View source for Al Espinosa

{{short description|American professional golfer}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{refimprove|date=March 2013}}
{{Infobox golfer
| name              = Al Espinosa
| image             = Al Espinosa.jpg
| caption           = circa 1920
| fullname          = Abel Ruben Espinosa
| nickname          = Al
| birth_date        = {{Birth date|1891|3|24}}
| birth_place       = [[Monterey, California]], U.S.
| death_date        = {{Death date and age|1957|1|4|1891|3|24}}
| death_place       = [[San Francisco]], California, U.S.
| height            = <!-- {{height|ft=|in=}} -->
| weight            = <!-- {{convert| |lb|kg st|abbr=on}} -->
| spouse            = Josephine
| partner           = 
| children          = 1
| college           = 
| yearpro           = 1921
| retired           = <!-- Year retired -->
| extour            = [[PGA Tour]]
| prowins           = 20
| pgawins           = 9
| otherwins         = 11
| majorwins         = <!-- Number of Major Championship wins -->
| masters           = T7: [[1934 Masters Tournament|1934]]
| usopen            = 2nd: [[1929 U.S. Open (golf)|1929]]
| open              = T32: 1929
| pga               = 2nd: [[1928 PGA Championship|1928]]
| wghofid           = <!-- World Golf Hall of Fame member ID -->
| wghofyear         = <!-- World Golf Hall of Fame year inducted -->
| award1            = <!-- Achievement or award details -->
| year1             = <!-- Year(s) of achievement or award -->
| award2            = 
| year2             = 
| awardssection     = <!-- location of awards page or section -->
}}
{{Infobox military person
| allegiance    = {{USA}}
| branch        = [[File:US Department of the Army Seal.png|15px]] [[United States Army|U.S. Army]]
| rank          = [[File:Army-USA-OR-04a.svg|15px]] [[Corporal#United States|Corporal]]
| unit          = 
| battles       = [[World War I]]
}}

'''Abel Ruben''' "'''Al'''" '''Espinosa''' (March 24, 1891 – January 4, 1957) was an American [[professional golfer]].<ref name="cdtalobt">{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1957/01/05/page/19/article/football-enters-last-lap |work=Chicago Daily Tribune |agency=Associated Press |title=Al Espinosa, ex-Chicagoan and top golfer, dies at 64 |date=January 5, 1957 |page=19}}</ref>
He left his mark on golf in Ohio by serving as the Head Professional at Akron’s Portage Country Club from 1931 through 1944. During his tenure at Portage he won the Ohio Open three times (1932, 1933, and 1936). While head pro at Portage Country Club in Akron, Ohio, in the early 1940s, Espinosa hired as his assistant future Masters champion Herman Keiser. He was inducted into the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame in 1957.

== Biography ==
Espinosa was born on March 24, 1891, in [[Monterey, California]]. He was of [[Mexican Americans|Mexican American]] descent,<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Rice |first=Grantland |author-link=Grantland Rice |date=August 16, 1954 |title=Golf's Greatest Putt |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1954/08/16/668768/golfs-greatest-putt |magazine=Sports Illustrated}}</ref> and served in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] in [[World War I]].

Espinosa won nine times on the [[PGA Tour]] in the 1920s and 1930s. He was on the [[Ryder Cup]] teams in [[1927 Ryder Cup|1927]], [[1929 Ryder Cup|1929]], and [[1931 Ryder Cup|1931]], although he did not play in 1927. He lost to [[Leo Diegel]] in the [[PGA Championship]] finals in [[1928 PGA Championship|1928]]. He tied with [[Bobby Jones (golfer)|Bobby Jones]] in the [[U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Open]] in [[1929 U.S. Open (golf)|1929]] at [[Winged Foot Golf Club|Winged Foot]],<ref name=mj29usord4>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pa1RAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wiEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3743%2C1388341|newspaper=Milwaukee Journal|last=Gould|first=Alan J.|title=Jones, Espinosa tie for Open title with 294 score|date=June 30, 1929|page=1-sports}}</ref><ref name=cstjetie>{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1929/06/30/page/23/article/jones-espinosa-tie-title-playoff-today |work=Chicago Sunday Tribune |last=Pegler |first=Westbrook |title=Jones, Espinosa tie; title playoff today |date=June 30, 1929 |page=1, part 2}}</ref> but lost by 23 strokes in the 36-hole playoff.<ref name=j141wpof>{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1929/07/01/page/29/article/jones141-wins-playoff-for-open-title|work=Chicago Sunday Tribune |last=Pegler |first=Westbrook |title=Jones' 141 wins playoff for Open title |date=July 1, 1929 |page=29}}</ref> He won the [[Mexican Open (golf)|Mexican Open]] four times.<ref name=cdtalobt/> His older brother [[Abe Espinosa|Abe]] (1889–1980) also won on the PGA Tour.

He died of cancer at age 65 in 1957 in [[San Francisco]],<ref name=cdtalobt/> and is buried at [[San Carlos Cemetery (Monterey, California)|San Carlos Cemetery]] in Monterey.

==Professional wins (20)==
===PGA Tour wins (9)===
*1924 (1) Missouri Open
*1926 (1) [[Oklahoma City Open]]
*1928 (2) Florida West Coast Open, Mid-America Open
*1930 (1) [[Houston Open (early PGA Tour)|Houston Open]]
*1932 (1) [[Ohio Open]]
*1933 (1) [[Ohio Open]]
*1934 (1) [[Miami International Four-Ball]] (with [[Denny Shute]])
*1935 (1) Indianapolis Open

===Other wins (11)===
''this list may be incomplete''
*1922 [[Washington Open (golf)|Washington Open]]
*1923 [[Washington Open (golf)|Washington Open]]
*1925 [[Chicago District Open Championship]]
*1927 [[Illinois PGA Championship]]
*1928 [[Illinois PGA Championship]]
*1930 [[Illinois PGA Championship]]
*1936 [[Ohio Open]]
*1944 [[Mexican Open (golf)|Mexican Open]]
*1945 [[Mexican Open (golf)|Mexican Open]]
*1946 [[Mexican Open (golf)|Mexican Open]]
*1947 [[Mexican Open (golf)|Mexican Open]]

==Results in major championships==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"
!Tournament
!1924
!1925
!1926
!1927
!1928
!1929
|-
|align=left|[[U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Open]]
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:yellow;"|T9
|T13
|T18
|T14
|style="background:yellow;"|2
|-
|align=left|[[The Open Championship]]
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|T32
|-
|align=left|[[PGA Championship]]
|style="background:yellow;"|QF
|style="background:yellow;"|R16
|R32
|style="background:yellow;"|SF
|style="background:yellow;"|2
|style="background:yellow;"|QF
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"
!Tournament
!1930
!1931
!1932
!1933
!1934
!1935
!1936
!1937
!1938
!1939
!1940
|-
|align=left|[[Masters Tournament]]
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|NYF
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|NYF
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|NYF
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|NYF
|style="background:yellow;"|T7
|T17
|T15
|T29
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|-
|align=left|[[U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Open]]
|T35
|style="background:yellow;"|T10
|CUT
|CUT
|T21
|T28
|CUT
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|T32
|T43
|-
|align=left|[[The Open Championship]]
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT
|-
|align=left|[[PGA Championship]]
|style="background:yellow;"|QF
|R32
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:yellow;"|R16
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|R32
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|R64
|}
{{legend|yellow|Top 10}}
{{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}}
NYF = tournament not yet founded<br>
NT = no tournament<br>
CUT = missed the half-way cut<br>
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play<br>
"T" indicates a tie for a place

===Summary===
{| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
!Tournament !! Wins !! 2nd !! 3rd !! Top-5 !! Top-10 !! Top-25 !! Events !! Cuts made
|-
|align=left|[[Masters Tournament]]         || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 ||  1 ||  3 ||  4 ||  4
|-
|align=left|[[U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Open]] || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1 ||  3 ||  7 || 14 || 11
|-
|align=left|[[The Open Championship]]      || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 ||  0 ||  0 ||  1 ||  1
|-
|align=left|[[PGA Championship]]           || 0 || 1 || 1 || 5 ||  7 || 10 || 11 || 11
|-
!Totals                                    !! 0 !! 2 !! 1 !! 6 !! 11 !! 20 !! 30 !! 27
|}
*Most consecutive cuts made – 16 (1924 PGA – 1931 PGA) 
*Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1924 PGA – 1925 PGA)

==See also==
*[[List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{navboxes|title=Al Espinosa in the [[Ryder Cup]]
|list={{1927 United States Ryder Cup team}}
{{1929 United States Ryder Cup team}}
{{1931 United States Ryder Cup team}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Espinoza, Al}}
[[Category:American male golfers]]
[[Category:PGA Tour golfers]]
[[Category:Ryder Cup competitors for the United States]]
[[Category:Golfers from California]]
[[Category:American sportspeople of Mexican descent]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Monterey, California]]
[[Category:1891 births]]
[[Category:1957 deaths]]


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