Cerrudo Overcomes Weather to Win In San Antonio

Cerrudo defeats his old friend and fellow Californian, Dick Lotz, to capture second PGA title

Mar 31, 2022

The PGA TOUR is in San Antonio for the Valero Texas Open. This tournament is the sixth oldest professional tournament in the world, the third oldest on the PGA TOUR and the longest held in one city. We’re going to backspin to 1970 when it was known as the San Antonio Open and occupied a February spot on the schedule that resulted in some brutal weather.

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Californians Ron Cerrudo and Dick Lotz Battle For San Antonio Title

Photo: Haggin Oaks

It’s early morning on February 20th, 1970, and the players with early tee times in the San Antonio Open were met with temperatures in the low 40s and wind gusts up to 36 mph. This was in stark contrast to the weather in Tucson, Arizona, the site of the PGA TOUR’s stop the week before.

The San Antonio Open, one of the iterations of the many names associated to the Texas Open, was held in late April or early May for much of the 1960s (the tournament wasn’t played in 1968 because the U.S. Open was held in San Antonio). In 1970, the tournament moved to February, a spot on the schedule it occupied during the 1950s. The PGA TOUR schedule was designed in the 1950s, and the era before, to accommodate travel by car. The tour started in California, then moved to Arizona, Texas and finally to Florida before ending up in Augusta for the Masters.

The move to February in 1970 resulted in some of the biggest names on tour skipping the week. Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Billy Casper, and Gary Player all chose to take the week off. However, Lee Trevino, the winner in Tucson the week before, and Orville Moody, the 1969 U.S. Open champion, were in the field.

The weather did not improve for the entire week in San Antonio. Despite the frigid temperatures and wind, it was a couple of Northern California players who fought it out down the stretch for the title. Let’s backspin to see how the week played out.

Rod Funseth, who grew up in Spokane, Washington, found himself atop the leader board after Thursday’s opening round. The notoriously negative thinking Funseth couldn’t believe that he had shot the best score in round one. In fact, he led by three strokes.

“I just can’t believe it,” Funseth said when informed he had the lead. “I didn’t even know I was even close to the lead until I came in. You sure there aren’t some better scores out there?”

There weren’t. Funseth’s only win so far in his career was the 1965 Phoenix Open. Funseth’s first round 67 was three strokes ahead of Mike Hill and John Schlee and a group of seven players, including Frank Beard, Kermit Zarley and Ron Cerrudo were bunched at 71.

Lee Trevino shot a 75 while Orville Moody shot a 76.

“I played pretty bad,” Trevino explained to reporters after his round. “It’s just too cold. I can’t play in the cold. I can’t wear a lot of clothes, they bind me, and I can’t swing, and when I don’t wear enough clothes, I get cold.”

Friday’s weather was just as bad, if not worse, than the weather in the opening round. Intermittent showers and occasional sleet, along with cold temperatures made worse by a chilling wind, plagued the round. Officials used towels to brush away the sleet from the putting surfaces. The weather, in addition to the absence of big-name players, combined to keep the galleries away. Those that stayed away missed a course record matching score of 65 from Ron Cerrudo, a pro from Northern California.

Cerrudo, who had a share of the lead in two tournaments on the 1970 schedule before fading down the stretch, was able to put together a stellar round with five birdies and no bogeys. A par saving 18-foot putt on the fourth hole provided the spark that helped him match the course record. He went on to make a birdie on the next hole, added another at the 13th and finished with another on the 18th. He opened his round with a birdie on the first.

Rod Funseth was one stroke back, with John Schlee and Kermit Zarley another stroke back. Dick Lotz sat well down the leader board after rounds of 77-68.

In Saturday’s third round, Cerrudo scrambled to a round of 69 and stretched his lead to four. He looked like he was going to run away with the tournament before he stumbled coming down the home stretch. He bogeyed the 16th from a bunker and then put his second shot into the gallery at the 17th. Cerrudo pounded his club down in frustration. He gathered himself, made a good chip, and salvaged par.

Funseth double bogeyed the first hole but was able to hold on to second place. Lou Graham was in third place, tied with Dick Lotz, another pro from Northern California, who matched Cerrudo’s course record tying score of 65.

Cerrudo and Lotz were good friends and they put on a good show in the final round. The weather continued to be lousy with a cold drizzle falling. Cerrudo was extremely nervous and quickly ran into trouble in the final round. He bogeyed the second hole after missing the fairway and missing a three-foot putt. Lotz then put on a rush with birdies on the next three holes pulling with a stroke of Cerrudo.

“I felt more comfortable when he got close,” Cerrudo said. “I thought that I’d have to start playing golf now and quit patty-caking it around.”

Cerrudo felt the 12th hole was the key to the final round. “Dick almost holed out,” he told reporters. “He was two inches from the pin. I was over the green. But I chipped in for birdie from about 25-feet. That was the key. That kept me going.” Cerrudo finally put it away, shooting a 68, the same score that Lotz shot, to win by five.

For Cerrudo, it was as much a victory over the elements as it was a victory over his fellow competitors. Two Northern Californians were able to prevail over the cold and wind to finish first and second.

Ron Cerrudo kisses check at the San Antonio Open 1970 (photo: UPI Telephoto)

Check out the bonus fact below for more on the Cerrudo and Lutz connections.

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Tour Backspin Quiz | 1970 PGA TOUR Trivia

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Bonus Story

For Ron Cerrudo, winning the 1970 San Antonio Open over his friend Dick Lotz, was a revenge win. Lotz had defeated Cerrudo in the 1961 California Amateur at Pebble Beach.

“I finally caught up with him,” Cerrudo laughed after capturing the $20,000 first prize in San Antonio. “It’s the first time we have played head-to-head since he beat me in the finals of that 1961 state amateur at Pebble Beach.” Cerrudo had beaten Dick’s brother, John, in the semifinals before losing in the final match.

Both Dick and John were “Bateman Boys” having been tutored by the legendary Lucius Bateman in Oakland, California. Bateman, an African American who was barred from joining the PGA of America or playing on tour due to the Caucasian clause of the PGA by-laws, also instructed Tony Lema. You can learn more about Lucius Batemand HERE and HERE.