Before Turning 20 years of Age Setting a Record That Would not be Matched until 2013

Ralph J. Guldahl  was born in Dallas November 22, 1911 and graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School.Ralph J. Guldahl  was an American professional golfer, one of the top players in the sport from 1936 to 1940.before turning 20 years of age, setting a record that would not be matched until 2013, when Jordan Spieth won the John 

Deere Classic.at the age of 21, Guldahl went into the last hole of the U.S. Open tied for the lead with Johnny Goodman. Frustrating failures Guldahl quit the sport temporarily in 1935 and became a car salesman. comeback part way through the next PGA Tour season in 1936 and won the prestigious Western Open and finished second on the money list. He won the Western Open in 1937 and 1938 as well.

Guldahl was offered a book contract for a guide to golfing, taking two months to complete Groove Your Golf, a book that used high-speed photographs of Guldahl on each page to create "flip-book" movies. After completing the book in 1939.Two-time PGA champion Paul Runyan commented, "It's the most ridiculous thing, really. Guldahl went from being temporarily the best player in the world to one who couldn't play at all.

An interview with the New York Times in 1979, Guldahl himself offered a different explanation for the fall off in his game. When asked about destroying his talent by practicing in front of a mirror while writing the book, he responded: "Nonsense. No such thing ever happened.

Guldahl was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1981. He died in Sherman Oaks, California, in 1987 at age 75.