Like Bobby Jones, Gus Moreland was a career amateur and a world-class player in the 1930s. He lived in Dallas, but he went outside his home turf to mark an incredible string of victories, to wit: 1929 Moreland beat Ben Hogan in the final of the Southwestern Amateur in Shreveport, Louisiana; 1930 Moreland beat Byron Nelson on the 38th hole in the Glen Garden invitational in Fort Worth; 1932 Moreland beat Johnny Goodman in the final of the Houston Invitational at Houston Country Club; 1933 Moreland beat Lawson Little in the Trans-Miss at Broadmoor Country Club; 1934 Moreland beat Francis Ouimet in an early round at the British Amateur.

Moreland was twice named to the Walker Cup team and never lost a match in singles or doubles. He had two exemptions in the first Masters Tournament in 1934, as he was a Walker Cupper and had finished seventh place in the 1933 U.S. Open at North Shore (IL). No, he wasn’t the low amateur, because an amateur, Johnny Goodman, won this U.S. Open. Moreland won the Houston Invitational three years in a row. He also won three Texas Amateur Championships and one Illinois title. Regrettably, few remember his classic cross-town Dallas duels with Ralph Guldahl. They were inducted into the Texas Golf Hall of Fame in the same year. In 1963, at the ripe age of 53, Moreland turned pro and took a club job in Pampa, Texas. He also worked at a club in Peoria, Ill., his second home, and he did a stint in Houston at the Westwood Country Club.

Birthplace: Lancaster, Texas

Born: June 15, 1911

Died: February 3, 1998