John H. Schlee (June 2, 1939 – June 2, 2000) 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 and amateur career

Schlee was born in

Kremmling, Colorado The Town of Kremmling is a Statutory Town in Grand County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 1,509 at the 2020 United States census. The town sits along the upper Colorado River in the lower arid section of Middle Park betwe ...

and grew up in

Seaside, Oregon Seaside is a city in Clatsop County, Oregon, United States, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. The name Seaside is derived from ''Seaside House'', a historic summer resort built in the 1870s by railroad magnate Ben Holladay. The city's population ...

, where he was known as Jack Schlee. He served two years in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

starting in 1957. Schlee attended

Memphis State University The University of Memphis (Memphis) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 20,000 students. The university maintains the Herff Col ...

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 1964, Schlee turned pro. He took club pro jobs after college, and in 1965 was medalist at the inaugural

PGA Tour Qualifying School The annual PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, also known as Qualifying School or Q-School, was historically the main method by which golfers earned PGA Tour playing privileges, commonly known as a Tour card. From 2013 to 2022, Q-School granted privil ...

. He was the 1966 PGA Tour ''Rookie-of-the-Year'' making the cut in 13 events and finishing 48th on the money list. Schlee played full-time on the PGA Tour from 1966–1977. He had more than 30 top-10 finishes in PGA Tour events. His career year was 1973 when he won the

Hawaiian Open The Sony Open in Hawaii is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, and is part of the tour's FedEx Cup, FedEx Cup Series. It has been contested at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii, since the event's modern-day inception as the ...

and finished one stroke behind

Johnny Miller John Laurence Miller (born April 29, 1947) is an American former professional golfer. He was one of the top players in the world during the mid-1970s. He was the first to shoot 63 in a major championship to win the 1973 U.S. Open, and he ran ...

at the

U.S. Open U.S. Open or US Open are open championship sporting tournaments that are hosted in the United States and in which anyone, especially amateur and professional, or American and non-American, may compete. The term may also be applied to non-sporting ev ...

. Schlee had four top-10 finishes in major championships: the aforementioned solo 2nd at the 1973 U.S. Open, a T10 at the

1975 PGA Championship The 1975 PGA Championship was the 57th PGA Championship, played August 7–10 at the South Course of Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. Jack Nicklaus, an Ohio native, won the fourth of his five PGA Championships and the fourteenth of his eigh ...

, a T4 at the

1976 PGA Championship The 1976 PGA Championship was the 58th PGA Championship, played August 12–16 at Congressional Country Club (Blue Course) in Bethesda, Maryland, a suburb northwest of Washington, D.C. Held six weeks following the United States Bicentennial, it wa ...

, and a T8 at

1977 Masters Tournament The 1977 Masters Tournament was the 41st Masters Tournament, held April 7–10 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Tom Watson, age 27, won the first of his two green jackets, two strokes ahead of runner-up Jack Nicklaus. The two w ...

. Schlee was forced into part-time play on the PGA Tour in the mid-1970s due to a series of health problems starting with back surgery in 1975 and followed by knee surgery in 1976. Schlee took a club pro job in

Rancho Viejo, Texas Rancho Viejo is a town in Cameron County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,838 at the 2020 census, up from 2,437 at the 2010 census. The town is named from a ranch in that area named "Rancho Viejo" (Old Ranch). This ranch was owned b ...

in June 1977 after his third serious ailment in as many years, a painful injury to his left thumb. His last appearance was at the

Danny Thomas Memphis Classic The FedEx St. Jude Classic was a professional golf tournament held in Memphis, Tennessee, as a regular event on the PGA Tour. The tournament was held annually from 1958 through 2018, and was played in June at TPC Southwind (since 1989). In 20 ...

in 1978. In 1980, Schlee began a teaching pro career at Industry Hills Golf Resort, east of

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. He also invented devices to help students of the game learn. In 1986, Schlee wrote a book, ''Maximum Golf'', which was a collection of his instructional theories and a tribute to his mentor,

Ben Hogan William Ben Hogan (August 13, 1912 – July 25, 1997) was an American professional golfer who is generally considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the game. He is notable for his profound influence on golf swing theory, hi ...

. After reaching the age of 50 in 1989, Schlee played in a few dozen

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 ...

events but never came close to winning an event. His best finish in this venue was a T-42. Schlee lived in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

during most of his regular career years and in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

during his senior career years.

Personal life

Schlee died in a

Costa Mesa, California Costa Mesa (; Spanish language, Spanish for "coastal tableland") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including ...

hospital in 2000 of complications from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

Awards and honors

Schlee was the 1966 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year

Professional wins (1)

PGA Tour wins (1)

PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

Results in major championships

CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

*Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (1969 U.S. Open – 1973 U.S. Open) *Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1976 PGA – 1977 Masters)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schlee, John American male golfers PGA Tour golfers PGA Tour Champions golfers Golfers from Colorado Golfers from Oregon Golfers from California People from Grand County, Colorado People from Seaside, Oregon Deaths from dementia in California Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in California 1939 births 2000 deaths 20th-century American sportsmen