Lawrence Allen Gilbert Sr. (November 19, 1942 – January 21, 1998) 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 1997

Senior Players Championship The Senior Players Championship, stylised by the PGA Tour as The SENIOR PLAYERS Championship, is one of the five major championships on golf's PGA Tour Champions. The inaugural event was played in 1983 and the age minimum is 50, the standard f ...

, one of the major championships on the

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 ...

. Gilbert was born in

Fort Knox, Kentucky Fort Knox is a United States Army installation in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Elizabethtown. It is adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository (also known as Fort Knox), which is used to house a larg ...

. He attended

Middle Tennessee State University Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a Public university, public research university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight Undergraduate education, undergraduate colleges as ...

Murfreesboro, Tennessee Murfreesboro is a city in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 165,430 according to the 2023 census estimate, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010 United States census, 2010. Murfreesboro i ...

and was a distinguished 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. Gilbert led Middle Tennessee State to victory in the 1965

NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships The NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships, played in late May, is an annual competition in U.S. men's collegiate golf. From its inception through 2010, it was a 72-hole stroke play team competition, with an additional award for the lowest sco ...

for which Gilbert won the individual medal. Gilbert spent most of his regular career years as a club pro in

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

and

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. He won the

PGA Club Professional Championship The PGA Professional Championship is a golf tournament for golf club professionals and teachers who are members of the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It has been held by the PGA of America since 1968, when touring professionals spl ...

in 1981, 1982 and 1991. He also won ten Kentucky PGA Championships, three Kentucky Opens, one Tennessee Open and one Tennessee PGA Championship. Gilbert was inducted into the Kentucky Golf Hall of Fame in 1992; he is also a member of the Middle Tennessee State University Athletics Hall of Fame. He joined the

(later known as 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 ...

) upon turning 50 in 1992. Gilbert died in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...

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 ...

at the age of 55. He had started smoking cigarettes at an early age, and was often seen smoking a cigar while playing. He won the

only 192 days before he died.

Professional wins (21)

Other wins (18)

*1968 Kentucky Open *1970 Tennessee Open *1971 Tennessee PGA Championship *1974 Kentucky PGA Championship *1975 Kentucky Open *1976 Kentucky Open *1979 Kentucky PGA Championship *1980 Kentucky PGA Championship *1981

, Kentucky PGA Championship *1982

, Kentucky PGA Championship *1984 Kentucky PGA Championship, Kentucky PGA Match Play Championship *1985 Kentucky PGA Championship *1986 Kentucky PGA Match Play Championship *1990 Kentucky PGA Championship *1991

Senior PGA Tour wins (3)

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

Champions Tour major championships

Wins (1)

U.S. national team appearances

PGA Cup The PGA Cup is a men's golf competition for club professionals played between a Great Britain and Ireland team and a United States team. The winning team is presented with the Llandudno Trophy. The competition is run by the British PGA and the P ...

: 1976 (winners), 1977 (tie), 1981 (tie), 1982 (winners), 1983, 1992 (winners)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert, Larry American male golfers PGA Tour Champions golfers Winners of senior major golf championships Golfers from Kentucky Middle Tennessee State University alumni Deaths from lung cancer in Kentucky 1942 births 1998 deaths 20th-century American sportsmen