David Douglas (January 1, 1918 – November 16, 1978) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1940s and 1950s.

Early life Douglas was the son of Alec Douglas, a golf professional originally from Scotland. At the time of David's birth Alec was the professional at Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the early 1920s, Alec became the professional at the newly opened Rock Manor Golf Club in Wilmington, Delaware and remained the professional there until retiring in 1957.

Professional career In 1939, Douglas turned professional. He was the club professional at the Newark Country Club in Newark, Delaware from 1940 to 1942. He qualified for the 1940 U.S. Open but failed to make the cut. After serving in the army in World War II he became an assistant professional to his father at Rock Manor. At 6' 2" tall and 165 pounds, he was lean and lanky and was known for his smooth swing.

Douglas won eight tournaments on the PGA Tour between 1947 and 1954. He had his first win at the Orlando Open in December 1947. After the 72 holes he was tied on 274 with Jimmy Demaret and Herman Keiser. There was an 18-hole playoff the following day. Douglas and Demaret were again tied on 71 with Keiser taking 73. There was then a sudden-death playoff with Douglas winning with a birdie 3 at the first extra hole.

Douglas was a member of the American 1953 Ryder Cup team. He finished one place out of the qualifying places but with Ben Hogan and Dutch Harrison declining their invitations, he got a place along with Fred Haas. The match was played at the Wentworth Club in England. Douglas played with Ed Oliver in the first-day foursomes, winning 2 & 1. He played against Bernard Hunt in the singles on the second-day. The match was the last to finish. The American team led 6–5 and had retained the cup, but Douglas need to halve his match to give the Americans a clear win. Hunt had won the 12th, 13th, 16th and 17th holes to be dormie-one. At the last, Hunt's second shot was in the trees but he managed to get his third shot to the back of the green. He putted to 4 feet and, with Douglas taking 5, needed to hole the putt to win the match. He missed and so the USA won 6½ to 5½.

In October 1954, Douglas was a late replacement in the Lakes International Cup. Ed Furgol was part of the original American team of four but withdrew because an injured right arm. Australia won the cup for the first time, winning the match 7–5.

In 1957, Douglas became the club professional at St. Louis Country Club in Missouri and played less tournament golf from that date. He left that position in 1974 and moved to Terre du Lac Golf and Country Club, also in Missouri. He was briefly at Wedgewood Country Club, Missouri in 1978.

Death In November 1978, Douglas died on cancer at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Awards and honors In 1978, Douglas was inducted into the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame

Professional wins (8) PGA Tour wins (8) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-up1Dec 8, 1947Orlando Open−10 (66-72-70-66=274)Playoff Jimmy Demaret, Herman Keiser2Feb 13, 1949Texas Open−16 (65-72-66-65=268)1 stroke Sam Snead3Sep 5, 1949Ozark Open−16 (68-69-66=203)3 strokes Jim Ferrier4Jan 15, 1950Bing Crosby Pro-Am−2 (75-67-72=214)Shared title with Jack Burke Jr., Smiley Quick and Sam Snead5Apr 14, 1952Greater Greensboro Open−7 (73-64-71-69=277)1 stroke Bobby Locke6Jun 8, 1952Ardmore Open−1 (70-68-69-72=279)2 strokes Dutch Harrison7Jul 11, 1953Canadian Open−11 (68-70-69-66=273)1 stroke Wally Ulrich8Mar 7, 1954Houston Open−11 (70-71-69-67=277)2 strokes Cary Middlecoff

PGA Tour playoff record (1–1) No.YearTournamentOpponentsResult11947Orlando Open Jimmy Demaret, Herman KeiserWon with birdie on first extra hole after 18-hole playoff;Douglas: E (71),Demaret: E (71),Keiser: + 2 (73)21951Kansas City Open Doug Ford, Cary MiddlecoffMiddlecoff won 18-hole playoff;Middlecoff: −4 (68),Douglas: E (72),Ford: E (72) Source:

Results in major championships Tournament1940194119421943194419451946194719481949Masters TournamentNTNTNTU.S. OpenCUTNTNTNTNTT39T45T6PGA ChampionshipNTR16 Tournament1950195119521953195419551956195719581959Masters TournamentT495T30T53U.S. OpenT36T6CUTCUTT47T34CUTCUTPGA ChampionshipQFR64R32QFR64R32CUT Tournament196019611962Masters TournamentCUTU.S. OpenT33T14T28PGA ChampionshipCUT Note: Douglas never played in The Open Championship.

NT = no tournament CUT = missed the half-way cut R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play "T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts madeMasters Tournament 0 0 0 1 1 1 5 4U.S. Open 0 0 0 0 2 3 15 10The Open Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0PGA Championship 0 0 0 2 3 5 9 7Totals 0 0 0 3 6 9 29 21 Most consecutive cuts made – 11 (1947 U.S. Open – 1952 Masters) Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1950 PGA – 1951 U.S. Open)

U.S. national team appearances Ryder Cup: 1953 (winners) Hopkins Trophy: 1952 (winners), 1954 (winners) Lakes International Cup: 1954 (winners)

References