Johnny Bulla

Bulla was born in Newell, West Virginia.

Bulla played on what is now called the PGA Tour. His only win was at the 1941 Los Angeles Open. Bulla was the first to endorse merchandise sold outside the golf pro shop. He won the L.A. Open in 1941 with a discount golf ball, which sold for a quarter at Walgreens.^[1][2]

Bulla had extraordinary success at the major golf championships. He finished runner-up three times in the majors, including twice to Sam Snead; at the British Open in 1946 and the Masters in 1949. Bulla's greatest moment might have been the British Open in 1939 at St Andrews. In miserable conditions, he drove flawlessly and never missed a fairway. The driver is on display in the Royal & Ancient Golf Club Museum, but his name is missing from the Claret Jug. Bulla finished early that day and was the leader in the clubhouse, which he held until Dick Burton, in the final group, caught him and won with a birdie on the last hole. Although Bulla never won a major, he finished in the top-10 twelve times; twice each in the Masters and PGA Championship and four times each at the British Open and U.S. Open.

In 2000, the Carolinas Golf Reporters Association inducted Bulla into the Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame

NT = no tournament
DQ = disqualified
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1959 PGA Championship)
R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place