THE 1961 RYDER CUP AMERICAN TEAM - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED PHOTOGRAPH CO-SIGNED BY: DOW FINSTERWALD, MIKE SOUCHAK, JERRY BARBER, JAY (JUNIUS) HEBERT, BILL COLLINS, GENE LITTLER, ART WALL JR., BILLY CASPER, DOUG FORD, ARNOLD PALMER - HFSID 171164

THE 1961 RYDER CUP AMERICAN TEAM
Ten golfers sign a black and white publicity photograph of the 1961 Ryder Cup American Team.
Photograph signed: "Jerry Barber," "Jay Hebert," "Arnold Palmer," "Bill Collins," "Dow Finsterwald," "Art Wall," "Billy Casper," "Gene Littler," "Mike Souchak," and "Doug Ford." B/w, 10x8 overall, image 9½x6. The 1961 Ryder Cup American Team.  JERRY BARBER (1916-1994) won 7 PGA tournaments (1953-1963), including a come-from-behind victory in the 1961 PGA Championship. In 1994 he competed in the Buick Invitational, becoming at 77 the oldest competitor in a PGA event. He was captain of the US Ryder Cup Team in 1961. BILLY CASPER JR. (b. 1931) who joined the PGA Tour in 1955, had 51 tournament wins, including the U.S. Open (1959, 1966) and the Masters (1970), and was named PGA Player of the Year in 1966 and 1970. After joining the Senior Tour in 1982, Casper won nine tournaments, including the U.S. Senior Open (1983) and the Senior Players Championship (1988). Known for his excellent putting skills, Casper also won the Canadian Open (1967) and was on the U.S. Ryder Cup team eight times (he was non-playing team captain in 1979). Inducted in the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1978 and the PGA Hall of Fame in 1982, Casper is now involved with the design and management of golf courses across the U.S. BILL COLLINS (1928-2006) played on the PGA Tour throughout the 1950's and 1960's and also the Senior PGA Tour in the 1980's. With seven professional wins, Collins joined the triumphant 1961 Ryder Cup team. In 1963, he was obligated to quit the tour due to a back injury. In his first full season of the Senior Tour, the golfer won the Greater Syracuse Senior's Pro Golf Classic. DOW FINSTERWALD (1929-2022) won 12 PGA tour events (1955-1963), including the PGA (1958). He was one of the tour's three top money winners between 1956 and 1960. Finsterwald made the Ryder Cup teams of 1957-1959-1961-1963 and captained the 1977 Ryder Cup team. He served as PGA Vice President from 1976-1978 and served on the USGA Rules of Golf Committee, 1979-1981. DOUG FORD (1922-2018), born in West Haven, Connecticut, won the 1957 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, as well as 19 other PGA Tour tournaments. Ford, who published a book, Getting Started in Golf, in 1964, was inducted into the PGA Hall of Fame in 1975. JAY HEBERT (1923-1997) had seven wins on the PGA Tour, most notably, his win at the 1960 PGA Championship. Captain of the 1971 Ryder Cup Team, Hebert was awarded with a Purple Heart medal during his time serving as Captain in the Marines at the Battle of Iwo Jima. He was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the Texas Golf Hall of Fame in 1982. GENE LITTLER (1930-2019) won 29 PGA Tour events between 1954 and 1977, including the U.S. Open in 1961. He won eight more events since joining the senior tour in 1981. Littler was nicknamed "the machine" for the smooth tempo of his golf swing and his calm temperament. ARNOLD PALMER (1929-2016) the first to capture four Masters titles (1958, 1960, 1962, 1964), also competed in 19 international tours, winning the British Open in 1961 and 1962. He has had 60 wins on the PGA Tour and 10 more on the Senior Tour; and made 48 consecutive Masters starts. Palmer was the first golfer to earn more than $1,000,000 in PGA tournament money. He is credited with popularizing professional golf during the late 1950s and 1960s. His large and enthusiastic following of fans became known as "Arnie's Army". MIKE SOUCHAK (1927-2008) won 15 PGA Tour events between 1955 and 1964, including 4 wins in 1956 and 3 in 1959. At the Texas Open in 1955, he scored an 18-hole 60, the lowest score on the Tour until Al Geiberger's 59 in 1977. He played on the Senior Tour from 1980 to 1990. ART WALL JR. (1923-2001) won 14 titles on the PGA Tour, including four in 1959. That year he was named the PGA Player of the Year and was awarded the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average. He is best remembered for his 1959 Masters Tournament Championship win when he birdied 5 of his last 6 holes in the final round, shooting a 66 over Cary Middlecoff and Arnold Palmer. He is also the previous world record holder for most holes-in-one with 45. Lightly toned. Fine condition.