Charles Owens (golfer)
American professional golfer / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles Owens (February 22, 1932 – September 7, 2017) was an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour.
Charles "Charlie" Owens | |
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Personal information | |
Born | (1932-02-22)February 22, 1932 Winter Haven, Florida |
Died | September 7, 2017(2017-09-07) (aged 85) Winter Haven, Florida |
Sporting nationality | ![]() |
Residence | Tampa, Florida Winter Haven, Florida |
Career | |
College | Florida A&M University |
Turned professional | 1967 |
Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions Tour |
Professional wins | 4 |
Number of wins by tour | |
PGA Tour Champions | 2 |
Other | 2 |
Owens was born in Winter Haven, Florida. He played football at Florida A&M University and served in the U.S. Army. He suffered injuries to both knees and his left ankle during a parachute jump at Fort Bragg, North Carolina in 1952 which left him handicapped.[1]
Owens turned professional in 1967 and joined the PGA Tour in 1970. During his seven years on the Tour, he won the 1971 Kemper Asheville Open, a "satellite" PGA Tour event. Owens played with a limp and played all golf shots cross-handed. The biggest year of his professional career came on the Senior PGA Tour in 1986, when he won twice in a three tournament span, and finished eighth on the money list with $207,813.
Owens was allowed to use a cart while competing in most instances due to his disability, and once staged a protest at the 1987 U.S. Senior Open against the USGA for its ban on carts at that event.[1]
Owens also is credited with inventing and popularizing the "long (52") style putter"[2] which he used to overcome the yips.
Owens formerly lived in Tampa, Florida and resided in Winter Haven until his death on September 7, 2017.[3] He won the Ben Hogan Award in 1987 and was inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 1987 and the African American Golfers Hall of Fame in 2007.