James Lawrence Wiechers (August 7, 1944 – October 15, 2018) was 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 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 ...

in the 1960s and 1970s.

Early life

Wiechers was born in

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

. He won the 1962 U.S. Junior Amateur while in high school.

Amateur career

He then attended

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private university, private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university' ...

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, winning first-team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n honors in 1965. He collected many honors during his amateur career including ''

Golf Digest ''Golf Digest'' is a monthly golf magazine published by Warner Bros. Discovery through its TNT Sports unit. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. The magazine started by John F. ...

s Number One U.S. Amateur award in 1966.

Professional career

Wiechers turned professional and joined the PGA Tour in 1966. He played on the PGA Tour from 1966 to 1979. His best years were in the late 1960s through the mid-1970s when he finished on the top-60 money list five times. He won one PGA Tour event during his career: the 1969 West End Classic. After leaving the tour, Wiechers first began working in California's

Napa Valley Napa Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Napa County, California. The area was established by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) on February 27, 1981, after a 1978 petition submitted by the Napa Valley Vin ...

wine industry in the 1980s. Then he returned to golf in the 1990s, first as head instructor at McCaffrey's Golf School in San Francisco, then as a teaching pro at Chardonnay Golf Club for 19 years, and finally at Eagle Vines Golf Club. He also coached the men's and women's golf teams at

Napa Valley College Napa Valley College, formerly Napa Junior College and Napa Community College, is a public community college in Napa, California. The tree-lined main campus is on overlooking the Napa River and includes a performing arts center, a child develop ...

Death

Wiechers died on October 15, 2018, at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in

Napa, California Napa is the largest city and county seat of Napa County, California, Napa County and a principal city of Wine Country in Northern California, United States. Located in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the Bay Area, th ...

following a four-month-long illness.

Amateur wins

*1962 U.S. Junior Amateur *1964

Western Junior The Western Junior is the oldest national junior golf tournament in the United States. It was founded in 1914 and is organized by the Western Golf Association. It is played at a different course each year, primarily in the Midwestern United States ...

*1966

Western Amateur The Western Amateur is a leading annual golf tournament in the United States for male amateur golfers. It is organized by the Western Golf Association. The Western Amateur features an international field of top-ranked amateur golfers. It was firs ...

Trans-Mississippi Amateur The Trans-Mississippi Amateur or Trans-Miss Amateur is an annual amateur golf tournament. It is organized by the Trans-Mississippi Golf Association and was first played in 1901. It is played at a different course each year that is located near or w ...

Professional wins (1)

PGA Tour wins (1)

PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wiechers, Jim American male golfers Santa Clara Broncos men's golfers PGA Tour golfers College golf coaches in the United States Golfers from California Napa Valley College Sportspeople from Oakland, California Sportspeople from Atherton, California Sportspeople from Napa, California 1944 births 2018 deaths 20th-century American sportsmen