Jerry McGee (July 21, 1943 – March 31, 2021) was an American
professional golfer who played on the
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...
and the
Champions Tour.
Early life and amateur career
McGee was born in
New Lexington, Ohio. He attended
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
and was a member of the
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...
team.
Professional career
In 1966, McGee turned pro 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
Jerome Kendrick Pate (born September 16, 1953) is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour Champions, formerly on the PGA Tour. As a 22-year-old rookie, he won the U.S. Open in 1976.
Early life
Born in Macon, Georgia, he was one of six ...
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
Squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC), also known as epidermoid carcinoma, comprises a number of different types of cancer that begin in squamous cells. These cells form on the surface of the skin, on the lining of hollow organs in the body, and on the ...
.
Personal life
McGee's son, Mike McGee, a golf agent/businessman, and one-time record-setting pitcher at
Mt. Union College, is married to
LPGA Tour
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly ...
golfer
Annika Sörenstam
Annika Charlotta Sörenstam (; born 9 October 1970) is a Swedish professional golfer regarded as one of the best female golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she had won 96 international p ...
.
McGee died March 29, 2021, in Florida at the age of 77.
Professional wins (5)
PGA Tour wins (4)
PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
Other wins (1)
*1982 Tri-State Open
Results in major championships
''Note: McGee never played in
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...
''
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
DQ = disqualified
U.S. national team appearances
Professional
*
Ryder Cup:
1977
Events January
* January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...
(winners)
See also
*
1966 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcgee, Jerry
American male golfers
Ohio State Buckeyes men's golfers
PGA Tour golfers
PGA Tour Champions golfers
Ryder Cup competitors for the United States
Golfers from Ohio
People from New Lexington, Ohio
People from East Palestine, Ohio
Sportspeople from Columbiana County, Ohio
1943 births
2021 deaths
20th-century American sportsmen