R.I.P. Roberto De Vicenzo

The World Golf Hall of Famer, 1967 Open Champion at Royal Liverpool and runner-up in the 1968 Masters has passed away at 94.

The World Golf Hall of Fame posted this nice note on news of De Vicenzo's passing and also has this page devoted to his career.

Golf Channel broke the news first, with this noted by G.C. Digital:

De Vicenzo enjoyed a decorated playing career, one that included more than 230 worldwide victories across five decades. The pinnacle came in 1967, when he won The Open by two shots over Jack Nicklaus at Royal Liverpool. He also represented Argentina 17 times at the World Cup of Golf and captured the inaugural U.S. Senior Open in 1980 at age 57.

Richard Goldstein's NY Times obit naturally centers around the Masters miscue but also includes much else about De Vicenzo's career.

This was heartening:

De Vicenzo told Sports Illustrated in 2008 that he had earned lucrative appearance fees as a result of the mistake. “I’ve gotten more out of signing the card wrong than if I had signed it correctly,” he said.

“Every now and then,” he added, “I will drop a tear, but I’ve moved on. I got to see the world through golf. No one should feel sorry for me.”

A year ago, John Garrity filed this terrific Golf.com piece on the incident and De Vicenzo's often overlooked career outside of one week in April, 1968.

For a spectacular (and I mean spectacular) look at the 1967 Open won by De Vicenzo, check out this highlight film posted by GolfChannel.com. Yes, it's 53 minutes long, but you'll love having it on in the background while you work.