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 ...

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

Kerrville, Texas Kerrville is a city in, 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-f ...

. He was a 1952 graduate of Trinity University with majors in biology and physical education. 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 capital of Missouri, United States. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 census, ranking as the 15th most populous city in the state. It is also the county seat of Cole County and the princip ...

. 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 Manuel Alejandro De la Torre Urbina (born June 13, 1980) is a former Mexican football defender. Career De la Torre began playing football as a defender with Club Universidad Nacional's youth sides. He progressed to Pumas' senior side where he ...

and

Joe Cheves Joe Cheves (May 23, 1918 – July 31, 2007) was an American professional golfer and co-founder of the American Golf Association. Cheveswas born in Cheraw, South Carolina and died in Morganton, North Carolina. He served in the Army during Worl ...

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, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour. History and format The Senior PGA Championship, founded in 1937, was for many year ...

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 200 ...

. Jimenez still holds the most-strokes-below-age (7) record. He shot a 62 during the 1995

Ameritech Senior Open The SBC Senior Open was a golf tournament on the Senior PGA Tour from 1989 to 2002. It was played in several different cities, mostly in the Chicago area. The purse for the 2002 tournament was US$1,450,000, with $217,500 going to the winner. The ...

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. Jiminez died at his home in

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

from

renal failure Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, 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 failure is classified as eit ...

brought on by

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...

. He was 81 years old.

Tournament wins

''this list is incomplete'' *

Midwest PGA Championship The Midwest PGA Championship is a golf tournament that is the championship of the Midwest section of the PGA of America. The section was formed in 1924, encompassing the states of Missouri and Kansas. Records kept by the section track winners back t ...

- year unknown * Gateway PGA Championship - twice *

South Central PGA Championship South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*su ...

- once *

Missouri Open Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas to t ...

*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 ever held in Puerto Rico. The tournament is played at the Coco Beach Golf Course (previously Trump International ...

*1962

*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 ...

*1998

Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf The Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf at Big Cedar is a golf tournament in Missouri on the PGA Tour Champions. Since 2014, it has been played at Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale on the par-3 Top of the Rock course, designed by Jack Nicklaus and the 18 ...

- 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