Before joining The Olympic Club in 1943, William D. Higgins (1906-1981) won the San Francisco City Golf Championship in 1940. He won the Club Championship four times: 1945, 1946, 1954 and 1961. In 1953, he was runner-up to a young golf phenom named Ken Venturi.
Higgins, at age 58, captured the 1964 USGA Senior Amateur Championship held at Waverly Country Club in Portland, Oregon, with his 2 &1 victory over Edward Murphy. His 1964 victory joined him with fellow Olympians Ken Venturi (US Open Champion) and Johnny Miller (US Junior Champion) in capturing three USGA titles for the Club in a year—a unique accomplishment in the annals of golf.
He reached the finals of the USGA Senior Amateur Championship in 1963 and, as defending champion in 1965, lost in the semi-finals to Robert B. Kiersky, the eventual champion, on the 22nd hole. He also won the Northern California Senior Golf Low Gross Championships in 1963, 1967 and 1968.
He’s a member of the Northern California Golf Writers Hall of Fame. The Olympic Club’s Senior Golf Association awards the William D. Higgins perpetual trophy to its annual champion.
