Ben Arda (13 June 1929 – 20 December 2006) was a Filipino professional golfer.
Professional career Arda, known as Bantam Ben and the Toy Tiger because of his small stature, was one of Asia's leading golfers during the 1960s and 1970s. He was the first Filipino to qualify for the Masters Tournament and The Open Championship. He won nine tournaments on the Asia Golf Circuit, including the Philippine Open three times, and headed the points list in 1970. He also won four times on the Japan Golf Tour and played in the World Cup 16 times, recording a best finish of 2nd place in 1977 with playing partner Rudy Lavares.
Professional wins (15) PGA of Japan Tour wins (4) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-up127 May 1973Dunlop Tournament−8 (71-69-70-70=280)4 strokes Masashi Ozaki230 Sep 1973Japan Open Golf Championship−11 (68-74-69-66=277)2 strokes Isao Aoki325 Apr 1976Sobu International Open1−11 (69-68-70-70=277)4 strokes Chen Chien-chung424 Apr 1977Dunlop International Open1 (2)−6 (72-71-67-72=282)2 strokes Terry Kendall, Tsuneyuki Nakajima 1Co-sanctioned by the Asia Golf Circuit
Asia Golf Circuit wins (8) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-up117 Feb 1963Philippine Open +1 (71-74-74-70=289)3 strokes Teruo Sugihara25 Mar 1967Singapore Open−2 (70-69-71-72=282)Playoff Hideyo Sugimoto38 Mar 1970Malaysian Open−15 (69-68-68-68=273)1 stroke Tim Woolbank411 Mar 1973Singapore Open (2)E (71-68-72-73=284)Playoff Norman Wood517 Mar 1974Indonesia Open−5 (73-71-70-69=283)Playoff Hsu Chi-san, Graham Marsh67 Mar 1976Thailand Open−18 (66-70-65-69=270)4 strokes Sukree Onsham725 Apr 1976Sobu International Open1−11 (69-68-70-70=277)4 strokes Chen Chien-chung824 Apr 1977Dunlop International Open1 (2)−6 (72-71-67-72=282)2 strokes Terry Kendall, Tsuneyuki Nakajima 1Co-sanctioned by the PGA of Japan Tour
Asia Golf Circuit playoff record (3–1) No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result11967Singapore Open Hideyo SugimotoWon with par on second extra hole21973Singapore Open Norman WoodWon with par on third extra hole31974Indonesia Open Hsu Chi-san, Graham MarshWon with par on sixth extra holeHsu eliminated by par on first hole41975Taiwan Open Hsieh Min-Nan, Kuo Chie-HsiungKuo won with birdie on fourth extra hole
Other wins (5) This list may be incomplete 1961 Philippine Open 1969 Indian Open 1976 Philippine Masters 1977 Philippine Masters 1979 Philippine Open
Results in major championships Tournament19621963196419651966196719681969197019711972Masters TournamentCUTThe Open ChampionshipCUT
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1972 Open Championship) Note: Arda never played in the U.S. Open or the PGA Championship.
Team appearances This list is incomplete World Cup (representing the Philippines): 1956, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1977
References
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