.png)
Al Balding
Born: April 24, 1924
Birthplace: Toronto, Ontario
Died: July 30, 2006
Inducted: 1969
Sport: Golf
Category: Athlete
Highlights
1955
First Canadian to win the PGA Tour event (Mayfair Open)
1957
PGA victories - Miami Beach Open, West Palm Beach Open, and Havana International
1963
Mexican Open winner
1968
World Cup in Rome, won individual championship and team title with George Knudson
1955, 1956, 1963, 1970
CPGA Champion
1952, 1954, 1958, 1961
Miller Trophy winner
Biography
Al Balding made pioneering contributions in the golfing world for Canada. With his 1955 Mayfair Open victory, Balding became the first Canadian to win a PGA Tour event. Balding was at the forefront of the Canadian golfing scene throughout his career, with CPGA victories in 1955, 1956, 1963, and 1970. He was also an international champion, winning a number of significant titles both in the U.S. and overseas. In 1957, he captured three PGA events-the West Palm Beach Open, the Miami Open, and the Havana International. At the 1968 World Cup in Rome, Balding won the individual championship and teamed with George Knudson to win the team title for Canada. Since his retirement from professional competition, Balding has remained active in the golf community as a player, consultant, teacher, and fundraiser. "Golf is the game of a lifetime," he once said. "You can play it from the time you're able to swing a club until they put you away. And I want to go with a golf club in my hand." Most notably, he captured the 2000 Canadian Professional Golfer's Association Senior title at the age of 76. Balding was also the founder of the "Golf Week for Timmy," an annual tournament that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Ontario Society for Crippled Children.
-webclip.png)