Education
Oliver also finished in a tie with Lawson Little and Gene Sarazen at the 1940 United States. Open, but was disqualified for teeing off 30 minutes early.
Oliver also finished in a tie with Lawson Little and Gene Sarazen at the 1940 United States. Open, but was disqualified for teeing off 30 minutes early.
He played on what is now known as the Professional Golf Association Tour in the 1940s and 1950s. Born in Wilmington, Delaware, Oliver started as a caddy at age 11 at Wilmington Country Club and turned pro at age 18. He earned his nickname because he stood 5 ft 9 in (175 m) but weighed 240 pounds (109 kg).
Oliver was well known for finishing second in several major championships, but not letting it get him down.
He lost to Ben Hogan in the finals of the 1946 Professional Golf Association Championship, was runner-up to Julius Boros in the 1952 United States. Open, and to Hogan at the 1953 Masters. Because of his positive attitude, Oliver was a popular player on tour.
Oliver played on three Ryder Cup teams (1947, 1951, and 1955). He lost several years of playing time while serving in the United States. Army during World World War II, and suffered from the after effects of a 1948 automobile accident that injured a kidney.
Oliver was diagnosed with cancer in 1960 and had part of a lung removed in late May in Denver.
Remarkably, he played a tour event that September in Utah, but missed the cut by two strokes. Oliver was an advocate for cancer research, traveling the banquet circuit while battling the disease. He died the following September at age 46 at Memorial Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware.
In 1976, he was inducted into the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame in its inaugural year.
The course of the Wilmington Country Club where he caddied as a teenager has been redesigned and is now the Editor Oliver Golf Club. Professional Golf Association Tour wins (8) 1940 (3) Bing Crosby Pro-Am, Phoenix Open, Saint Other wins.
1940 (3) Bing Crosby Pro-Am, Phoenix Open, Saint Paul Open 1941 (1) Western Open 1947 (1) San Antonio Texas Open 1948 (1) Tacoma Open Invitational 1953 (1) Kansas City Open 1958 (1) Houston Open this list may be incomplete 1948 Pacific Northwest Professional Golf Association Championship 1949 Northwest Open, Philippine World Open 1950 Philippine Open 1956 Massachusetts Open, White Sulphur Open 1959 Jamaican Open.
