Donald Ray January (born November 20, 1929) is an American retired

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

1967 PGA Championship The 1967 PGA Championship was the 49th PGA Championship, played July 20–24 at Columbine Country Club in Columbine Valley, Colorado, a suburb south of Denver. Don January won his only major title in an 18-hole playoff over Don Massengale (69-7 ...

Early life

Born in

Plainview, Texas Plainview is a city in and the county seat of Hale County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 22,194. Geography Plainview is located at (34.191204, –101.718806) and is located on the Llano Estacado. According ...

, January graduated from Sunset High School in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

. He was a member of the

North Texas State The University of North Texas (UNT) is a Public university, public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private Normal school, teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 y ...

golf team that won four consecutive

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

titles from 1949 to 1952. January is a Member of the Sunset High School Hall of Fame. While in college as a sophomore, as part of his scholarship, January helped teach a beginning golf class, where he met his future wife, Patricia "Pat" Rushing. They both graduated in 1953 and eloped to

Ardmore, Oklahoma Ardmore is the county seat of Carter County, Oklahoma, United States. According to the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,283, with an estimated population of 24,698 in 2019. The Ardmore micropolitan statistical area had an estimated ...

. They lived in

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

while Don was in the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

, and began their family—two boys and a girl.

Professional career

January won 10

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...

titles, though never more than one in a year, with his most notable at the

, an 18-hole playoff victory over

Don Massengale Donald Ray Massengale Sr. (April 23, 1937 – January 2, 2007) was an American professional golfer who won tournaments on both the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour. Career Massengale was born in Jacksboro, Texas. He won the 1958 Texas Amat ...

. January had lost the 1961 PGA Championship in a playoff to

Jerry Barber Carl Jerome Barber (April 25, 1916 – September 23, 1994) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour. He had seven wins on tour, including a major title, the PGA Championship in 1961. Born in Woodson, Illinois, Barber was o ...

when his 68, the lowest losing score ever in an 18-hole playoff for a major championship, was bested by Barber's 67. He won the

Vardon Trophy The Vardon Trophy is awarded by the PGA of America to the PGA Tour's leader in scoring average. When the award was first given in 1937, it was awarded on the basis of a points system. No award was given from 1942–1946 due to World War II. In ...

for lowest scoring average in 1976 at the age of 47. He was a member of the U.S.

Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is contested every two years with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is named af ...

team in both 1965 and 1977. January was responsible for a change to the

Rules of Golf The rules of golf consist of a standard set of regulations and procedures by which the sport of golf should be played. They are jointly written and administered by The R&A (spun off from The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in 2004) and ...

. During the 1963 Phoenix Open, January had a putt roll up to the lip of the hole and stop. January claimed that the ball was still moving, and waited for seven minutes for the ball to drop (it never did). Rule 16-2 was revised in 1964 to state that players had to tap the ball in within ten seconds or be penalized. In the period between his last PGA Tour win and the start of the Senior PGA Tour, January devoted most of his professional efforts to a

golf course design A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...

business, JanMart Enterprises, that he had established with fellow Texan and PGA Tour golfer Billy Martindale. January is well known for his success on the Senior PGA Tour (now the

Champions 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 years ...

), winning 22 events including two

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 ...

s. In 1980, he won the first official event on the Senior PGA Tour—the

Atlantic City Senior International The Atlantic City Senior International was a golf tournament on the Senior PGA Tour played only in 1980. It was played in Northfield, New Jersey at the Atlantic City Country Club. It was the first event on the Senior PGA Tour. The purse for the t ...

. The ''Don January Golf Classic'' is a golf tournament played annually in the

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season) Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...

that was established to honor him in 1990 by his alma mater, now known as the

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal School," ...

. In early 1961, January appeared as himself on the March 6 episode of the game show '' To Tell the Truth''. He received two votes.

Professional wins (45)

PGA Tour wins (10)

PGA Tour playoff record (3–5)

Other wins (2)

''This list may be incomplete'' *1956 Apple Valley Clambake *1959 Valencia Open Invitational

Senior PGA Tour wins (22)

''*Note: The 1985 United Hospitals Senior Golf Championship was shortened to 36 holes due to rain.'' Senior PGA Tour playoff record (4–1)

Other senior wins (12)

*1979

*1980 Australian Seniors Championship *1982

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- ...

(with

Sam Snead Samuel Jackson Snead (pronounced English_phonology">sni:d.html" ;"title="English_phonology.html" ;"title="nowiki/>English phonology">sni:d">English_phonology.html" ;"title="nowiki/>English phonology">sni:d May 27, 1912 – May 23, 2002) was an ...

) *1984

Shootout at Jeremy Ranch The Uniting Fore Care Classic was a golf tournament on the Champions Tour from 1982 to 2002. It was played in Park City, Utah, at the Jeremy Ranch Golf Club (1982–1992) and the Park Meadows Golf Club (1993–2002). It was played at stroke play eac ...

(with Mike Sullivan) *1985

(with

Gene Littler Gene Alec Littler (July 21, 1930 – February 15, 2019) was an American professional golfer and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Known for a solid temperament and nicknamed "Gene the Machine" for his smooth, rhythmical swing, he once said ...

), Mazda Champions (with Alice Miller) *1986

(with

) *1993

– Legendary Division *1994

– Legendary Division (with

) *1997

– Legendary Division (with

) *2001

– Demaret Division (with

) *2004

– Demaret Division (with

)

Major championships

Wins (1)

¹Defeated Massengale in an 18-hole playoff, 69 to 71.

Results timeline

''Note: January never played in

The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

.''
CUT = missed the halfway cut (3rd round cut in 1964 PGA Championship)
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

*Most consecutive cuts made – 10 (twice) *Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1976 PGA – 1977 PGA)

Champions Tour major championships

Wins (1)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:January, Don American male golfers North Texas Mean Green men's golfers PGA Tour golfers PGA Tour Champions golfers Ryder Cup competitors for the United States Winners of men's major golf championships Winners of senior major golf championships Golf course architects Golfers from Texas People from Plainview, Texas 1929 births Living people

Early life

Professional career

Professional wins (45)

PGA Tour wins (10)

Other wins (2)

Senior PGA Tour wins (22)

Other senior wins (12)

Major championships

Wins (1)

Results timeline

Summary

Champions Tour major championships

Wins (1)

See also

References

External links