Career highlights

• First top-10 of the year came at the Los Angeles Open, a T9 after a third-round 67 moved him up the leaderboard
• At the unofficial Miami Beach International Four-Ball, joined with Dutch Harrison to finish second to the team of Tommy Bolt and Dick Mayer
• At the Insurance City Open in Connecticut in June, used rounds of 69-66-68 over his final 65 holes to finish third at Wethersfield CC, two shots out of the Bolt-Earl Stewart playoff Bolt won
• After playing well in the team format in Miami earlier in the year, returned to South Florida for the Miami Open in mid-December. Opened with a 66 to take a one-shot lead. Hung around the top of the leaderboard the rest of the way. Was tied for fourth with 18 holes to play, only a shot behind 54-hole leaders Ed Furgol, Kroll and Bo Wininger. Shot a final-round 69 but watched as Bob Rosburg blitzed the field with a closing 65 to take the victory. Settled for a T4 with Pete Cooper, Furgol and Kroll.1953: Had something of a disappointing season, playing in 20 events and finishing 30th on the money list. Best performance of the year came in San Antonio, at the Texas Open. Four sub-70 rounds led to a T3 at 18-under, two shots behind unlikely winner Tony Holguin
• Best outing of the season came at the unofficial Bing Crosby Pro-Am Invitational in Monterey. At the 54-hole tournament, was tied for second with Tommy Bolt, three shots behind 36-hole leader Lloyd Mangrum. At Pebble Beach GL on the final day, could only manage an even-par 72 but remained in second, four shots behind Mangrum's winning total
• Enjoyed a strong showing at the Greater Greensboro Open. After an opening 73, three 69s followed that gave him a seventh-place finish
• Two weeks later, was T10 at the Masters Tournament
• Added a T10 two weeks after that, at the Tournament of Champions
• Final top-10 of the season came in Baltimore, at the Eastern Open. A disappointing final round of 76 came after he was only a stroke off Doug Ford and Dick Mayer's 54 hole lead. Settled for a T8
• Represented the U.S. at the World Cup.1952: Won twice and was named the PGA Player of the Year, leading the TOUR in money earned. Made his first official victory a big one when he captured the U.S. Open at Northwood CC in Dallas. Had one of only eight under-par rounds—a 2-under 68 in the third round. Began the third round four shots behind leader Ben Hogan, and when the round was over, he held a two-shot lead advantage over Hogan. In the afternoon, played his second 18 holes and fired a 1-over 71 that was more than enough to give him a four-shot triumph over Ed Oliver
• Won again seven weeks later against a stellar field at the World Championship of Golf outside Chicago. Put together rounds of 68-71-70-67 at the Tam O'Shanter Club, enough to help him finish regulation tied with Cary Middlecoff, a shot clear of Roberto De Vicenzo and Jim Ferrier. In the 18-hole playoff, shot a 68 to Middlecoff's 70, capturing the title and the $25,000 first prize
• First top-10 of the year was at the Phoenix Open in January. Opened 66-69 at Phoenix CC to take a two-shot, 36-hole lead over Lloyd Mangrum. Couldn't keep the momentum going, and a pair of 2-over 73s left him T4 with Fred Hawkins and Middlecoff
• In March, put himself in contention at the Texas Open in San Antonio. Began the tournament 65-68 (11-under) and was a stroke behind the leaders at the halfway point. Added two more under-par rounds (67-68), but it wasn't enough as he T3, eight shots behind winner Jack Burke, Jr.'s pace
• At the Masters Tournament, began a three-start streak that saw him finish T7 in all three events. Shot a final-round 71 at Augusta National to secure the T7 at the Masters
• Two weeks later, was par or better in all four Greater Greensboro Open rounds for the T7
• At the unofficial Greenbrier Pro-Am, in West Virginia, opened with a 70 then rattled off three consecutive 69s to T7
• Finished T4 at the Ardmore Open at Dornick Hills G&CC in Ardmore, Okla
• Following his U.S. Open win, in his next start, flirted with victory at the Motor City Open in Michigan. A final-round 68, to go with a second-round 68, left him T6 with Max Evans and Fred Haas, four shots out of the Middlecoff-Ted Kroll playoff
• Added two more top-10s the rest of the way, at the Fort Wayne Open (T4) and the National Celebrities Open (T5)
• As a tribute, the Carolinas PGA and Mid-Pines Club in Southern Pines, N.C., hosted the unofficial Julius Boros Open, a 54-hole event won by Sam Snead by a shot over Doug Ford. Shot rounds of 70-72-70 (T7) at the eponymous event that paid tribute to his late-wife, Ann, who had died a year earlier. 1951: Made 15 cuts and had six top-10 finishes. At the unofficial Bing Crosby Pro-Am, a rain-shortened event in January, finished T3
• First official top-10 was at the Lakewood Park Open, where he tied with Jimmy Thomson, Dick Mayer and Henry Ransom for a T3, four shots behind champion Cary Middlecoff
• Enjoyed top-10s at both the Colonial National Invitation (eighth) and the U.S. Open (T4)
• Added a T10 at the Canadian Open, thanks to a pair of 69s
• Final official top-10 was a T7 at the Blue Ribbon Open in Milwaukee
• A year after finishing T4 at the North & South Open, followed that with a T7 at Pinehurst