Two-time PGA TOUR winner Ron Cerrudo dies at 79

While still an amateur, Cerrudo had already appeared in four PGA TOUR tournaments, making the cut in all four—his best finish a tie for 13th at the 1967 American Golf Classic in Akron, Ohio. He also played on the weekend at both of his Masters appearances (1966 and 1967). Cerrudo made his professional TOUR debut late in 1967 after two consecutive summers of close calls on the amateur circuit. Besides his third-place finishes at the U.S. Amateur, Cerrudo lost in the finals of The Amateur Championship, 2 & 1, to fellow American Bob Dickson. At the 1966 Western Amateur, Jim Wiechers, bested Cerrudo, 1-up, in the finals at Pinehurst Resort’s No. 2 Course.