Billy Casper
A golfing genius with the silkiest putting touch of his era, who quietly racked up more wins than all but a few legends.
1931–2015 (age 84)·American professional golfer·Birthday: June 24·The Silent Generation
Biography
In an age dominated by golf's 'Big Three'—Palmer, Player, and Nicklaus—Billy Casper was the stealth champion, compiling a victory tally that demands his inclusion in their company. His game was not built on power but on preternatural calm and a short game that bordered on sorcery. Casper putted with a hypnotic, smooth stroke that drained crucial par-savers and birdies with metronomic regularity, a skill he honed as a caddie in San Diego. He won his three majors—two U.S. Opens and a Masters—with strategic patience, most famously at the 1966 U.S. Open where he erased a seven-stroke deficit to beat Arnold Palmer. A devout family man and later a health advocate after overcoming significant weight issues, Casper's legacy is that of a consummate shot-maker whose quiet excellence and 51 PGA Tour wins speak with a volume he never sought.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Billy was born in 1931, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Billy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1931
#1 Movie
Frankenstein
Best Picture
Cimarron
Billy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1931Born
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1936Started school
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1944Became a teenager
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1947Could drive
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1949Could vote
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1952Turned 21
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1961Turned 30
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1971Turned 40
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1981Turned 50
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 60
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 70
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 80
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2015Died at 84
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
Key Achievements
- Won 51 PGA Tour events, placing him seventh on the all-time wins list.
- Captured three major championships: the U.S. Open in 1959 and 1966, and the Masters in 1970.
- Was a key member of eight U.S. Ryder Cup teams and served as non-playing captain in 1979.
- Won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average five times.
- Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1978.
Did You Know?
He attributed much of his success to a drastic diet change in the mid-1960s, where he lost significant weight by eating buffalo meat.
He and his wife adopted six children of various ethnic backgrounds, a rare and progressive act for a public figure in the 1960s.
He was an excellent bowler and once considered pursuing it professionally.
He served in the U.S. Navy for two years.
He was a founder of the Senior PGA Tour (now PGA Tour Champions).
“The most important distance in the game is the six inches between your ears.”
