Background
Besselink grew up in Merchantville, New Jersey.
Besselink grew up in Merchantville, New Jersey.
With a six-foot par putt on the 18th hole, he finished with a 280, beating Chandler Harper by one stroke.
He turned pro later that year. The field was made up of 20 professionals, all tournament winners in the prior twelve months. Besselink was paid off with a wheelbarrow filled with silver dollars.
He also had bet $500 on himself at 25 to 1, earning another $12,500. Because he had just heard that Babe Zaharias had been diagnosed with cancer he donated half of his $10,000 first prize to the Damon Runyon Cancer Fund. He was called "Bessie" by the other tour players and was known for living life with a gambler's recklessness and a showman's flair.
One famous example of his showmanship occurred during the third round of the 1965 Colonial Invitational in Fort Worth when Besselink played the final four holes of his third round with a red rose—plucked from a bush at the 15th hole—between his teeth. Afterward, Besselink said the gesture was a nod to the "loveliness of Texas women in general and Fort Worth women in particular." The next day, locker room attendants presented Besselink with 50 roses sent by female fans. PGA Tour wins (5) Other wins (15).