Who Was Tony Lima Golfer? Career Highlights and A Star Back In The Days
Tony Lima, an American professional golfer who rose to fame in the early 1960s, died in a plane crash in 1966 in Chicago.
He was at his career peak at the time of his demise. He also served in U.S. Marine Corps from 1951 to 1955, when he was posted in Korea.
Who Was Golfer Tony Lima?
Tony was a golfer from Oakland, California, who had peaked his career in the 1960s. He had started his golf career in 1957. His capability to win two significant titles while being relatively new at the sports is praised by many golf players and enthusiasts.
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He had a Portuguese background as his parents Anthony H. Lema and Clotilda M. Lema, née Silva, were of Portuguese heritage. When Tony was three years old, his father passed away from pneumonia, and his widowed mother struggled to raise the family of four.
He had a difficult childhood as they usually didn’t have money to fulfill the family’s basic needs.
Golfer Tony Lima’s Wikipedia And Career Facts
He was born on February 25, 1934, in Oakland, California. He first played the game as a youngster at the Lake Chabot municipal golf course. He was assisted by many players on various facets of the game during his learning phase. In addition, he was coached by a well-known African-American golf instructor, Lucius Bateman, who helped him to improve his swing.
He went to join the US military at the age of 17 and served in the army for four years until 1955. He began his professional golf career in 1957 when he was part of the PGA Tour of that year. Lema remarkably won the Imperial Valley Open that year.
In the middle of the 1960s, he became well-known after winning the 1964 Open Championship at Scotland’s Old Course in St. Andrews. This was the highest feat he had ever achieved in his life.
He would have been one of the greatest in the game, but unfortunately, he died two years later, in 1966, following a plane crash.
Tony Lima’s Wife And Net Worth
Tony was a married man sharing his marital life with his beautiful wife, Betty Lima. They had boarded a private jet to participate in an exhibition tournament south of Chicago.
The pilot, Doris Mullen, crashed the aircraft into a water source of the nine-hole golf course at Lansing Sportsman’s Club in Lansing as the aircraft had no fuel to fly further. Everyone who was on the plane was killed in that tragic incident.
Tony was considered one of the wealthiest golfers of his time. Unfortunately, his financial assets were never made publicly available; however, we can assume that his net worth was between $1 – $1.5 Million at the time of his death.
