Cary Middlecoff
| Cary Middlecoff | |
|---|---|
| — Golfer — | |
| 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
|
| Spouse | Edith Buck (m. 1947) |
| Career | |
| College |
University of Mississippi University of Tennessee College of Dentistry |
| Turned professional | 1947 |
| Retired | 1961 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Professional wins | 41 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 40 (10th all time) |
| Other | 1 |
| 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 an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour from 1947 to 1961. His 40 Tour wins place him tenth all-time, and he won three major championships. Middlecoff graduated as a dentist, but gave up his practice at age 26 to become a full-time Tour golfer.
Middlecoff was born in Halls, Tennessee. He graduated from Christian Brothers High School. He played collegiate golf at the University of Mississippi, becoming that school's first golf All-American in 1939. First as an undergraduate, and then as a dental student at the University of Tennessee, Middlecoff won the Tennessee State Amateur Championship for four straight years (1940–1943). After obtaining his DDS degree in 1944, he entered the United States Army Dental Corps during World War II. He won a PGA Tour tournament as an amateur in 1945, and then turned professional in 1947.
During his playing career, Middlecoff won 40 PGA Tour 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.
Middlecoff played on three Ryder Cup teams: 1953, 1955, and 1959 – the U.S. teams won all three times. He was ineligible for the 1957 Ryder Cup because he failed to play in the PGA Championship that year. Middlecoff was disappointed to lose a playoff in the 1957 U.S. Open to Dick Mayer, and played very few events following that event. The U.S. lost the Cup in 1957, for the first time since 1933.
Middlecoff's three best seasons were 1949, 1951 and 1956, as he won six tour titles in each of those years. He won at least one tour tournament in 13 of his 15 seasons, missing only in 1957 and 1960.
...
Wikipedia