As the year comes to a close, we look back at figures in the game of golf who left a lasting impact prior to their passing in 2013:
Jaime Ortiz-Patino: The owner and honorary president at Valderrama Golf Club in Spain, Ortiz-Patino died at the age of 82 on Jan. 3. He landed the Ryder Cup for continental Europe in 1997 and the European Tour played 16 of its season-ending Volvo Masters, two World Golf Championship events and two Andalucia Masters tournaments at his course.
Hisayuki Sasaki: The Japanese professional golfer died of heart failure at the age of 48, also on Jan. 3. Sasaki turned professional in 1986 and collected three wins on the Japan Golf Tour, including the Japan PGA Championship in 1995. He played on the PGA Tour in 1996 and ended with three top-25 finishes.
Mike Brannan: An amateur golfer and one-time PGA Tour professional, Brannan died from complications related to cancer at the age of 57 on Jan. 8. As a teenager, Brannan won the 1971 U.S. Junior Amateur and later became a four-time All-American at Brigham Young. After five years on the PGA Tour, he worked as a representative for PING.
Ernie Vossler: A former PGA Tour player, Vossler died at the age of 84 on Feb. 16 at his home in La Quinta, Calif. Vossler is best known for being one of golf’s top developers, but he also won three PGA titles during his career on tour. He established Landmark Golf in 1992 alongside Joe Walser and Johnny Potts.
Dick Hart: A PGA Tour golfer from Salem, Mass., Hart died at the age of 77 on April 10 in Covington, La. Hart made 78 cuts during his tour career and held the position of head professional at Hinsdale Golf Club in Hinsdale, Ill., for 43 years. In 1965, he won one of the longest playoffs in PGA Tour history — eight sudden-death holes against Phil Rodgers before winning the Azalea Open in Wilmington, N.C.
Related Links:
– Golf’s 13 Most Memorable Moments of 2013
– Top 13 Golfers of 2013
– 13 Best Golf Shots of 2013
– Golf’s 13 Craziest Moments of 2013
