Billy Maxwell
Billy Maxwell, who literally grew up on the golf course, gained national prominence by winning the 1951 U.S. Amateur. He was a member of the 1963 Ryder Cup team. His final victory came at the 1962 Dallas Open Invitational, a year in which he finished a career-best 12th place on the money list with nearly $32,000. Maxwell won seven times on the PGA Tour.
Maxwell grew up in Abilene, where the family lived off the fourth green at Abilene Country Club. He had a twin brother named Bobby and both Maxwells played under Coach Fred Cobb at North Texas, which won four straight NCAA championships (1949-1952). Billy Maxwell, Joe Conrad and Don January played on three national championship teams. Maxwell was an excellent iron player, while January was the big hitter and Conrad was the putter. All three have been inducted into the Texas Golf Hall of Fame. Cobb built a dynasty in North Texas.
Once Maxwell’s playing began to wind down, he turned his attention to the business side of golf, partnering with fellow Texas touring professional Chris Blocker in 1971 to purchase Hyde Park Golf Club, a public course in Jacksonville, Florida, that was designed by famed Scottish architect Donald Ross and opened in 1925.
Seven-time TOUR winner Billy Maxwell, a former Ryder Cup player, passes away (pgatour.com)
Birthplace: Abilene, Texas
Born: July 23, 1929
Died: September 20, 2021