Grant 50,000 7,500 1963 Billy Casper...
2010, p. 196. Drake 2010, p. 198. Drake 2010, p. 200. Drake 2010, p. 203. "Al Balding". oshof.ca. Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original...
Brewer Mac Main 30,000 4,300 1960 Dow Finsterwald 270 −18 6 strokes AlBesselink 25,000 3,500 1959 Bill Collins 280 −8 3 strokes Jack Burke Jr. Tom Nieporte...
Archived from the original on December 21, 2010. Retrieved June 1, 2012. Barkow, Al (1989). The History of the PGA TOUR. Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-26145-4. Wikimedia...
Spokane, Washington. May 29, 1959. p. 13. Retrieved March 2, 2011. Barkow, Al (1989). The History of the PGA TOUR. Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-26145-4. "Career...
Worthley, American naturalist and television presenter (b. 1924) April 10 AlBesselink, American professional golfer (b. 1923) Linda Hopkins, American actress...
Jerseyan golfers include Scottie Scheffler, Marina Alex, Megha Ganne, AlBesselink and Vic Ghezzi. The United States Golf Association (USGA) headquarters...
1964 Insurance City Open Invitational 70-63-69-71=273 −11 1 stroke AlBesselink, Paul Bondeson Sam Carmichael, Jim Grant 13 Aug 23, 1964 American Golf...
Middlecoff, 77, Dentist Who Became Top Pro Golfer". The New York Times. Barkow, Al (November 1989). The History of the PGA TOUR. Copyright PGA Tour. Doubleday...
"Woody Austin". 1995–2014 PGA TOUR, Inc. Retrieved April 10, 2014. "AlBesselink". Miami Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on January 15...
Orlando Florida 2-Ball (with George Bolesta) 1952 Orlando Mixed (with AlBesselink) List of golfers with most LPGA Tour wins List of golfers with most LPGA...
February 1961. p. 21. Retrieved 8 May 2020 – via Google News Archive. "AlBesselink Wins In Caracas". Youngstown Vindicator. Youngstown, Ohio. AP. 2 December...
Open Ed Furgol Won with par on first extra hole 2 1957 Venezuela Open AlBesselink Lost to birdie on first extra hole 3 1958 Eastern Open Invitational Jack...
Greater New Orleans Open Invitational −18 (69-66-66-69=270) 6 strokes AlBesselink 11 Jun 3, 1963 500 Festival Open Invitation −16 (68-68-64-68=268) 2 strokes...
inclusion 9. Top 24 players and ties from the 1952 Masters Tournament AlBesselink, Arnold Blum (a), Tommy Bolt (10), Jack Burke Jr., George Fazio (10)...
Sota 284 −4 2 strokes Bill Collins 1965 Howell Fraser 288 E 1 stroke AlBesselink Art Wall Jr. 1964 Art Wall Jr. 289 +1 Playoff Jay Dolan 1963 Charlie...
Tournament Jerry Barber, AlBesselink, Tommy Bolt, Doug Ford (10), Leland Gibson, Chick Harbert, Fred Hawkins, Dick Mayer, Al Mengert (10), Dick Metz (10)...
Florida 50,000 Billy Casper (21) Mar 30 Azalea Open North Carolina 20,000 AlBesselink (4) Apr 5 Greater Greensboro Open North Carolina 45,000 Julius Boros...
the team. 9. Top 24 players and ties from the 1951 Masters Tournament AlBesselink (10), Julius Boros (10), Johnny Bulla (12), Dave Douglas (10), George...
Championship 1966 Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer 256 −32 3 strokes AlBesselink and Doug Sanders PGA National Four-ball Championship 1965 Butch Baird...
Global Information
United States