Joe Jimenez (June 10, 1926 – August 11, 2007) 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 ...

, best known for winning the 1978

PGA Seniors' Championship The Senior PGA Championship, established in 1937, is the oldest of the five major championships in men's senior golf. It is administered by the Professional Golfers' Association of America and is recognized as a major championship by both PGA ...

Early life and education

Jimenez, who was of Mexican American descent, was born in

Kerrville, Texas Kerrville is a city in Texas, and the county seat of Kerr County, Texas, United States. The population of Kerrville was 24,278 at the 2020 census. Kerrville is named after James Kerr, a major in the Texas Revolution, and friend of settler-fo ...

. He was a 1952 graduate of Trinity University with majors in biology and physical education.

Career

Jimenez played on the PGA Tour in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. He spent many years (1964–1991) as the club pro at the Jefferson City Country Club in

Jefferson City, Missouri Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Missouri. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 United States census, ranking as the List of cities in Missouri, 16th most popu ...

. His best showing in a major championship was a T-45 at the 1958 U.S. Open. The highlight of his career came when he won the 1978

in a playoff over Manuel de la Torre and Joe Cheves with a birdie on the first extra hole of a sudden-death playoff. Jimenez holds or formerly held two of golf's "shoot below your age" records. At the 1991 GTE Northwest Classic, a

Senior PGA 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 ...

event, 65-year-old Jimenez became the youngest player to shoot his age or lower in a tournament on one of golf's major professional circuits by shooting a 63. This record was later broken when 61-year-old Walter Morgan shot a 60 in the

AT&T Canada Senior Open Championship The AT&T Canada Senior Open Championship was a professional golf tournament in Canada on the Senior PGA Tour, now the PGA Tour Champions. Held from 1981 to 1985 and 1996 to 2002, it was played at a different course each year. The purse for the 2002 ...

. Jimenez still holds the most-strokes-below-age (7) record. He shot a 62 during the 1995 Ameritech Senior Open at the age of 69. Since 1974, the Jefferson City Country Club has hosted a tournament in his honor, the ''Joe Jimenez Invitational''. He holds several Georgia-Pacific Grand Champions records.

Death

Jiminez died at his home in

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

from

renal failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...

brought on by

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

. He was 81 years old.

Tournament wins

''this list is incomplete'' * Midwest PGA Championship – year unknown * Gateway PGA Championship – twice * South Central PGA Championship – once * Missouri Open *1960

Puerto Rico Open The Puerto Rico Open is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour that was first played in 2008. It is the only PGA Tour event held in Puerto Rico to date. The tournament is played at the Coco Beach Golf Course (previously Trump Internation ...

*1962 Midwest PGA Championship *1978

World Senior Championship The World Senior Championship was a golf match held between the winners of the American PGA Seniors' Championship (now Senior PGA Championship) and the British PGA Seniors Championship. It was held from 1954 to 1978. It was a 36-hole match-play e ...

*1998

Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf The Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf at Big Cedar was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour Champions. From 2014 to 2019, it was played at Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, Missouri, on the par-3 Top of the Rock course, designed by Jack Nicklaus and the ...

– Demaret Division (with

Charlie Sifford Charles Luther Sifford (June 2, 1922 – February 3, 2015) was an American professional golfer who was the first African American to play on the PGA Tour. He won the Greater Hartford Open in 1967 and the Los Angeles Open in 1969. He also won the ...

) *1999

– Demaret Division (with

) *2000

– Demaret Division (with

)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jimenez, Joe American male golfers PGA Tour golfers PGA Tour Champions golfers Golfers from San Antonio Golfers from Missouri American sportspeople of Mexican descent People from Kerrville, Texas Sportspeople from Jefferson City, Missouri 1926 births 2007 deaths 20th-century American sportsmen