History 1960s

1961: The tournament was back at The Greenbrier in July. Swashbuckling Ed Tutwiler picked up title No. 10 with a 6 and 5 triumph over Dave Clovis. Tutwiler, four up after two holes, applied the backbreaker on the 22nd hole when he knocked an apparently impossible chip shot out of deep rough to near the hole for a par to halve the hole. Marshall freshman Harry Hoffer, 19, of Hurricane, ousted Bill Campbell on the 19th hole in the second round. Semifinals: Tutwiler def. Hoffer, 2 up; Clovis def. Roy Blizzard, Charleston, 6 and 4. Medalist: Campbell, 69.

1962: Playing steady golf, Bill Campbell dominated Jay Randolph of Clarksburg, 8 and 7, to capture his seventh Amateur title. Campbell went 7 up in the morning round and lost only one hole all day. Campbell was two over par for 29 holes while Randolph was 13 over. Four penalty strokes hampered Randolph, the sportscaster son of Sen. Jennings Randolph. Jim Ward upset Ed Tutwiler, 2 up, in the second round. Semifinals: Campbell def. John Trach, Fairmont, 2 and 1; Randolph def. Ward, 1 up. Medalist: Campbell, 67.

1963: Ed Tutwiler, 43, claimed his 11th Amateur championship by defeating A.J. Gray, Jr., of Wheeling, 4 and 3. Tut was 2 up after 20 holes, exploded from the sand to halve the 21st hole and then won the next three holes. Since his first title in 1939, the Charleston auto dealer won 11 of the 18 Amateurs he entered, including a 6-1 record against Bill Campbell in title matches. The two between them won 16 straight Amateurs since World War II and 18 of the last 19 tournaments. Semifinals: Tutwiler def. Ned Payne III, Beckley, 5 and 3; Gray def. Campbell, 2 up. Medalist: Bob Johnson, Charleston, 68.

1964: Huntington schoolteacher Jim Ward, 31, became the first golfer other than Ed Tutwiler or Bill Campbell to win the Amateur since 1941. Ward charged from behind to down A.J. Gray, Jr., 2 and 1 in the finals. Gray was 3 up after 22 holes but Ward tied the match with a dramatic 25-foot downhill birdie putt on the 30th hole. Ward then won the next two holes. Tutwiler moved toIndianapolis and didn’t defend his state title. Semifinals: Ward def. Ned Payne III, 19th hole; Gray def. Campbell, 3 and 2. Medalist: Ward, 69.

1965: Bill Campbell played sensational golf to overwhelm A.J. Gray Jr., 10 and 9, and take home his eighth Amateur title. Campbell was six under par for 27 holes. He shot a 68 in the morning to go 6-up and added four more birdies in nine afternoon holes. “Those were the best two rounds I’ve ever played in a tournament,” Campbell said. It was the third straight year that Gray lost in the finals. Semifinals: Campbell def. Mike Good, Huntington, 2 and 1; Gray def. Jim Ward, 3 and 1. Medalist: Jim Hess, Jr., Morgantown, 67.

1966: The Amateur format was changed from match play to stroke play for the first championship flight. Barney Thompson, 17, of Barboursville became the youngest player ever to win the state title. Dubbed the “walking one-iron” because of his lanky frame, the 6-foot-5, 195-pound Thompson led from start to finish. He opened with 68 and 67 rounds and wound up with a 284 total to finish eight strokes ahead of runner-up Jim Ward. Bill Campbell shot 77 in the first round and missed the cutoff for the 24-man championship stroke play flight. Campbell won the first flight at match play. Round leaders: First, Thompson-68, by one; Second-Thompson-135, by five; Third, Thompson-210, by four.

Barney Thompson 68-67-75-74—284

Jim Ward 71-69-74-78—292

Bob Johnson 70-75-72-76—293

Pete Donald 69-73-77-74—293

A.J. Gray, Jr. 69-79-73-75—296

Jim Rogers 70-81-69-77-297

Dick Shepard 73-77-76-72—298

Frank Sexton 72-72-77-79—300

1967: A 60-foot birdie putt helped Bill Campbell come from behind in the final round to capture his ninth title. Campbell shot an even par 70 for a 287 total and a four-stroke victory. He trailed Jim Ward by two strokes entering the final round but tied him with the 60-footer on the fourth hole. Campbell took the lead to stay when he parred the fifth hole and Ward three-putted. Ward’s 77 dropped him to third place at 292. Fred Garnes, Jr., a Huntington native on leave from the Air Force, carded a 71 to finish second. Round leaders: First, Bob Johnson-67, by two; Second, Campbell-142, by one; Third, Ward-215, by two.

Bill Campbell 69-73-75-70—287

Fred Garnes 72-74-74-71—291

Jim Ward 70-74-71-77—292

Bob Johnson 67-76-74-76—293

Jim Rogers 76-73-70-77—296

Barney Thompson 69-75-73-80—297

Bob King 74-73-76-74—297

Freddie Jefferson 72-74-71-81—298

1968: Bill Campbell shook off two double bogeys in his final round and steadied to shoot a 74 and win his 10th Amateur title with a 282 total. He finished four strokes ahead of Wheelingveteran Lou Cuffaro, who had a 76 for 286. Albert Cohen, 16, of Huntington birdied all four par-three holes on the Old White course while shooting a 66 in the second round. West Virginia Golf Association President C.M. “Ding” England made the first hole-in-one in Amateur history. England aced the 205-yard ninth hole on the Greenbrier course in a 14th flight match. Round leaders: First, Campbell and Cuffaro-69s; Second, Campbell and Cuffaro-138s; Third, Campbell-208, by two.

Bill Campbell 69-69-70-74—282

Lou Cuffaro 69-69-72-76—286

Larry Murphy 73-71-72-72—288

Kenny Bowen 71-74-70-75—290

Albert Cohen 73-66-74-77—290

Barney Thompson 73-70-72-75—290

Fred Garnes 72-75-73-71—291

Eddie Morrison 72-75-74-72—293

1969: Barney Thompson fired a record-tying 64 in the first round and wound up with a record 274 total in cruising to his second title. He finished five strokes ahead of runner-up Bill Campbell. Thompson made seven birdies in tying the record 64 round shot by Fred Bannerot in 1933. Barney’s 274 total, six under par on the Old White, set the record for stroke play. Kenny Bowen of South Charleston had a 66 in the first round, sinking three 25-foot putts. The huge 200-man field also set a record. Playing in his first Amateur and shooting a credible 77 in his opening round was Harold Payne, 14, of South Charleston. Round leaders: First, Thompson-64, by two; Second, Thompson-133, by six; Third, Thompson-204, by five.

Barney Thompson 64-69-71-70—274

Bill Campbell 69-72-70-68—279

Larry Murphy 71-68-70-74—283

Jim Ward 71-74-74-68—287

Robert King 75-71-73-70—289

Jim Rogers 74-72-71-72—289

Joe Feaganes 73-69-75-75—292

Bob Johnson 74-71-74-74—293

Albert Schwabe 72-74-74-73—293