Cary Middlecoff
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Emmett Cary Middlecoff (January 6, 1921 – September 1, 1998) was a dentist from Memphis, Tennessee who gave up his practice to join what is now the PGA Tour in the 1940s. At the time, a career as a dentist would quite likely have been more lucrative.
During his playing career he won 40 professional tournaments, including the 1955 Masters and U.S. Open titles in 1949 and 1956 and later developed a reputation as one of the best of the early golf television commentators. He won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average in 1956. He played on three Ryder Cup teams: 1953, 1955, and 1959. In 1986, he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
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).
Middlecoff was born in Halls, Tennessee and died in Memphis, Tennessee.
[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 (tie with Lloyd Mangrum), Reading Open, Miami 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, The Masters, 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.
[edit] Results in major championships
| 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
