| Charles "Charlie" Owens | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | February 22, 1932 Winter Haven, Florida |
| Died | September 7, 2017 (aged 85) Winter Haven, Florida |
| Sporting nationality |  United States |
| Residence | Tampa, Florida Winter Haven, Florida |
| Career | |
| College | Florida A&M University |
| Turned professional | 1967 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions Tour |
| Professional wins | 4 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour Champions | 2 |
| Other | 2 |
Charles Owens (February 22, 1932 – September 7, 2017) was an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour.
Owens was born in Winter Haven, Florida. He played football at Florida A&M University and served in the U.S. Army. He suffered injuries to both knees and his left ankle during a parachute jump at Fort Bragg, North Carolina in 1952 which left him handicapped.[1]
Owens turned professional in 1967 and joined the PGA Tour in 1970. During his seven years on the Tour, he won the 1971 Kemper Asheville Open, a "satellite" PGA Tour event. Owens played with a limp and played all golf shots cross-handed. The biggest year of his professional career came on the Senior PGA Tour in 1986, when he won twice in a three tournament span, and finished eighth on the money list with $207,813.
Owens was allowed to use a cart while competing in most instances due to his disability, and once staged a protest at the 1987 U.S. Senior Open against the USGA for its ban on carts at that event.[1]
Owens also is credited with inventing and popularizing the "long (52") style putter"[2] which he used to overcome the yips.
Owens formerly lived in Tampa, Florida and resided in Winter Haven until his death on September 7, 2017.[3] He won the Ben Hogan Award in 1987 and was inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 1987 and the African American Golfers Hall of Fame in 2007.
- ^ a b White Jr., Gordon S. (July 8, 1987). "Handicapped Senior Golfer to Protest Ban on Carts". The New York Times. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ Fields, Bill (September 14, 2007). "Charles Owens, An Overlooked Pioneer". Golf Digest. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ Fuoco, Roy (September 8, 2017). "Winter Haven native, golfing pioneer Charlie Owens dies at 85". The Ledger.