Johnny Bulla

John Guthrie Bulla (June 2, 1914 – December 7, 2003) was an American professional golfer.

Johnny Bulla
Bulla, circa 1950
Personal information
Full name	John Guthrie Bulla
Born	(1914-06-02)June 2, 1914 Newell, West Virginia, U.S.
Died	December 7, 2003(2003-12-07) (aged 89) Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Sporting nationality	United States
Career
Status	Professional
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour
Professional wins	8
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	1
Other	7
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament	T2: 1949
PGA Championship	T5: 1948, 1951
U.S. Open	T3: 1941
The Open Championship	2nd/T2: 1939, 1946

Born in Newell, West Virginia, Bulla played on the PGA Tour, winning the 1941 Los Angeles Open, and finished runner-up three times in the majors, including twice to Sam Snead; at the British Open in 1946 and the Masters in 1949. Bulla's greatest moment might have been the British Open in 1939 at St Andrews. In miserable conditions, he drove flawlessly and never missed a fairway. The driver is on display in the Royal & Ancient Golf Club Museum, but his name is missing from the Claret Jug. Bulla finished early that day and was the leader in the clubhouse, which he held until Dick Burton, in the final group, caught him and won with a birdie on the last hole. Although Bulla never won a major, he finished in the top-10 12 times; twice each in the Masters and PGA Championship and four times each at the British Open and U.S. Open.

In January 2000, the Carolinas Golf Reporters Association inducted Bulla into the Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame. He co-founded Arizona Airways,^[1] which became Frontier Airlines in 1950.

Bulla was a private pilot and before World War II, he flew himself to various tournaments.^[2] He was later a commercial pilot with Eastern Airlines,^[3][4] and shortly after the war, Bulla and several other touring pros bought a C-47 cargo plane from the U.S. Army Air Forces to fly themselves and their wives to golf tournaments, with Bulla at the controls.^[5][6]

Bulla was the first to endorse merchandise sold outside the golf pro shop. He won the L.A. Open in 1941 with a discount golf ball, which sold for a quarter at Walgreens.^[7][8]