Skip navigation

Venturi expected to recover after heart surgery

Former U.S. Open champ still in hospital after procedure on Friday

Image: Venturi
Ken Venturi was the PGA Player of the Year in 1964.
Roberto Borea / AP
  Golf on NBC
Image: Johnny Miller (left) and Dan Hicks

Next up: Del Webb Father-Son Challenge
Dec. 5-6: 4-6 p.m. ET, 3-6 p.m. ET
Golf on NBC | '09 schedule

Latest golf video
Woods achieves goal of winning
Nov. 15: Tiger Woods says he put together some good rounds to win in Australia.

Special feature
ADT Million Dollar Challenge
Play the game. Get the skills. Win big!
Slideshow
  What were they thinking?
Check out some of golf's wildest on-course outfits

NBCSports.com

Slideshow
Houston Rockets v Los Angeles Lakers, Game 5
  Phil and family
Take a look at photos of Phil Mickelson, his wife Amy and children.

more photos

Slideshow
Tiger Woods,  Elin Woods
  Tiger and family
Tiger Woods is blessed both on and off the golf course.

more photos

Slide show
Image: Ding Jianjun
  Week in Sports Pictures
Pain on the skating rink, flying high on the hardwood, upsets on the football field, and more.

more photos

updated 2:52 p.m. ET Dec. 5, 2006

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. - Former U.S. Open champion Ken Venturi was expected to have a full recovery after undergoing heart surgery last Friday.

Venturi, 76, remained hospitalized Tuesday and a release date wasn’t set.

“He’s under some pain and being medicated,” business manager Ken Terjesen said.

Story continues below ↓
advertisement | your ad here

Venturi complained of chest pains last Thursday at his Rancho Mirage home, business manager Ken Terjesen said Tuesday. Venturi’s wife, Kathleen, then drove her husband to Eisenhower Medical Center.

“They did an angiogram and it indicated there were some problems and they operated Friday morning,” Terjesen said. “It was a five-way bypass and they did some valve repair. The doctors were very pleased with the operation. The prognosis is good.”

The winner of 14 PGA tournaments and longtime golf analyst for CBS-TV turned professional in 1956 and began competing on the PGA Tour, where he won 14 tournaments between 1957 and 1966. In 1964, he was named PGA player of the year after his dramatic U.S. Open win.

He was forced to retire at 33 because of severe carpal tunnel syndrome, but found a new career as a television analyst until retiring in 2002.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Sponsored links