Long-shot U.S. Open champion Orville Moody dies

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLA.–Orville Moody, the U.S. Army veteran who won the 1969 U.S. Open for his only PGA Tour title, died yesterday. He was 74. Moody, a part Choctaw Indian from Chickasha, Okla., died in Texas of complications from myeloma, the PGA Tour said. Called "Sarge" for his 14 years in the service, he was the last player to win the U.S. Open by going through local and sectional qualifying. Moody shot a 72 in the final round at Champions Golf Club in Houston for a one-shot victory over Deane Beman, Al Geiberger and Bob Rosburg. "We are all going to miss Sarge, who was a patriot first and a professional golfer second," PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said. "He embodied a bit of golf's everyman whom we all could identify with.'' Moody, a five-time runner-up on the PGA Tour, won tournaments in Hong Kong, Morocco and... [read full story]