Buddy Marucci

{{Short description|American amateur golfer (born 1952)}} {{Infobox golfer | name = Buddy Marucci | image = | image_size =  | caption = | fullname = George Edward Marucci Jr | nickname = Buddy | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1952|3|6}} | birth_place = Malvern, Pennsylvania, U.S. | death_date =  | death_place = | height = {{height|ft=5|in=10}} | weight =  | nationality = {{USA}} | residence = Villanova, Pennsylvania, U.S. | spouse = | partner = | children = | college = University of Maryland | status = Amateur | yearpro =  | retired =  | tour =  | extour =  | prowins =  | majorwins =  | masters = CUT: 1996 | usopen = DNP | open = DNP | pga = DNP | wghofid =  | wghofyear =  | award1 =  | year1 =  | award2 = | year2 = | awardssection =  }} '''George Edward''' "'''Buddy'''" '''Marucci Jr''' (born March 6, 1952) is an American businessman and amateur golfer. He has played in more than 50 USGA amateur championships, and is perhaps best known for battling 19-year-old Tiger Woods in the final round of the 1995 U.S. Amateur, losing by two holes and forcing the defending champion to the 36th (and final) hole.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bamberger |first=Michael |title=Woods Again Wins The U.S. Amateur Berwyn's Buddy Marucci Didn't Yield Until The 36th Hole. His Fortitude And Putting Kept Him Close. |url=http://articles.philly.com/1995-08-28/sports/25710575_1_eldrick-tiger-woods-putt-newport-country-club |website=philly.com |date=August 28, 1995 |accessdate=May 29, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150514042940/http://articles.philly.com/1995-08-28/sports/25710575_1_eldrick-tiger-woods-putt-newport-country-club |archive-date=May 14, 2015}}</ref>

Marucci owned four car dealerships in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area in 2006,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.tribdem.com/sports/local_sports/marucci-happy-to-keep-his-amateur-status/article_f86bc96b-153d-54ec-87e0-cfd1be1b9987.html |title=Marucci happy to keep his amateur status |last=Jordan |first=Matt |newspaper=The Tribune-Democrat |date=June 9, 2006 |access-date=2019-04-02 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> including a Mercedes-Benz dealership,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/27/sports/golf-woods-19-to-meet-car-dealer-43-in-final.html |title=Golf; Woods, 19, to Meet Car Dealer, 43, in Final |date=1995-08-27 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=2019-04-02 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> and was the longtime co-owner of a luxury car dealership in West Chester.<ref name=":0" /> His business dealings made him wealthy enough to afford memberships in some of the most famous private golf clubs around the country, including Winged Foot, Seminole, Pine Valley, Caves Valley, and Cypress Point.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/apr/02/donald-trump-golf-28-club-championships |title=Commander in cheat? Donald Trump's 18 golf tournament wins examined |last=Reilly |first=Rick |date=2019-04-02 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=2019-04-02 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

==Amateur career== Born in Malvern, Pennsylvania, the son of a certified public accountant, Marucci attended Haverford High School,<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last=Geoghegan |first=Neil |title=U.S. Open at Merion: For Buddy Marucci, what was once a distant dream is nearly reality |url=http://www.mainlinemedianews.com/articles/2013/06/11/sports/doc51b52e36a5fb0706450549.txt?viewmode=fullstory |publisher=MainLine Media News |date=June 9, 2013 |accessdate=May 29, 2015}}</ref> and was a 3-time PIAA state golf champion. He went to the University of Maryland on a golf scholarship. He is a four-time Pennsylvania Amateur champion (1982, 1983, 1987 and 1991),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pagolf.org/detail.asp?id=102 |publisher=The Pennsylvania Golf Association |title=Amateur Championship – Past Champions |accessdate=May 29, 2015}}</ref> two-time winner of the Philadelphia Amateur, and competed in the 1996 Masters Tournament. Marucci was introduced to the national golf audience in 1995 when he battled 19-year-old Tiger Woods down to the final round of the U.S. Amateur, losing by two holes. Marucci played on the U.S. Walker Cup teams in 1995 and 1997, going 3–0 in foursomes and 1–1–1 in singles, leading the U.S. to victory in 1997.<ref name=evans>{{cite magazine |last=Evans |first=Farrell |title=Questions with ... George 'Buddy' Marucci |url=http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/questions-george-buddy-marucci |date=July 31, 2010 |magazine=Golf Magazine}}</ref> He was the captain for the 2007 and 2009 Walker Cup team victories for the United States. In 2008, Marucci won the U.S. Senior Amateur where he beat George Zahringer in the final, 2 up, at Shady Oaks Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas – his first and only USGA Championship.<ref name=evans/> Marucci has been a longtime member of the Merion Golf Club. In 2013, he was the vice-chairman of the 113th U.S. Open held at the Merion.

Marucci was fully exempt for the U.S. Senior Open with his win at the 2008 U.S. Senior Amateur. He was a quarterfinalist at the 2007 U.S. Senior Amateur, reached the match play portion at the 2006 U.S. Mid-Amateur and was a two-time quarterfinalist at the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur.

== Broadcasting career == In 2017, Marucci joined Fox Sports as a golf analyst, offering his thoughts from the course as well as the studio.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/bios/on-air/buddy-marucci |title=Buddy Marucci – Golf Analyst |work=Fox Sports |accessdate=October 19, 2017}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marucci, Buddy}} Category:American male golfers Category:Amateur golfers Category:Maryland Terrapins men's golfers Category:Golfers from Chester County, Pennsylvania Category:1952 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century American sportsmen