George Archer, 65; One of the PGA’s Top Putters Won the 1969 Masters

George Archer, a former caddie with a basketball player’s height who was one of the best putters in PGA history and winner of the 1969 Masters, has died. He was 65.

Archer died Sunday at his home in Incline Village, Nev., after battling Burkitt’s lymphoma, said his wife, Donna.

He was diagnosed with the rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in August 2004.

The 6-foot-5 1/2 -inch San Francisco native turned pro in 1964 and won 12 times on the PGA Tour. He experienced even greater success on the Champions Tour -- for golfers 50 and older -- capturing 19 titles.

“You’d think winning the Masters was the highlight of my career, but it wasn’t,” Archer told The Times in 1989.

“My biggest thrill was my first win, the Lucky International, because it was close to where I grew up in San Francisco. That was in ’65.”

Playing in his third Masters in 1969, the 29-year-old Archer won by one stroke with an even-par 72. He made key putts to hold off Billy Casper, George Knudson and Tom Weiskopf.

When the new champion tried on the green jacket traditionally given to the tournament winner, he quipped, “I’m surprised they have one my size.” (He wore a 42 extra long.)

Over a 40-year career, Archer won more than $10 million, playing in 999 tournaments on the regular and senior tours.

His daughter Elizabeth became the Masters’ first female caddie when she carried her father’s bag during the 1983 tournament, the first year players could bring their own caddies.

Between 1973 and 1980, Archer was seldom fit and underwent surgery on his back and left wrist. He was also hampered by shoulder and hip injuries and played his last Masters in 1992.

In 1980, at the Sea Pines Heritage Classic, Archer set the PGA Tour record for fewest putts (95) in a four-round tournament. The mark was broken by Bob Tway in 1986.

George William Archer was born Oct. 1, 1939. When he was 13, he started caddying at the Peninsula Country Club near San Francisco.

He acknowledged that being tall was a handicap in golf “because the hole is down in the ground, not up in the air. My father always told me, ‘You ought to play basketball, where the hole is way up there.’ ”

At San Mateo High School, Archer tried basketball but was kicked off the team because he skipped practice every Monday to play golf. As a teenager, he sometimes practiced putting until 3 a.m. at Lincoln Park in San Francisco.

Early in his golf career, Archer lived on a Hereford breeding ranch owned by his close friend Eugene Selvage, who sponsored him when he turned pro. In the morning, Archer’s chores might include cleaning stalls or painting fences. Afternoons were reserved for golf.

Archer and his wife would have celebrated their 44th anniversary Friday.

In addition to Donna and daughter Elizabeth, Archer is survived by another daughter, Marilyn.

A memorial service is planned for Oct. 25 in Gilroy, Calif.