April 11, 2008

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Former Purdue golfer Don Albert, the 1954 NCAA individual medalist, passed away Thursday evening.

Albert was a four-time letterwinner at Purdue and served as captain of the 1955 squad. During his career (1952 to 1955), his teams posted a 55-16-1 record in dual matches. Albert helped the Boilermakers to a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships in 1952 and Big Ten team titles in 1953 and 1955.

As an individual, Albert won the 1953 Big Ten individual title and the 1954 NCAA championship. In the NCAA Championship, he shot 136 (69-67) to take medalist honors, breaking Arnold Palmer's NCAA scoring record by one shot and setting what was then a Purdue scoring record for the lowest 36-hole score.

In 1953, as a sophomore, Albert defeated Palmer in the semifinals of the USGA-Am. As a result of his finish, he received an invitation to play in 1953 U.S. Open and The Masters in 1954.

After graduating from Purdue, Albert qualified for the USGA-Am ten times and also tied for the Ohio State Amateur twice, once in match play and once in medal play. During a stint in the military, he garnered All-Marine Tournament and All-Service Branches Tournament championships.

A native of Alliance, Ohio, Albert settled in Columbus, were he was involved with the Columbus District Golf Association (CDGA), winning five CDGA tournaments: the CDGA Open in 1959 and 1964, the District Amateur in 1973, and the District Seniors in 1994 and 1997. He went on to serve the CDGA as a board member and eventually became president of the organization in 1997.

Albert was inducted into the Ohio Golf Hall of Fame in 2003 and was inducted into the Purdue Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007.

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