Allan George Balding
Inducted: 1985
Al Balding
Category: Professional Golfer
Born: April 29, 1924
Place of Birth: Toronto, ON
Death: July 30, 2006
Place of Birth: Toronto, ON
Death: July 30, 2006
Al Balding’s victory at the 1955 Mayfair Open was a first for Canada – no other Canadian had won a PGA Tour event in the United States. He also finished sixth on the PGA Tour money list in 1957, the highest of any Canadian. The Toronto native won both the CPGA Championship and CPGA Match Play Championship four times and represented Canada at the 1968 World Cup where he was the individual low-scorer and teamed with George Knudson to win the prestigious team event. However, early in his career, Al was plagued with muscular problems and had to curtail his golfing activities.
International:
- 1955 Mayfair Open
- 1957 Miami Beach Open
- 1957 West Palm Beach Open
- 1957 Havana Invitational
- 1963 Mexican Open Champion
- 1968 World Cup Championship Winners (with team member George Knudson)
- 1968 Individual Title World Cup Championship
National:
- PGA of Canada Champion: 1955, 1956, 1963, 1970
- Winner of the Millar Trophy: 1952, 1954, 1958, 1961
- PGA of Canada Senior Champion: 2000
Awards:
- 1955 and 1957 Ontario Athlete of the Year
- Inducted to Canada Sports Hall of Fame in 1968
- Inducted to Ontario Golf Hall of Fame in 2000
- Inducted to PGA of Canada Hall of Fame in 2014
Resources:
Photos of Al Balding from our collection.