Lloyd Eugene Mangrum (August 1, 1914 – November 17, 1973) was an American professional golfer.[1][2] He was known for his smooth swing and his relaxed demeanour on the course, which earned him the nickname "Mr. Icicle."[3]
Early life and family
Mangrum was born on August 1, 1914, in Trenton, Texas, he became a professional golfer at age fifteen, working as an assistant to his brother Ray, the head professional at Cliff-Dale Country Club in Dallas.
Career and military service
Mangrum joined the PGA Tour in 1937 and went on to win 36 events on the Tour. He might have won more if his career had not been interrupted by service in World War II.
While serving in the U.S. Army and training for deployment in the European Theater, Mangrum was offered the professional's job at the Fort Meade golf course in Maryland, which would have kept him out of combat, but he declined. He was assigned to the 90th Infantry Division Reconnaissance Troop and was injured in a jeep accident near Falaise on August 21, 1944. He recuperated for six months in England and returned to his unit in February 1945. He was awarded a Purple Heart after being wounded by shrapnel in Germany. He returned to competitive golf winning a U.S. Army European Theater Golf Tournament at St. Cloud, France in July 1945. He later played at the Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland in the Daily Mail 1500 Guineas Tournament and was victorious in the U.S. Army Inter-Theater Tournament in Biarritz, France in October 1945. He was discharged from the Army as a corporal in January 1946.
Mangrum's best years on tour came after the war: he led the PGA Tour money list in 1951 and won the Vardon Trophy for the lowest scoring average on the tour in both 1951 and 1953.
Mangrum's only major title came at the U.S. Open in 1946,[4][5] though he was runner-up in three majors and third in six more (including twice losing in the semi-finals in the PGA Championship when it was a match-play event). He lost a playoff for the 1950 U.S. Open at Merion to Ben Hogan and his famous one-iron. Mangrum finished in the top ten at the Masters Tournament ten consecutive years. He shot 64 in the opening round in 1940, a Masters record that stood for 46 years, until Nick Price's 63 in the third round in 1986.
Mangrum played on four Ryder Cup teams in 1947, 1949, 1951, and 1953. On the last occasion, he was a playing captain.[2] He had a record of six wins, two losses, and no ties (.750), including three wins, one loss, and no ties (.750) in singles matches.
Later life
Mangrum died at age 59 in Apple Valley, California in 1973.[2] The cause of death was a heart attack, the 12th he had suffered.[1] Mangrum was called "the forgotten man of golf" by sportswriter Jim Murray. Even though only 12 men have won more PGA Tour events, his reputation has been overshadowed by the other stars of his era who lived long, extraordinary lives such as Sam Snead and fellow Texans Ben HoganJimmy Demaret and Byron Nelson.[6] At the 1996 Masters, Nelson conducted a test. "I asked three young pros if they ever heard of Lloyd Mangrum, and they never had." Nelson commented, "Lloyd's the best player who's been forgotten since I've been playing golf." A quarter century after his death, he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1998.
1 Defeated Ghezzi and Nelson in a playoff. All three shot 72 (E) in first 18-hole playoff. Second 18-hole playoff: Mangum 72=144 (E), Ghezzi 73=145 (+1), Nelson 73=145 (+1).
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
^Barrett, David (2010). Miracle at Merion: The Inspiring Story of Ben Hogan's Amazing Comeback and Victory at the 1950 U.S. Open. Doubleday. p. 23. ISBN9781616080822.
† indicates the event was won in a playoff; ‡ indicates the event was won wire-to-wire; # indicates the event was won by an amateur; 1942–1945 cancelled due to World War II
