Felice Torza

{{Short description|American professional golfer (1920–1983}} {{use mdy dates|date=May 2023}} {{Infobox golfer | name = Felice Torza | image = Felice Torza 1953 (cropped).jpg | image_size = 180px | caption = Torza, circa 1953 | fullname = Felice Joseph Torza | nickname = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1920|3|15}} | birth_place = Naples, Italy | death_date = {{Death date and age|1983|12|23|1920|3|15}} | death_place = | height =  | weight =  | nationality = {{USA}} | spouse = | partner = | children = | college = | status = Professional | yearpro =  | retired =  | extour = PGA Tour | prowins = 5 | otherwins =  | majorwins =  | masters = T29: 1953 | usopen = T24: 1952 | open = DNP | pga = 2nd: 1953 | wghofid =  | wghofyear =  | award1 =  | year1 =  | award2 = | year2 = | awardssection =  }} '''Felice Joseph Torza''' (March 15, 1920 – December 23, 1983) was an American professional golfer. He played primarily in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.

==Early life== Torza was born in Naples, Italy, on March 15, 1920.<ref>{{cite web | title=Connecticut connections to the PGA Championship |publisher=CT Golfer |last=Burrill |first=Jack |date=10 August 1996 |url=http://www.ctgolfer.com/news/library/1996/news0810.html |access-date=14 September 2007}}</ref>

== Professional career == Like most of the golfers of his generation, he earned his living primarily as a club professional during his regular career years. Torza worked as the head club pro at the Aurora Country Club in Aurora, Illinois for 28 years.<ref name="Auroracchx">{{cite web |title=A History of the Aurora Country Club |url=http://www.auroracc.com/history_note.htm |access-date=14 September 2007 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070913140506/http://www.auroracc.com/history_note.htm |archive-date=13 September 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=President's news from Aurora Country Club |url=http://www.auroracc.com/presnews.htm |access-date=14 September 2007}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>

Torza was the runner-up in the 1953 PGA Championship. He was defeated, 2 and 1, in the final by Walter Burkemo, in the match play era.<ref>{{cite magazine |title= '''Time''' ''Scoreboard'' |magazine=Time |date=20 July 1953 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,889825,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081222111729/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,889825,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 22, 2008 |access-date=14 September 2007}}</ref>

Torza was nicknamed ''Toy Tiger''<ref>{{cite web |title=Fenton Farms Evolves From Its Colorful Past |publisher=Michigan Golfer |last=Harrington |first=Jeff |url=http://www.webgolfer.com/july99/fentonfarms.html |access-date=14 September 2007}}</ref> by his fellow golfers due to his fiercely competitive nature and diminutive stature.

==Death== Torza died on December 23, 1983.

==Honors and awards== * In 1965, he was inducted into the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame.<ref>[http://www.csgalinks.org/hof/inductee.htm CT Golf Hall of Fame Members] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081227051733/http://www.csgalinks.org/hof/inductee.htm|date=December 27, 2008}}</ref> * In 1968, he was awarded the Illinois PGA Professional of the Year award.<ref name="Auroracchx" />

==Professional wins (5)== *1946 Connecticut Open *1947 Rhode Island Open *1950 Illinois Open Championship *1958 Illinois Open Championship *1965 Illinois Match Play Championship

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Torza, Felice}} Category:American male golfers Category:PGA Tour golfers Category:Golfers from Connecticut Category:Italian emigrants to the United States Category:Sportspeople from Hartford, Connecticut Category:1920 births Category:1983 deaths Category:20th-century American sportsmen