University of Tennessee Athletics
Former UT Golfer Rudolph Dies at 76
April 27, 2011 | Men's Golf
April 27, 2011
Mason Rudolph, who established his identity as one of Tennessee's most prolific golfers as a teenager and punctuated his legacy over a three-decade career that stretched into the PGA and Champions Tour, died early May 18 at a hospital in Tuscaloosa, Ala. He was 76.
Rudolph had been hospitalized since last weekend, and his condition had worsened throughout the week, according to family friends.
"When he took a step, I would put my foot right where he was," said Walton Smith Jr., who had been friends with Rudolph dating back to their childhood days in Clarksville. "He was my hero."
Smith visited Rudolph in Tuscaloosa in early March, and said Rudolph was doing well at that time.
"He was a wonderful person and he genuinely liked other people, so other people liked him," Smith said. "So I doubt if he had an enemy in the world."
Clarksville Icon
Known as a soft-spoken and humble competitor, Mason Rudolph, along with famed Olympic track star Wilma Rudolph and Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt, are considered Clarksville's most iconic sports figures. Mason Rudolph Golf Course is named in his honor.
"I've known Mason since March of 1973. He was truly a delight. Mason will be missed greatly by many, many people," Tennessee Golf Foundation President Dick Horton said. "He was the best possible representative for the game of golf in Tennessee, and you won't find anybody that didn't have the utmost respect for him as a person."
Rudolph was hospitalized last fall when he suffered two heart attacks and had emergency bypass surgery in Tuscaloosa. Mason and his wife, Carol, moved to Tuscaloosa two years ago to be closer to their children and grandchildren. They had lived with their son, Griff.
Gene Washer, retired publisher of The Leaf-Chronicle, was the paper's sports editor when Rudolph played on the PGA Tour.
"He was a super guy. He was mild-mannered and easy to get along with," Washer said. "He introduced me to folks like Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. I saw him (Rudolph) when he finished fourth in The Masters."
Rudolph gave Washer his putter after winning the 1964 New Orleans Open, and later gave Washer a set of golf clubs, which Washer later donated to the Clarksville Museum.
"He was very well respected back in the days," Washer said.
High School Star
Born May 23, 1934, Mason Rudolph's professional career started at Clarksville High when he became one of the youngest to qualify for a Major, playing in the U.S. Open.
And it was only the beginning for Rudolph, who won the TSSAA state individual championship in 1951 and defended his title one year later, while leading CHS to a state runner-up finish.
Rudolph played golf and lettered at Tennessee his freshman year of 1953 before transferring to Memphis a year later. He served in the Army for two years before joining the PGA Tour.
He was the 1959 PGA Rookie of the Year and a member of the 1971 Ryder Cup Team playing alongside Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino and J.C. Sneed.
Rudolph played in 432 Tour events, making the cut 402 times. He had 95 top 10 finishes, and won five tour events. He finished fourth at The Masters in 1965. He had 12 total pro career wins, and was a dominant golfer at the state level where he won the Tennessee State Open five times.
After retiring from the Champions Tour, Rudolph served as Vanderbilt University's golf coach for five seasons, and later served as the director of instruction at Gaylord Springs Golf Links.
He often returned to the midstate to attend the Mason Rudolph Championship, an annual college tournament played at Vanderbilt Legends Club. He returned annually to Clarksville for the Craig Rudolph Memorial, an elite junior event named after Rudolph's son, Craig, who died in a helicopter crash in Charlotte, N.C., in 1998.
"He was always so gracious and loved golf, he loved every aspect of it," said Clarksville High girls golf coach Vickie Moncrief, who works on staff for the Craig Rudolph Memorial. "He was always a man with a smile and with a kind word. He was a gentleman on the golf course and off the golf course. He was a really special man."
Rudolph was a member of Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame and a charter member of the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame. He routinely played golf well into his 70s, and consistently shot par or better.
Story courtesy Jimmy Trodglen, The Leaf-Chronicle.
