George Knudson


George Alfred Christian Knudson, CM was a Canadian professional golfer, who along with Mike Weir holds the record for the Canadian with the most wins on the PGA Tour, with eight career victories.
Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Knudson learned to play golf at the St. Charles Country Club. He won the 1954 and 1955 Manitoba Junior Championships, and the 1955 Canadian Junior Championship. He moved to Toronto in 1958, and worked at the Oakdale Golf Club, where he received instruction and encouragement from the Club, to improve his game. He was then able to secure some financial backing to try the PGA Tour. He won the Manitoba Open in 1958, 1959, and 1960, and the Ontario Open in 1960, 1961, 1971, 1976 and 1978.
Between 1961 and 1972, he won eight tournaments on the PGA Tour. He won the Canadian PGA Championship five times, and won the World Cup with Al Balding in 1968. He wrote a book, The Natural Golf Swing with Lorne Rubenstein.
Knudson tied for second in the 1969 Masters Tournament, one shot behind champion George Archer. In seven Masters appearances, Knudson posted three top-10s, including 10th in his 1965 debut and sixth a year later.
He was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1969, and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.
Knudson left tournament golf in the late 1970s, and started teaching golf, with success, at a facility in the Toronto area. His teaching methods have since been adopted by the Canadian PGA.
In 1988, he was inducted into both Royal Canadian Golf Association Hall of Fame, the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum and was made a member of the Order of Canada.
He was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1987. He recovered, and competed at the 1988 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf Senior tournament. Shortly thereafter, the cancer had spread to his brain, and he would die from it in 1989.
He was buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto, Ontario.

Amateur wins

PGA Tour wins (8)

PGA Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11963Portland Open Invitational Mason RudolphWon with eagle on first extra hole
21964Fresno Open Invitational Al BaldingWon with birdie on second extra hole
31970Robinson Open Golf Classic George ArcherWon with par on fourth extra hole

Other wins (22)

This list may be probably incomplete
Note: Knudson never played in The Open Championship.
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

Amateur
Professional