Introduction
Ted J. Kroll (August 4, 1919 – April 23, 2002) was an American professional golfer.
Kroll was born in New Hartford, New York.
Kroll served in the United States Army during World War II and earned three Purple Hearts after being wounded four times. Shortly after the war, he took a job as assistant professional at Philmont Country Club in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania. He began a 34-year PGA Tour career in 1949. He won eight times on the tour, including three wins in 1956, when he topped the money list with earnings of $72,836. That same year he lost the final of the PGA Championship to Jack Burke, Jr., 3 and 2.
In 1954, Kroll became the third player in PGA Tour history to shoot a 60, joining Al Brosch (1951) and Bill Nary (1952). He had nines of 30-30 at Brackenridge Park Golf Course during the third round of the Texas Open. His 11-under score vaulted him into a tie for sixth going into the final round, where he shot a 2-under 69 over his final 18 holes to tie for ninth.
Kroll played on three Ryder Cup teams: 1953, 1955, and 1957, compiling a 3–1 record.
Kroll was married for over 50 years and had four daughters. In his later years he suffered from Parkinson's disease. He died in Boca Raton, Florida and is buried in Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida.
Professional wins (11)
PGA Tour wins (8)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jan 20, 1952 | San Diego Open | −12 (65-69-72-70=276) | 3 strokes | Jimmy Demaret |
| 2 | Sep 1, 1952 | Insurance City Open | −11 (69-70-67-67=273) | 4 strokes | Lawson Little, Skee Riegel, Earl Stewart |
| 3 | Sep 7, 1953 | National Celebrities Open | −7 (70-69-71-71=281) | 1 stroke | Lew Worsham |
| 4 | Sep 18, 1955 | Philadelphia Daily News Open | +1 (68-72-66-67=273) | Playoff | Doug Ford |
| 5 | Feb 12, 1956 | Tucson Open Invitational | −16 (65-68-66-65=264) | 3 strokes | Dow Finsterwald |
| 6 | Feb 26, 1956 | Houston Open | −11 (70-67-71-69=277) | 3 strokes | Jack Burke, Jr., Dave Douglas |
| 7 | Aug 12, 1956 | World Championship of Golf | −15 (67-69-71-66=273) | 3 strokes | Fred Hawkins |
| 8 | Jul 29, 1962 | Canadian Open | −10 (71-68-69-70=278) | 2 strokes | Charlie Sifford |
PGA Tour playoff record (1–7)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1952 | Motor City Open | Cary Middlecoff | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1953 | El Paso Open | Chandler Harper | Lost 18-hole playoff (Chandler:70, Kroll:73) |
| 3 | 1953 | Carling Open | Cary Middlecoff | Lost to par on second extra hole |
| 4 | 1954 | Western Open | Lloyd Mangrum | Lost to par on first extra hole |
| 5 | 1955 | Philadelphia Daily News Open | Doug Ford | Kroll won on the first extra hole |
| 6 | 1956 | Insurance City Open | Arnold Palmer | Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
| 7 | 1960 | Dallas Open | Johnny Pott, Bo Wininger | Pott won with birdie on third extra hole Wininger eliminated with par on first hole |
| 8 | 1961 | Insurance City Open | Billy Maxwell | Lost to birdie on seventh extra hole |
Other wins
this list is probably incomplete
- 1952 Miami Beach International Four-Ball (with Lew Worsham)
- 1964 Michigan PGA Championship
- 1972 Florida Open
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | NT | NT | NT | ||||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | NT | NT | NT | NT | ||||
| PGA Championship | NT |
| Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T25 | T14 | 7 | T51 | T51 | CUT | T23 | T14 | ||
| U.S. Open | T25 | T7 | T7 | T27 | CUT | T4 | CUT | T11 | ||
| PGA Championship | R16 | R64 | SF | R64 | R16 | R32 | 2 | R16 | T20 | T25 |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T13 | T24 | T25 | |||||
| U.S. Open | T3 | T27 | CUT | T24 | T48 | |||
| PGA Championship | T12 | 4 | T30 | T59 | T23 | T63 |
Note: Kroll never played in The Open Championship.
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
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 11 | 10 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 14 | 10 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 16 | 16 |
| Totals | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 26 | 41 | 36 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 14 (1957 PGA – 1962 PGA)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 4 (1952 U.S. Open – 1953 U.S. Open)
U.S. national team appearances
- Ryder Cup: 1953 (winners), 1955 (winners), 1957
- Hopkins Trophy: 1952 (winners), 1953 (winners), 1954 (winners), 1956 (winners)