Wiffy Cox Explained

Wilfred Hiram "Wiffy" Cox (October 27, 1896 – February 20, 1969) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1930s.

Cox was born and grew up in a tough Irish-Italian section of Brooklyn, New York.^[1] He started in golf as a caddie at Westchester County courses and learned to play at sunrise and sunset with clubs borrowed from the pro shop. The diminutive Cox had a hot-temper and a reputation for foul-mouthed, trash talk among his fellow players.

Cox won nine times on the PGA Tour.^[2] His first individual win on the PGA Tour came at the 1931 North and South Open; his four wins that year led the PGA Tour for most wins.^{[3] [4]} His best finish in a major championship was tied for third at the 1934 U.S. Open.^[5]

Cox played on the winning U.S. team in the 1931 Ryder Cup, winning both his matches.

Like most professional golfers of his generation, Cox earned his living primarily as a club pro. He was the course pro at Dyker Beach Golf Course in Brooklyn, New York from 1921 to 1935.^[6] He eventually landed a plum job as head pro at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland,^[3] which he held until 1969.^[7] He died in Washington, D.C.^[1]

Professional wins (12)

PGA Tour wins (9)

• 1930 Mid-South Open Bestball (with Willie Macfarlane)
• 1931 Miami International Four-Ball (with Willie Macfarlane), North and South Open, Massachusetts Open, San Francisco National Match Play Open
• 1934 Agua Caliente Open, Texas Open
• 1936 Sacramento Open
• 1937 District Open

Other wins (3)

• 1931 Florida Open (tie with Joe Turnesa)
• 1942 Maryland Open
• 1943 Long Island PGA Championship

Results in major championships

Tournament	1923	1924	1925	1926	1927	1928	1929	1930	1931	1932	1933	1934	1935	1936	1937	1938	1939
Masters Tournament	NYF	NYF	NYF	NYF	NYF	NYF	NYF	NYF	NYF	NYF	NYF	WD	T43	T13	12	T25
U.S. Open		T29					T11	T35	T4	5	CUT	T3	CUT	T5	T45		CUT
PGA Championship	R64					R32	R32	R32								R64

Note: Cox never played in The Open Championship.
NYF = tournament not yet founded
WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place

See also

• List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins

Notes and References

1. Book: Elliott . Len . Barbara . Kelly . Who's Who in Golf . 1976 . Arlington House . New Rochelle, New York . 0-87000-225-2 . 42–3 .
2. Book: Barkow, Al . Al Barkow

   . Al Barkow . The History of the PGA TOUR . . November 1989 . 0-385-26145-4 . 253 .

3. Stevens . Peter F. . Golf History Unveiled . Golf News Magazine . February 15, 2010.
4. Web site: PGA Tour Yearly Victory Leaders . GolfCompendium.com . March 15, 2021.
5. Web site: Golf Major Championships . February 18, 2010.
6. News: Willy Cox, Golf Star of 1930's And Former Pro Here, Is Dead . The New York Times . February 21, 1969.
7. Web site: Larry Wise Golf . February 15, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090105200235/http://www.larrywisegolf.com/content/view/37/128/ . January 5, 2009.