By Jordan Frye
Manager of Media Relations

Billy Casper may be the most underrated star in golf history.

At the peak of his professional career, he compiled a total of 27 victories on the PGA TOUR between 1964 and 1970, four more times than Jack Nicklaus and eight more times than Arnold Palmer and Gary Player combined.

Yet it was his shy demeanor and quiet personality that left him in the shadows of “The Big Three”: Palmer, Player and Nicklaus.

Billy Casper

Casper championed 51 PGA TOUR events from 1956 through 1975, while playing on eight Ryder Cup teams and receiving the Vardon Trophy five times, a record only Lee Trevino has matched thus far.

Heralded as one of the greatest putters of all-time, Casper would use a pigeon-toed stance and give the ball a brisk, wristy pop. According to Chi Chi Rodriguez, “Casper could make a 40-foot putt just by winking at it.”

His swing was self-taught, beginning as a junior golfer, and was distinctive in that his right foot would slide through impact.

“I really didn’t worry about form, and to be honest, I was too lazy to go out there and hit the ball,” Casper said. “I would chip and putt or play sand shots. That was the genesis of my short game.”

Always consummated with precise touch and feel, his shots inevitably ended pin high. And according to Johnny Miller, Casper “had the greatest pair of hands God ever gave a human being.”

His performance at the 1966 U.S. Open epitomized the golf career Casper had come to lead. Overcoming a seven-shot deficit in the final nine holes of the final round, Casper forced Arnold Palmer into a sudden death playoff the next day. Casper would go on to win the U.S. Open, but the day is more remembered for the fall of Palmer rather than the charge of Casper—much like his entire career.

Casper’s personal life gained more attention than his impeccable golf talent. Dubbed “Buffalo Bill” for his diet of buffalo meat and organically grown vegetables, his unique lifestyle became the center of commentary. Along with his diet, Casper’s allergies, conversion to Mormonism and eleven children, six of which were adopted, were discussed more than his victories.

Casper won the U.S. Open in 1959 and 1966 and The Masters in 1970 and went on to be victorious at nine events on the Champions Tour. He was named the PGA TOUR Player of the Year in 1966 and 1970. He has spent his later years designing golf courses through his company, Billy Casper Golf.

His trance-like state on the golf course transpired to his public. He left a minimal impact on the golf world during his time and is often forgotten among the names of golf’s greatest players. But he has arguably remained one of the greatest modern golfers of all time.