Johnny Bulla

{{Infobox golfer

| name = Johnny Bulla

| image = Johnny Bulla 1950.jpg

| imagesize = 160px

| caption = Bulla, circa 1950

| fullname = John Guthrie Bulla

| nickname =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1914|6|2}}

| birth_place = Newell, West Virginia, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2003|12|7|1914|6|2}}

| death_place = Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.

| height =

| weight =

| nationality = {{USA}}

| spouse =

| partner =

| children =

| college =

| status = Professional

| yearpro =

| extour = PGA Tour

| prowins = 8

| pgawins = 1

| otherwins = 7

| majorwins =

| masters = T2: 1949

| usopen = T3: 1941

| open = 2nd/T2: 1939, 1946

| pga = T5: 1948, 1951

| wghofid =

| wghofyear =

| award1 =

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}}

John Guthrie Bulla (June 2, 1914 – December 7, 2003) was an American professional golfer.

Early life

Bulla was born in Newell, West Virginia.

Professional career

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.{{cite news |last=Murray |first=Jim |date=November 30, 1993 |title=Athletes today owe Bulla a lot |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-11-30-sp-62430-story.html |access-date=July 16, 2013 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}{{cite news |last=Huffman |first=Bill |date=December 16, 2003 |title=Golf legend Bulla lived rich life |url=http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/sports/article_7f64248c-99c0-5ee0-8a41-4e167d78e9d5.html |accessdate=July 16, 2013 |newspaper=East Valley Tribune |location=Tempe, AZ}}

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.

= Pilot career =

Bulla was a private pilot and before World War II, he flew himself to various tournaments.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uR4hAAAAIBAJ&sjid=lWQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3667,533761 |newspaper=Sarasota Herald-Tribune |agency=Associated Press |title=Bulla to seek second win in Oakland event |date=January 8, 1941 |page=6 }} He was later a commercial pilot with Eastern Airlines,{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EDsVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HQgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2770,165888 |newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard |title=Golf pros plan tourney air travel in own airplane |date=October 17, 1945 |page=7 }}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=t3gbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Y00EAAAAIBAJ&pg=3479,1438894|newspaper=Pittsburgh Press |last=Drum |first=Bob |title=Bulla's here to stay for a while |date= March 19, 1949 |page=6 }} and shortly after the war, Bulla and several other touring pros bought a C-47 cargo plane from the U.S. Army Air Forces to fly themselves and their wives to golf tournaments, with Bulla at the controls.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=h04aAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5CQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6636,5456674 |newspaper=Milwaukee Journal |agency=Associated Press |title=Bulla has solved travel problems for golfing pros |date=December 12, 1945 |page=2-final }}{{Dead link|date=November 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite web|url=http://www.ingolfwetrust.com/golf-central/2007/12/11/On+This+Day+In+History+Johnny+Bulla+Takes+Flight+With+His+Pals.aspx |publisher=In Golf We Trust |title=On this day in history - Johnny Bulla takes flight with his pals |date=December 11, 2007 |accessdate=July 16, 2013}} He then co-founded Arizona Airways,[https://members.tripod.com/~Denfl/Johnny_Bulla.html Johnny Bulla] which became Frontier Airlines in 1950.

Awards and honors

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

Professional wins (8)

=PGA Tour wins (1)=

1941 Los Angeles Open

Source:{{Cite web |title=Johnny Bulla |url=https://www.pgatour.com/player/01146/johnny-bulla |access-date=2025-06-05 |publisher=PGA Tour}}

=Other wins (7)=

1947 Arizona Open{{cite web |url=https://www.southwestpga.com/tournaments/arizonaopen/pastchampions.asp |title=Arizona Open – Past Champions |publisher=PGA of America - Southwest Section |accessdate=June 23, 2017}}
1950 Arizona Open
1951 Pennsylvania Open Championship, Arizona Open
1958 Southern California PGA Championship, Arizona Open
1959 Arizona Open

Results in major championships

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!1935

!1936

!1937

!1938

!1939

align=left|Masters Tournament

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align=left|U.S. Open

|63

|T45

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:yellow;"|6

align=left|The Open Championship

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:yellow;"|2

align=left|PGA Championship

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!1940

!1941

!1942

!1943

!1944

!1945

!1946

!1947

!1948

!1949

align=left|Masters Tournament

|T21

|39

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT

|T16

|13

|T13

|style="background:yellow;"|T2

align=left|U.S. Open

|DQ

|style="background:yellow;"|T3

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT

|T22

|T35

|style="background:yellow;"|T8

|T14

align=left|The Open Championship

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT

|style="background:yellow;"|T2

|style="background:yellow;"|T6

|style="background:yellow;"|T7

|27

align=left|PGA Championship

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|R32

|style="background:yellow;"|QF

|R32

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!1950

!1951

!1952

!1953

!1954

!1955

!1956

!1957

!1958

!1959

align=left|Masters Tournament

|31

|style="background:yellow;"|T8

|DQ

|T51

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|CUT

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align=left|U.S. Open

|T12

|52

|style="background:yellow;"|4

|T33

|CUT

|DQ

|T24

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align=left|The Open Championship

|T14

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|T37

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align=left|PGA Championship

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:yellow;"|QF

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|CUT

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!1960

!1961

!1962

!1963

!1964

!1965

!1966

!1967

!1968

!1969

align=left|Masters Tournament

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align=left|U.S. Open

|CUT

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|T54

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align=left|The Open Championship

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|CUT

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align=left|PGA Championship

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|T57

|CUT

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|CUT

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|CUT

|63

|CUT

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

=Summary=

Totals	0	3	1	7	12	23	48	36
class=wikitable style=text-align:center !Tournament !! Wins !! 2nd !! 3rd !! Top-5 !! Top-10 !! Top-25 !! Events !! Cuts made
align=left\|Masters Tournament	0	1	0	1	2	6	11	9
align=left\|U.S. Open	0	0	1	2	4	8	18	14
align=left\|The Open Championship	0	2	0	2	4	5	8	7
align=left\|PGA Championship	0	0	0	2	2	4	11	6

Most consecutive cuts made – 23 (1941 Masters – 1951 PGA)
Longest streak of top-10s – 4 (1948 U.S. Open – 1949 Masters)

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304003942/http://www.carolinasgolfhof.org/bulla--johnny.htm Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame profile]
[http://obits.arizonagravestones.org/view.php?id=30621 Arizona Gravestones] – Johnny Bulla obituary

Category:American male golfers

Category:PGA Tour golfers

Category:Golfers from West Virginia

Category:American commercial aviators

Category:Sportspeople from Hancock County, West Virginia

Category:People from Newell, West Virginia

Category:1914 births

Category:2003 deaths

Category:20th-century American sportsmen