PGA Tour Champions golfers

Steve_Spray

John Stephen Spray (December 16, 1940 – May 15, 2020) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1960s and 1970s.
Spray was born in Des Moines, Iowa and reared in Indianola, Iowa. His first big win as an amateur came in the 1958 Iowa Junior Amateur; the next year he gained national fame by winning the Western Junior. Spray attended the University of Iowa initially, but transferred to Eastern New Mexico University where he spent most of his college career. He won the NAIA Championship in 1962 and 1963 while at Eastern New Mexico.
Spray turned professional in 1964 and began play on the PGA Tour in 1965. The highlight of Spray's career came in 1969 with a win at the San Francisco Open Invitational, the last PGA Tour event held at San Francisco's storied Harding Park. His best finish in a major championship was a T-5 at the 1968 U.S. Open. Spray was hampered by injuries during the last years of his PGA career including tendinitis in his left thumb that forced him to change his grip and back surgery that caused him to miss almost all of 1974.After leaving the PGA Tour, Spray began working as the head pro at St. Louis Country Club in 1976 – a position he held for more than 30 years. In 1984, he was honored as the Gateway Section PGA Player of the Year, and was inducted into the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame in May 2009.Spray died in Chesterfield, Missouri on May 15, 2020.

Fred_Wampler_(golfer)

Frederick L. Wampler (October 17, 1923 – April 27, 1985) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour.
Wampler was born in Bedford, Indiana. He played on the Purdue University golf team from 1948 to 1950. In 1950, he won the NCAA individual championship, was selected as Purdue's first All-American and won the Big Ten individual title for the third consecutive year. Wampler still shares the Big Ten tournament record for lowest individual round with a 64 in the fourth round of the 1950 Big Ten Championships.A veteran of World War II, Wampler served in the United States Navy in the Pacific prior to enrolling at Purdue University.
Wampler's only PGA Tour win came at the 1954 Los Angeles Open. He finished runner-up to Sam Snead in the 1956 Greater Greensboro Open on the second hole of a sudden death playoff. Like most golfers of his generation, he earned his living primarily as a club professional. Starting in 1965, he served 17 years as the head pro at Denver Country Club.On the Senior PGA Tour, Wampler finished runner-up twice in the Senior PGA Championship. In 1975, he lost on the first playoff hole to Charlie Sifford and in 1976, he finished five strokes behind Pete Cooper.
Wampler was inducted into the Indiana Golf Hall of Fame in 1972, the Purdue University Sports Hall of Fame and the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 1997.
Wampler died at the age of 61 after an 18-year battle with chronic leukemia.

Joe_Campbell_(golfer)

Joe E. Campbell (born November 5, 1935) is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the late 1950s and 1960s.
Campbell was born in Anderson, Indiana, where he attended Anderson High School – leading the Indians to IHSAA state titles in 1952 and 1953; winning the individual championships in both years. He attended Purdue University, where he was a member of the golf team as well as a co-captain of the basketball team. He won the 1955 NCAA Championship as Purdue finished 2nd in the team standings, he was also the 1956 and 1957 Big Ten Conference Champion and led Purdue to the 1955 and 1956 Big Ten Team Championships. During his amateur career, he won the Indiana Amateur three times, the Indiana Open twice, and the Sunnehanna Amateur in 1957. His best finish in a major championship, which came during his amateur career, was T-22 at the 1957 U.S. Open. He was also a member of the United States' 1956 Americas Cup and 1957 Walker Cup team, leading the Americans to an 8½–3½ victory over Great Britain.
Campbell turned professional in 1958 and joined the PGA Tour in 1959 and competed for fourteen years. He received Golf Digest's Rookie-of-the-Year award in 1959. His 43 top-10 finishes included three wins, seven runner-up and six third-place finishes; he finished in top-25 103 times. He played on the Senior PGA Tour from 1986–89 and 1995–96, his best finish was a T-24th at the 1987 Bank One Senior Golf Classic.
Campbell made his home in Knoxville, Tennessee after graduating from college in 1957 until 1974. After his days as a tour professional were over, he was the golf professional at Knoxville's Whittle Springs from 1967–1974. In 1974, he became the men's golf team coach at Purdue, leading them to the 1981 Big Ten Championship and 24 Invitational titles, he retired following the 1993 season. Campbell is a member of the Indiana Golf Hall of Fame, inducted in 1969; the Purdue Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame, inducted in 2007.He now lives with his wife, in Lake Wales, Florida.

Tony_Holguin

Tony Holguin (October 18, 1926 – May 14, 2009) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour.
Holguin learned the game of golf while growing up in San Antonio, Texas during the Great Depression. His family, which was of Mexican descent, had no money and could not afford an automobile. He spent much time at home, practicing his putting.
Holguin served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He won the San Antonio City Championship in 1946 and 1947. He turned professional in 1948.Holguin won the Mexican Open in 1949 and 1950. His best finish in a major championship was T17 at PGA Championship in 1957. The biggest win of his career came in 1953 at the Texas Open. In 1957, Holguin tied Arnold Palmer for third place in the Texas Open. His majors resume consists of three Masters, six U.S. Opens and eight PGA Championships.
At the opening round of the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am in January 1954, Holguin set the course record of 63 at the Monterey Peninsula Country Club, now known as its Dunes Course.Like most professional golfers of his generation, Holguin earned a living primarily as a club professional. He became club pro at Midlothian (Illinois) Country Club in 1952. He also worked at Gleneagles Country Club in Lemont, Illinois and Balmoral Woods Country Club in Crete, Illinois. In 2007, he was inducted into the Illinois Section PGA Hall of Fame.Holguin was the spokesman for Fairwinds, a failed development that included a Holiday Inn and future golf course. He also was to be the teaching professional at Fairwinds. A golf course was built after the development failed, which became Balmoral Woods CC.

Joe_Jimenez

Joe Jimenez (June 10, 1926 – August 11, 2007) was an American professional golfer, best known for winning the 1978 PGA Seniors' Championship.
Jimenez, who was of Mexican American descent, was born in Kerrville, Texas. He was a 1952 graduate of Trinity University with majors in biology and physical education. Jimenez played on the PGA Tour in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. He spent many years (1964–1991) as the club pro at the Jefferson City Country Club in Jefferson City, Missouri. His best showing in a major championship was a T-45 at the 1958 U.S. Open. The highlight of his career came when he won the 1978 PGA Seniors' Championship in a playoff over Manuel de la Torre and Joe Cheves with a birdie on the first extra hole of a sudden-death playoff.
Jimenez holds or formerly held two of golf's "shoot below your age" records. At the 1991 GTE Northwest Classic, a Senior PGA Tour event, 65-year-old Jimenez became the youngest player to shoot his age or lower in a tournament on one of golf's major professional circuits by shooting a 63. This record was later broken when 61-year-old Walter Morgan shot a 60 in the AT&T Canada Senior Open Championship. Jimenez still holds the most-strokes-below-age (7) record. He shot a 62 during the 1995 Ameritech Senior Open at the age of 69.Since 1974, the Jefferson City Country Club has hosted a tournament in his honor, the Joe Jimenez Invitational He holds several Georgia-Pacific Grand Champions records.
Jiminez died at his home in San Antonio, Texas from renal failure brought on by lung cancer. He was 81 years old.

Jimmy_Powell_(golfer)

Jimmy Powell (January 17, 1935 – January 16, 2021) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1960s and 1970s, but whose greatest success came on the Senior PGA Tour in the early to mid-1990s.
Powell was born in Dallas, Texas. He graduated from Dallas' Sunset High School and attended North Texas State University. He turned pro in 1959. He was the golf pro at Stevens Park Golf Course in Dallas during the 1980s.
Powell had limited success during the regular phase of his career, but won several official and unofficial events as a senior. In 1995, Powell became the first player to ever win both the Super Seniors competition and the Senior PGA Tour event at the same tournament. He accomplished this at the 1995 First of America Classic. He holds or shares several other Champions Tour records.
Powell lived much of his adult life in La Quinta, California. He was involved in a golf course design business with Harold Heers; the courses they have designed are mainly in the western United States.

Jerry_McGee

Jerry McGee (July 21, 1943 – March 29, 2021) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.
McGee was born in New Lexington, Ohio. He attended Ohio State University and was a member of the golf team. He turned pro in 1966 and joined the PGA Tour in 1967.
McGee won four PGA Tour events in the latter half of the 1970s. In 1979, he won twice: a one shot win over Jerry Pate at the Kemper Open, and a couple of months later a one stroke win over Jack Renner at the Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open. His best finish in a major championship was T-5 at the 1972 Masters Tournament. He was a member of the 1977 Ryder Cup team.
McGee was known for his superb play around the greens. At 5 feet 9½ inches tall and a slim 160 pounds, distance in the ball striking phase of the game was a constant problem for him. He was also plagued by injuries and illnesses during his career. McGee retired from the PGA Tour in 1981 largely due to health problems. He took a club pro job at Oak Tree Country Club in Pennsylvania just across the border from his East Palestine, Ohio home.
McGee returned to competitive golf on the Senior PGA Tour in 1993 upon reaching the age of 50. His best finish in this venue is a T-2 at the 1997 BankBoston Classic. In 1999, he underwent treatment for oropharyngeal, squamous cell carcinoma.
McGee's son, Mike McGee, a golf agent/businessman, and one-time record-setting pitcher at Mt. Union College, is married to LPGA Tour golfer Annika Sörenstam.McGee died March 29, 2021, in Florida at the age of 77.