Hardly anyone could have stopped Lloyd Mangrum from playing golf had it not been for military duties. Lloyd was born on August 1, 1914, and turned pro at the age of 14. Yes, he was a forerunner of pros such as Blades Brown and Akshay Bhatia, who turned pro before seeing 20 summers on earth.
Lloyd dabbled in multiple professions. Taxi driving. Singing. And even like Jake Knapp, working as a bouncer. Around 1937, he tried his luck in the professional circuit and became a touring pro. By that time, he had developed one of the smoothest swings. Watch this rare vintage footage and see why he was so admired.
Nine years later, he defeated Byron Nelson and Vic Ghezzi in a 36-hole playoff to win his first and only major at the 1946 U.S. Open. He also had 36 titles to his name, which were later recognized as official PGA Tour wins. He could have won more had he not served in the Army or gotten injured in a jeep accident.
Regardless, Mangrum played in the Ryder Cup four times and had a pretty good record (6-2-0). Later, in 1954, he built a house in Apple Valley, California, and lived there until his death in 1973. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1998, despite having gained a reputation for being “the forgotten man of golf.”
![newsbreakexpress newsletter: Rory Has a Change of Heart [Again]](https://brands.pixelserve.net/08-09-2026/6bfd38bf-8b68-4b5d-8a75-273a0b8012ff.png)
![newsbreakexpress newsletter: LIV Golf Gets a Second Chance [a Big One]](https://brands.pixelserve.net/08-06-2026/bb71da2f-b693-436f-9f25-cb8f9af90b21.png)
