Doug Sanders
A flamboyant showman on the golf course whose 20 PGA Tour wins were overshadowed by a heartbreaking miss on the final putt of the 1970 Open.
1933–2020 (age 87)·American professional golfer·Birthday: July 24·The Silent Generation
Biography
Doug Sanders emerged from rural Georgia with a swing as unorthodox as his wardrobe was vibrant. He turned professional in 1956, bringing a dose of showmanship and color to a traditionally staid sport, earning the nickname 'The Peacock of the Fairways.' Over his career, he notched 20 PGA Tour victories, a testament to his immense talent and competitive grit. Yet, his legacy is often defined by a single agonizing moment at St. Andrews in 1970: a missed three-foot putt on the 72nd hole that cost him the British Open, a championship he would chase in vain through four major runner-up finishes. Sanders lived with that memory with remarkable grace and humor, becoming a beloved and poignant figure in golf history, a reminder of the fine line between triumph and what-might-have-been.
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.
Doug was born in 1933, 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 Doug Was Born
The biggest hits of 1933
#1 Movie
King Kong
Best Picture
Cavalcade
Doug's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1933Born
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1938Started school
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1946Became a teenager
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1949Could drive
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
1951Could vote
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1954Turned 21
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1963Turned 30
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1973Turned 40
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1983Turned 50
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 60
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 70
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 80
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2020Died at 87
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
Key Achievements
- Won 20 official PGA Tour events between 1956 and 1972.
- Finished as runner-up in four major championships: The Open Championship (1966, 1970) and the PGA Championship (1959, 1961).
- Played on the 1967 U.S. Ryder Cup team, contributing to a victory.
- Captured the Canadian Open in 1956, his first professional win.
Did You Know?
He was famous for his extensive and flamboyant wardrobe, reportedly owning over 600 custom-made suits.
Sanders never took a golf lesson in his life, developing his unique, self-taught swing.
He claimed to have played golf with every U.S. President from Harry Truman to George H. W. Bush.
The famous missed putt at the 1970 Open was so short he later said, "I didn't miss that putt. I just didn't make it."
“I look back now and think maybe that putt was the best thing that ever happened to me. It gave me a certain identity.”
