The best golfer from every U.S. state

Connecticut: Julius Boros

Affectionately known as Moose, you have to wonder what the career stats would have looked like for Julius Boros had the Fairfield, CT native turned pro at an earlier age. After playing college baseball, Boros spent several years as an accountant and, while he was an ace amateur golfer, he didn’t take the professional route until he was 29 years old in 1949. That didn’t stop him from enjoying plenty of success after the fact, however.

His first victory on the PGA Tour was most certainly not a small feat. In the 1952 U.S. Open, Boros unfurled a monster weekend in Dallas at the Northwood Club by shooting a 1-over par score for the tournament, besting two other all-time greats in Ed Oliver and Ben Hogan to capture his first win on tour and his first major championship.

Boros would go on to win the U.S. Open 11 years later as well, besting another great of the sport as he topped Arnold Palmer in the 1963 playing of the tournament to capture his second major. A third major championship would eventually be added to his trophy case, also. He won the 1968 PGA Championship at 48 years old, making him the oldest player to ever win a major, a record that stands still today.

Throughout his career, Boros captured 18 victories on the PGA Tour and is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. With a swing considered one of the smoothest and most natural in history, he certainly could have done plenty more damage had he not turned pro just before he turned 30 years old.