Jim Laver Carter (born June 24, 1961) is an American

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

who plays on the

Champions Tour PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and the Champions Tour) is a men's professional senior golf tour, open to golfers age 50 and over, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour. History and format The Senior PGA Championship, f ...

. He has also 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

Nationwide Tour The Korn Ferry Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either not yet reached the PGA Tour, or who have done so but then failed to win enough FedEx Cup points to stay at that level. ...

Early life and amateur career

Carter was born in

Spring Lake, North Carolina Spring Lake is a town in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. The 2010 census recorded the population at 11,964 people, with an estimated population in 2019 of 12,005. History The current name of the town first appeared around 1 ...

. As a high school senior, he led Mesa High's boys golf team to an Arizona state championship in 1979. Carter attended

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

in Tempe and was a distinguished member of the golf team – a two-time first-team All-American and an All-Pac-10 conference selection, as well as the 1983 NCAA Champion (Arizona State University's first individual champion in men's golf). He also represented the U.S. Collegians at the USA vs. Japan Matches at Pebble Beach and was named Ambassador. He won the 1981 and 1984 Arizona State Amateur Championship, and the 1983 and 1984 Southwest Amateur Championship. He was three times named Arizona's amateur golfer of the year. He was honored with the Arizona State University Athlete of the Year award in 1984. He was also awarded the conference PAC-10 Medal, the highest honor a student athlete can receive. In 1984, Carter earned a

Business degree A business school is a higher education institution or professional school that teaches courses leading to degrees in business administration or management. A business school may also be referred to as school of management, management school, s ...

from

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is one of the largest ...

Professional career

In 1985, Carter turned pro. In contrast to his college career, Carter's level of success as a tour professional has been very modest. He won once on the

in 1994, and once on the

in 2000. Qualifying for the PGA Tour has been a constant struggle; however, he managed to qualify for the elite tour in 15 of the 19 years between 1987 and 2005. His best finish in a major championship was T-24 at the 2002 U.S. Open. In 2011, Carter played in

The Senior Open Championship The Senior Open Championship, or simply The Senior Open (and originally known as the Senior British Open), is a professional golf tournament for players aged 50 and over. It is jointly owned and run by The R&A, the same body that organises The O ...

(missed cut) and U.S. Senior Open (finished tied for 50th), his first two career Champions Tour events. He finished 6th at the 2011 Champions Tour Q School, just missing out on earning a Champions Tour card, but earned automatic entry as Q School medalist Jeff Freeman did not turn 50 until April 2012.

Personal life

Carter is a resident of

Scottsdale, Arizona Scottsdale is a city in eastern Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and is part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Named Scottsdale in 1894 after its founder Winfield Scott (chaplain), Winfield Scott, a retired Chaplain Corps (United States ...

Awards and honors

* In 1984, he earned the Arizona State University Athlete of the Year award * In 1995, he was inducted into the Arizona State University Athletic Hall of Fame * In 2007 he was inducted into the Mesa City Sports Hall of Fame

Amateur wins

*1979 Arizona state high school ( Mesa High) team championship, Mesa City Amateur *1981 Arizona State Amateur *1983 Southwestern Amateur, NCAA Championship *1984 Arizona State Amateur, Southwestern Amateur

Professional wins (12)

PGA Tour wins (1)

Nike Tour wins (1)

Nike Tour playoff record (0–2)

Other wins (10)

*1986 Kingman Open *1987 Scottsdale Healthcare Classic *1989 Arizona Open *1992 Wigwam Classic *1996 Arizona Open *2004 Tommy Bahama Desert Marlin *2013 Arizona Senior Open *2014 Arizona Senior Open *2020 Arizona Senior Open, Lone Star NGL Texas Senior Open

Results in major championships

CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" = tied
''Note: Carter never played in the

Masters Tournament The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply the Masters, or as the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four men's major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week in April, the Masters is the ...

.''

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Jim American male golfers Arizona State Sun Devils men's golfers PGA Tour golfers PGA Tour Champions golfers Korn Ferry Tour graduates Golfers from North Carolina Mesa High School alumni People from Spring Lake, North Carolina Golfers from Scottsdale, Arizona 1961 births Living people 20th-century American sportsmen