Billy Kratzert

{{Infobox golfer

| name = Billy Kratzert

| image =

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| fullname = William August Kratzert III

| nickname = Bill or Billy

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1952|6|29}}

| birth_place = Quantico, Virginia, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = {{height|ft=6|in=1}}

| weight = {{convert|205|lb|kg st|abbr=on}}

| nationality = {{USA}}

| residence = Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, U.S.

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| college = University of Georgia

| yearpro = 1974

| retired =

| tour =

| extour = PGA Tour
Champions Tour

| prowins = 5

| pgawins = 4

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| majorwins =

| masters = T5: 1978

| usopen = T6: 1978

| open = CUT: 1978

| pga = T12: 1978

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}}

William August Kratzert III (born June 29, 1952) is an American professional golfer and sportscaster, who has played on both the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.

Early life

Kratzert was born in Quantico, Virginia when his father was in the service but spent most of his youth in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he attended Elmhurst High School. His father was head pro for over 20 years at the Fort Wayne Country Club. Kratzert won the Indiana State Amateur at age 16.

Amateur career

Kratzert attended the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia.{{cite web |title=Profile on PGA Tour's official site |url=http://www.pgatour.com/players/player.01648.html |accessdate=January 14, 2013}} He was a distinguished member of the golf team and an All-American in 1973 and 1974. Kratzert graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree in 1974. He turned pro in that same year. Kratzert, after two failed attempts at earning his Tour card, quit golf and worked as a forklift operator.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-D41AAAAIBAJ&sjid=dGcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2425,3381865&dq=billy+kratzert+forklift&hl=en |title=Kratzert Patches Up His Life And His Game |newspaper=Sarasota Herald-Tribune |first=Jim |last=Achenbach |date=April 7, 1978 |page=1-E |accessdate=January 14, 2013}} After eight months at that job, Kratzert returned to golf and succeeded on his third attempt in 1976 to get his PGA Tour card.{{cite news |newspaper=Fort Wayne News-Sentinel |title=King of the course: Bill Kratzert won four events and earned more than $1 million on the PGA Tour |url=http://fwnextweb1.fortwayne.com/ns/sports/top50/kratzert.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080522132058/http://fwnextweb1.fortwayne.com/ns/sports/top50/kratzert.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 22, 2008 |accessdate=March 3, 2011 }}

Professional career

Kratzert won four PGA Tour events in his career.{{cite web |title=Biographical information on PGA Tour's official site |url=http://www.pgatour.com/players/player.01648.billy-kratzert.html/media-guide/#uber |accessdate=January 14, 2013}} His most successful years in professional golf were 1977–1980 when he finished in the top-12 on the money list in three of those 4 years. Kratzert's best year for majors was 1978, when he finished with a T-5 in The Masters and a T-6 in the U.S. Open.{{cite web |title=Golf Major Championships |url=http://golfmajorchampionships.com/players?player=339 |accessdate=January 14, 2013}} His career earnings exceed $1.4 million. He continued to play on the PGA Tour until 1997, when he went to work as a television golf commentator.

Since turning 50 in June 2002, Kratzert has played some on the Champions Tour with his best finish a T10 at the 2003 Royal Caribbean Golf Classic.

Kratzert has worked for many years as a TV golf analyst for outlets such as the Golf Channel, ESPN, CBS, NBC, Turner Sports, SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio and pgatour.com.{{Cite web|url=http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/bio/billy-kratzert/|title = Billy Kratzert}}

Kratzert was inducted into the Indiana Golf Hall of Fame in 1993. He lives in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida with his wife and three children. His sister, Cathy Gerring, is also a professional golfer and has won three times on the LPGA Tour.

Amateur wins

1968 Indiana Amateur{{cite web |url=http://www.indianagolf.org/Indiana-Amateur-Championship_a99.html |title=Indiana Amateur Championship |accessdate=July 15, 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924034323/http://www.indianagolf.org/Indiana-Amateur-Championship_a99.html |archivedate=September 24, 2015 }}