Cary Middlecoff
| Cary Middlecoff | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Emmett Cary Middlecoff |
| Nickname | Doc |
| Born | January 6, 1921 Halls, Tennessee |
| Died | September 1, 1998 (aged 77) Memphis, Tennessee |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Career | |
| College | University of Mississippi |
| Turned professional | 1947 |
| Retired | 1961 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Professional wins | 41 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 40 (9th all time) |
| Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 3) |
|
| Masters Tournament | Won: 1955 |
| U.S. Open | Won: 1949, 1956 |
| The Open Championship | 14th: 1957 |
| PGA Championship | 2nd: 1955 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| World Golf Hall of Fame | 1986 (member page) |
| Vardon Trophy | 1956 |
Emmett Cary Middlecoff (January 6, 1921 – September 1, 1998) was a dentist who gave up his practice to become a professional golfer on the PGA Tour in the 1940s.
Middlecoff was born in Halls, Tennessee. He graduated from Christian Brothers High School. He played collegiate golf at the University of Mississippi where he was the school's first golf All-American in 1939. He won the Tennessee State Amateur Championship four straight years (1940–1943). He won a PGA Tour tournament as an amateur in 1945, and then turned professional in 1947.
During his playing career, Middlecoff won 40 professional tournaments, including the 1955 Masters and U.S. Open titles in 1949 and 1956. He won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average in 1956. He played on three Ryder Cup teams: 1953, 1955, and 1959.
During the decade of the 1950s, Middlecoff won 28 Tour titles, more than any other player during that span. A tall player with plenty of power and good accuracy, Middlecoff during his best years was also a superb putter. He was known for often taking excessive time to play his shots. Back problems and struggles with his nerves during competition ended his career in the early 1960s, when he was only in his early 40s.
Middlecoff later developed a reputation as one of the best of the early golf television commentators. He also appeared in two motion pictures as himself (Follow the Sun (1950) and The Bellboy (1960)) and wrote a newspaper column, "The Golf Doctor." He also appeared in a short biographical sports documentary Golf Doctor (1947).
In 1986, Middlecoff was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. He died in Memphis, Tennessee.
Contents |
[edit] Professional wins
[edit] PGA Tour wins (40)
- 1945 (1) North and South Open (as an amateur)
- 1947 (1) Charlotte Open
- 1948 (2) Hawaiian Open, Miami International Four-Ball (with Jim Ferrier)
- 1949 (6) Rio Grande Valley Open, Jacksonville Open, U.S. Open, Motor City Open (co-winner with Lloyd Mangrum), Reading Open, Miami International Four-Ball (with Jim Ferrier)
- 1950 (3) Houston Open, Jacksonville Open, St. Louis Open
- 1951 (6) Lakewood Park Open, Colonial National Invitation, All American Open, Eastern Open, St. Louis Open, Kansas City Open
- 1952 (4) El Paso Open, Motor City Open, St. Paul Open, Kansas City Open
- 1953 (3) Houston Open, Palm Beach Round Robin, Carling Open
- 1954 (1) Motor City Open
- 1955 (6) Bing Crosby Pro-Am Invitational, St. Petersburg Open, Masters Tournament, Western Open, Miller High Life Open, Cavalcade Of Golf
- 1956 (3) Bing Crosby National Pro-Am Golf Championship, Phoenix Open, U.S. Open
- 1958 (1) Miller Open Invitational
- 1959 (1) St. Petersburg Open Invitational
- 1961 (1) Memphis Open Invitational
(missing one win)
Major championships are shown in bold.
Source: (Barkow 1989, pp. 265)
[edit] Other wins
this list is probably incomplete
- 1949 Greenbrier Pro-Am
[edit] Major Championships
[edit] Wins (3)
| Year | Championship | 54 Holes | Winning Score | Margin | Runner(s) up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | U.S. Open | 1 shot lead | +2 (75-67-69-75=286) | 1 stroke |  Clayton Heafner, Sam Snead |
| 1955 | Masters Tournament | 4 shot lead | -9 (72-65-72-70=279) | 7 strokes | Ben Hogan |
| 1956 | U.S. Open | 1 shot lead | +1 (71-70-70-70=281) | 1 stroke | Julius Boros, Ben Hogan |
[edit] Results timeline
| Tournament | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | T12 LA | T29 | 2 | T23 |
| U.S. Open | DNP | CUT | T21 | 1 |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | T7 | T12 | 11 | T27 | T9 | 1 | 3 | CUT | T6 | 2 |
| U.S. Open | T10 | T24 | T24 | WD | T11 | T21 | 1 | 2 | T27 | T19 |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | 14 | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | T5 | T17 | T3 | 2 | DNP | DNP | T20 | T8 |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | CUT | CUT | T29 | CUT | CUT | CUT | WD | CUT | CUT | WD |
| U.S. Open | T43 | CUT | CUT | CUT | DNP | DNP | WD | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | T29 | T11 | T15 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 |
|---|---|---|
| The Masters | CUT | WD |
| U.S. Open | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP |
LA = Low Amateur
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
[edit] See also
[edit] References
Barkow, Al (1989), The History of the PGA TOUR, Doubleday, ISBN 0-385-26145-4
[edit] External links
- World Golf Hall of Fame profile
- Cary Middlecoff at Find a Grave
- Cary Middlecoff at the Internet Movie Database
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