0kay, this may be one of my dumber posts, which is saying a lot, but I was surprised to learn that Dr Cary Middlecoff was an Ole Miss alum and an All American golfer at Ole Miss. Admittedly, I don’t play golf, but it seems like to me we have done a very poor job of publicizing that we have an Ole Miss alum who was a Masters and a two-time US Open Champion and won 40 PGA events, which still places him in the top ten all-time. Shouldn’t the golf course be named after him or something like that? I understand that he even designed the current course. For those even less educated than me, if that’s possible, here’s a part of his obit:
Cary Middlecoff, a two-time U.S. Open champion and winner of the 1955 Masters, died Tuesday of heart failure. He was 77.
A former dentist, Middlecoff won 40 professional golf tournaments and is tied for seventh on the PGA's career victory list.
When back surgery forced Middlecoff to retire from competitive golf in 1963, he had about $290,000 in career earnings and was among the sport's leading career money winners.
"Now they make that much in a week," Middlecoff once told reporters.
He won the U.S. Open in 1949 and 1956.
"He's the greatest player we've ever had and his record bears that out," Dick Horton, executive director of the Tennessee Golf Association, told The Commercial Appeal of Memphis. "In these modern times with so much parity, I don't think anybody could ever equal the record he had."
Middlecoff considered his 1956 U.S. Open title at Rochester, N.Y., as "probably my greatest accomplishment in golf." But he had no greater appreciation for a site than Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters, where he also was a two-time runner-up. "I still love the place," Middlecoff said in 1994. "I dearly loved playing there."
After more than 15 years as a touring pro and another 10 years as a television commentator, Middlecoff preferred privacy.
"Even if I could play real well now, I wouldn't play the Senior (PGA) Tour," he said in 1994. "I'm just traveled out."
"He was a long, straight driver and long-iron player and a great putter," recalled Tommy Bolt, 82, who played on the tour with Middlecoff.
Born in Halls, Middlecoff attended high school at Memphis Central and Christian Brothers and was an all-America golfer at the University of Mississippi.
Inducted in 1992, Middlecoff is a charter member of the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame. He won the Tennessee Amateur four straight years, starting in 1940.
On the PGA Tour, he was the leading money winner for the decade of the 1950s. He won the Vardon Trophy in 1956 for the lowest average score on tour. In 1986 he was inducted into the PGA World Golf Hall of Fame.
I realize that was all a long time ago, but is there even a plaque on our golf course recognizing his association with Ole Miss? I remember him being a commentator when I was a kid, so I have always known his name, but not his association with Ole Miss. I would presume there are at least a few on here like me who did not know we had an Ole Miss golf alum who was a three time Major champion.
On a broader note, we really do need a Hall of Fame for all of Ole Miss on campus. We have a large number of very accomplished grads in numerous fields, not just sports, but in music, the arts, literature, medicine, etc. IMHO, we don’t always do a good enough job of tooting our own horn, an Ole Miss Hall of Fame with exhibits somewhere on campus could be a great recruiting tool.
Cary Middlecoff, a two-time U.S. Open champion and winner of the 1955 Masters, died Tuesday of heart failure. He was 77.
A former dentist, Middlecoff won 40 professional golf tournaments and is tied for seventh on the PGA's career victory list.
When back surgery forced Middlecoff to retire from competitive golf in 1963, he had about $290,000 in career earnings and was among the sport's leading career money winners.
"Now they make that much in a week," Middlecoff once told reporters.
He won the U.S. Open in 1949 and 1956.
"He's the greatest player we've ever had and his record bears that out," Dick Horton, executive director of the Tennessee Golf Association, told The Commercial Appeal of Memphis. "In these modern times with so much parity, I don't think anybody could ever equal the record he had."
Middlecoff considered his 1956 U.S. Open title at Rochester, N.Y., as "probably my greatest accomplishment in golf." But he had no greater appreciation for a site than Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters, where he also was a two-time runner-up. "I still love the place," Middlecoff said in 1994. "I dearly loved playing there."
After more than 15 years as a touring pro and another 10 years as a television commentator, Middlecoff preferred privacy.
"Even if I could play real well now, I wouldn't play the Senior (PGA) Tour," he said in 1994. "I'm just traveled out."
"He was a long, straight driver and long-iron player and a great putter," recalled Tommy Bolt, 82, who played on the tour with Middlecoff.
Born in Halls, Middlecoff attended high school at Memphis Central and Christian Brothers and was an all-America golfer at the University of Mississippi.
Inducted in 1992, Middlecoff is a charter member of the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame. He won the Tennessee Amateur four straight years, starting in 1940.
On the PGA Tour, he was the leading money winner for the decade of the 1950s. He won the Vardon Trophy in 1956 for the lowest average score on tour. In 1986 he was inducted into the PGA World Golf Hall of Fame.
I realize that was all a long time ago, but is there even a plaque on our golf course recognizing his association with Ole Miss? I remember him being a commentator when I was a kid, so I have always known his name, but not his association with Ole Miss. I would presume there are at least a few on here like me who did not know we had an Ole Miss golf alum who was a three time Major champion.
On a broader note, we really do need a Hall of Fame for all of Ole Miss on campus. We have a large number of very accomplished grads in numerous fields, not just sports, but in music, the arts, literature, medicine, etc. IMHO, we don’t always do a good enough job of tooting our own horn, an Ole Miss Hall of Fame with exhibits somewhere on campus could be a great recruiting tool.
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