Cesar Sanudo

Cesar Sanudo (October 26, 1943 – August 28, 2011) was a Mexican professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour.

Cesar Sanudo
Personal information
Born(1943-10-26)October 26, 1943
Tijuana, Mexico
DiedAugust 28, 2011(2011-08-28) (aged 67)
La Mesa, California
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight175 lb (79 kg; 12.5 st)
Sporting nationality Mexico
Career
CollegeGrossmont Junior College
Lamar Tech
StatusProfessional
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins2
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour1
Other1
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT43: 1973
PGA ChampionshipT47: 1971
U.S. OpenT9: 1972
The Open ChampionshipDNP

Golf career

Sanudo was born and raised in Tijuana, Mexico with his four siblings.[1] Like many other Hispanic professional golfers of the era, Sanudo got his start in golf by caddying. His first job was at Tijuana Country Club in 1954.[2] During his teens he moved from Tijuana to San Diego and graduated from El Cajon High School in El Cajon, California.[2] While in high school he improved on his golf game through San Diego's elite juniors program.[3] Sanudo had an excellent amateur record, reaching the semi-final of the 1965 U.S. Amateur[4] and winning the 1966 Mexican Amateur.[5] He qualified for the 1966 Masters Tournament as an amateur.[6]

Sanudo primarily played on tour between 1969 and 1982, vacillating between full-time and part-time status.[7] His sole PGA Tour win came at the 1970 Azalea Open Invitational held in Cape Fear, North Carolina; he earned $12,000 for his efforts by defeating Bobby Mitchell by one stroke at 15-under-par 269.[8] Sanudo described it as the proudest moment of his professional career.[2] With the win, Sanudo became the first Mexican player to win on the PGA Tour. He was later followed by Victor Regalado in 1974 and Carlos Ortiz in 2020.

Nearly two years after his PGA Tour victory, Sanudo seriously contended for a major championship for the only time. At the 1972 U.S. Open he was tied for the lead after two rounds. Over the weekend, in the high winds at Pebble Beach, he fell back considerably with scores of 78-77 but would still finish in the top 10.

Sanudo finished second at the European Tour's 1974 Benson & Hedges Match Play Championship to Australia's Jack Newton. He defeated British golfers Maurice Bembridge and David Jagger on his way to reaching the finals.[3] It was the only time he would finish runner-up on either the European Tour or PGA Tour.[7]

By the mid-1970s, he lost his full-time playing status and worked in the used car business.[1] He briefly regained full time status but after the 1981 season he would rarely play again on tour.[7] After his PGA Tour playing days were over, Sanudo became a long-time club professional in El Cajon, California and later at the Coronado Municipal Golf Course.[4][9]

Personal life

Sanudo was in a relationship with Kris Houghton – now Kris Jenner – in the mid-1970s.[10] After they broke up he married Jacqui Schenz[10] and had three children with her: Amber, Anthony, and Lee.[2] Lee is a local teaching professional.[2] He was good friends with Lee Trevino[11] and played golf with Presidents Nixon, Ford, and George H.W. Bush.[2] Sanudo died in 2011 in La Mesa, California.[5]

Amateur wins
  • 1966 Mexican Amateur[5]

Professional wins (2)

PGA Tour wins (1)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
1 Oct 4, 1970 Azalea Open Invitational −15 (66-68-68-67=269) 1 stroke United States Bobby Mitchell

Other wins (1)
  • 1973 Columbia Open

Results in major championships
Tournament 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976
Masters Tournament CUT T43
U.S. Open T54 CUT T9 T39 CUT
PGA Championship T47

Note: Sanudo never played in The Open Championship.

  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

Source:[6][12]

See also

References
  1. Radosta, John S. (June 30, 1978). "Sanudo Leads by Stroke With 67 in Western Open". The New York Times. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  2. Leonard, Tod (August 30, 2011). "Sanudo was 'idol, hero' to many in golf circles". Hartford Courant. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  3. "Newton powers his way to title". The Glasgow Herald. September 16, 1974. p. 5. Retrieved May 15, 2019 – via news.google.com.
  4. "Cesar Sunado". Coronado Municipal Golf Course. September 20, 2010. Archived from the original on September 20, 2010. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  5. "Sanudo: 1970 Azalea champ dies at 67". Golf World. September 12, 2011. pp. 12–4.
  6. "Master's Scorecard". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. April 9, 1966. p. 8. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  7. "Cesar Sanudo – Profile". PGA Tour. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  8. "Today in Golf History: October 4". Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved December 26, 2007.
  9. Leonard, Tod (June 28, 2001). "Senior golfer regains spring in his step". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved December 26, 2007.
  10. Oppenheimer, Jerry (2017). The Kardashians: An American Drama. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-1250087140.
  11. "Talkin' Golf with Lee Sanudo". www.jcgolf.com. August 17, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  12. "Cesar Sanudo". www.golfmajorchampionships.com. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
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