Johnny Bulla


John Guthrie Bulla 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.
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. He was later a commercial pilot with Eastern Airlines, 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. He then co-founded Arizona Airways, 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)

Source:

Other wins (7)

Tournament1940194119421943194419451946194719481949
Masters TournamentT2139NTNTNTT1613T13T2
U.S. OpenDQT3NTNTNTNTT22T35T8T14
The Open ChampionshipNTNTNTNTNTNTT2T6T727
PGA ChampionshipNTR32QFR32

Tournament1960196119621963196419651966196719681969
Masters Tournament
U.S. OpenCUTT54
The Open ChampionshipCUT
PGA ChampionshipT57CUTCUTCUT63CUTCUT

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

Summary

  • Most consecutive cuts made – 23
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 4