Billy Maxwell

Billy Maxwell
Personal information
Full nameBilly Joe Maxwell
Nationality United States
Born(1929-07-23)July 23, 1929
Abilene, Texas, U.S.
DiedSeptember 20, 2021(2021-09-20) (aged 92)
Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Height5 ft 7.5 in (1.71 m)
Weight165 lb (75 kg; 11.8 st)
Career
SportGolf
CollegeNorth Texas State College
Turned professional1954
Former toursPGA Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins10
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour7
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT5: 1962
PGA ChampionshipT5: 1963
U.S. OpenT5: 1963
The Open ChampionshipDNP
U.S. AmateurWon: 1951
British AmateurT9: 1952

Billy Joe Maxwell (July 23, 1929 – September 20, 2021) was an American professional golfer.

Early life and amateur career

Maxwell was born in Abilene, Texas. He has a twin brother, Bobby, who was also a golfer.

Maxwell played college golf at North Texas State College and helped them win four consecutive NCAA Division I team championships (1949–1952). Maxwell also won the U.S. Amateur title in 1951. After an impressive amateur career, he served in the Army.

Professional career

In 1954, Maxwell turned pro. Maxwell won seven times on the PGA Tour. He also played on the 1963 Ryder Cup team and was elected to the Texas Golf Hall of Fame.

Maxwell resided in Jacksonville, Florida where, along with former PGA touring pro, Chris Blocker, he owned and operated Hyde Park Golf Club, a Donald Ross designed course.

Amateur wins

This list is probably incomplete

Professional wins (10)

PGA Tour wins (7)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
1Apr 3, 1955Azalea Open Invitational−18 (65-68-68-69=270)1 strokeUnited States Mike Souchak
2Apr 22, 1956Arlington Hotel Open−16 (64-69-70-69=272)1 strokeUnited States George Bayer, United States Ernie Vossler
3Oct 27, 1957Hesperia Open Invitational−13 (67-67-67-74=275)2 strokesUnited States Dow Finsterwald
4May 18, 1958Memphis Open−13 (69-65-68-65=267)1 strokeUnited States Cary Middlecoff
5Feb 5, 1961Palm Springs Golf Classic−14 (68-70-68-68-71=345)2 strokesUnited States Doug Sanders
6Aug 13, 1961Insurance City Open Invitational−13 (69-68-68-66=271)PlayoffUnited States Ted Kroll
7Sep 3, 1962Dallas Open Invitational−3 (68-70-68-71=277)4 strokesUnited States Johnny Pott

PGA Tour playoff record (1–2)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1955 Baton Rouge Open United States Jimmy Clark, United States Bo Wininger Wininger won 18-hole playoff;
Wininger: −6 (66),
Clark: −2 (70),
Maxwell: −1 (71)
2 1957 Western Open United States George Bayer, United States Doug Ford,
United States Gene Littler		 Ford won with par on third extra hole
Littler and Maxwell eliminated by par on first hole
3 1961 Insurance City Open Invitational United States Ted Kroll Won with birdie on seventh extra hole

Source:

Other wins (3)

this list is probably incomplete

Major championships

Amateur wins (1)

YearChampionshipWinning scoreRunner-up
1951U.S. Amateur4 & 3United States Joe Gagliardi

Results timeline

Amateur

Tournament 1950 1951 1952 1953
Masters Tournament T49
U.S. Amateur R16 1 R256
The Amateur Championship R16

Professional

Tournament 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971
Masters Tournament T43 T18 T34 WD T9 T8 T25 T5 T15 T18 T26 T39
U.S. Open 27 12 T8 T27 T26 T22 T8 T5 14 T36 T52
PGA Championship T25 T11 T24 T27 WD T5 T13 T43 T63 T10 T40

Note: Maxwell never played in The Open Championship.

  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
R256, R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play

Sources: Masters, U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur, PGA Championship, 1952 British Amateur

Summary

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament0001371312
U.S. Open0001361111
The Open Championship00000000
PGA Championship0001261110
Totals00038193533
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 14 (1963 Masters – 1971 PGA)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (three times)

U.S. national team appearances

Professional

References

  1. ↑ "Seven-time Tour winner Billy Maxwell, a former Ryder Cup player, passes away". PGA Tour. September 20, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Bo Wininger Heads Home With Top Cash In Baton Rouge Open". The Decatur Daily. Alabama. Associated Press. March 8, 1955. p. 5 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "Billy Maxwell". PGA Tour. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Past Winners & Results". Masters Tournament. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  5. ↑ USGA Championship Database Archived December 21, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ "Player Stats for Billy Maxwell". PGA of America. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Scot Beats Two Of Best Americans". The Glasgow Herald. May 30, 1952. p. 2. Retrieved October 31, 2013.