Introduction
Francis G. "Bo" Wininger (November 16, 1922 – December 7, 1967) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1950s and 1960s.
Wininger played on the same high school football and baseball teams in Commerce, Oklahoma as future Yankee great Mickey Mantle, albeit a few years before Mantle came along. He attended Oklahoma State University.
Wininger served in the United States Naval Air Corps during World War II. He turned pro in 1952 and joined the PGA Tour in 1953. After winning three times in the mid-1950s, he quit playing the tour full-time in 1959 to take a job in public relations. He returned to his winning ways in the early 1960s, winning the Greater New Orleans Open Invitational in 1962 and 1963 and the Carling Open Invitational in 1962.
Wininger had several runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour in addition to his six wins; these include a 2nd or T-2 finish at the 1957 and 1959 Canadian Open, the 1959 and 1960 Dallas Open Invitational, and the 1959 San Diego Open Invitational. He was the first back-to-back winner in the modern history of the New Orleans tournament. His best finish in a major was 4th place at the 1965 PGA Championship.
He died in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at the age of 45 after suffering a stroke that left him paralyzed on his right side.
Professional wins (7)
PGA Tour wins (6)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar 7, 1955 | Baton Rouge Open | −10 (70-70-67-71=278) | Playoff | Jimmy Clark, Billy Maxwell |
| 2 | May 15, 1955 | Hot Springs Open | −18 (67-67-68-68=270) | 5 strokes | Doug Ford, Cary Middlecoff |
| 3 | May 20, 1956 | Kansas City Open | −15 (64-69-70-70=273) | 1 stroke | Fred Hawkins, Bob Rosburg |
| 4 | Feb 25, 1962 | Greater New Orleans Open Invitational | −7 (69-71-73-68=281) | 2 strokes | Bob Rosburg |
| 5 | Nov 25, 1962 | Carling Open Invitational | −10 (71-71-65-67=274) | 1 stroke | Bert Weaver |
| 6 | Mar 4, 1963 | Greater New Orleans Open Invitational | –9 (68-70-72-69=279) | 3 strokes | Tony Lema, Bob Rosburg |
PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1955 | Baton Rouge Open | Jimmy Clark, Billy Maxwell | Won 18-hole playoff (Wininger:66, Clark:70, Maxwell:71) |
| 2 | 1960 | Dallas Open Invitational | Ted Kroll, Johnny Pott | Pott won with birdie on third extra hole Wininger eliminated with par on first hole |
Other wins (1)
- 1953 Pennsylvania Open Championship
Esoterica
Wininger appeared as himself in an episode of I Love Lucy titled "Lucy Takes Up Golf."Fellow golf pro Jimmy Demaret also appeared in the same episode.It first aired on January 27, 1964.