By Kyle Porter | Golf Writer
February 7, 2015 10:31 pm ET
A 51-time winner on the PGA Tour and three-time major winner, Billy Casper was the essence of a champion. On Saturday, according to the Associated Press, he died at the age of 83.
"Bob Casper said his father coped with heart issues after passing out at the Masters last year and went through a bout of pneumonia over Thanksgiving. He said Casper died at home with wife Shirley at his side. They had been married 62 years."
Casper won the 1959 and 1966 US Opens and 1970 Masters.
In Casper's 1966 US Open win, which you can watch on YouTube, Arnold Palmer led by seven strokes with nine holes to play before Casper forced an 18-hole playoff on Monday.
Incredibly only Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan and Sam Snead have more than Casper's 51 PGA Tour wins.
Casper was also part of nine (!) different Ryder Cup-winning teams and scored more points than any American in Ryder Cup history.