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Ralph Guldahl (22 November 1911 - 11 June 1987)
was an United States|American professional golfer
who was one of the top players in the sport for
three years in the late 1930s. He was born in
Dallas, Texas.

Guldahl started playing on the professional
tournament circuit in 1932 and won an event in his
rookie season. In the 1933, at the age of 21, he
went into the last hole of U.S. Open (golf)|U.S.
Open tied for the lead with Johnny Goodman. A par
would have taken him into a playoff, but he made
bogey and finished second. After further
frustrating failures Guldahl quit the sport
temporarily in 1935 and became a car salesman. He
made a comeback part way through the 1936 PGA Tour
season. He won the prestigious Western Open and
finished second on the money list. He went on to
win the Western Open in 1937 and 1938 as well.

Guldahl won three major championships. He claimed
the U.S. Open title in 1937 and 1938. He was
runner up at the Masters Tournament|Masters in
both 1937 and 1938, before taking that title in
1939. 

Guldahl game then fell apart and he didn't win
after 1940. Two-time PGA champion Paul Runyan
commented, "It's the most ridiculous thing,
really. He went from being temporarily the
absolute best player in the world to one who
couldn't play at all." One popular theory is that
when he wrote an instructional book, he
overanalyzed his swing and it fell apart. He
played occasionally in the 1940s but then quit
tournament golf for good and spent the rest of his
working life as a club professional. He was
inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1981.

==See also==
*Golfers with most major championship wins