Carl Jerome Barber (April 25, 1916 – September 23, 1994) was an American professional golfer who played on the

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 ...

. He had seven wins on tour, including a major title, the

PGA Championship The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It is one of the four men's major championships ...

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

. Born in

Woodson, Illinois Woodson is a village in Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 498 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Jacksonville Micropolitan Statistical Area. History The village was platted on May 2, 1859, and incorporated on April ...

, Barber was one of nine children raised on an Illinois farm near

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, and turned professional in 1942. Small in stature, he was one of the top putters of his era. Barber was a full-time member of the PGA Tour from 1948 to 1962. He played on two Ryder Cup teams, 1955 and

; and was also the team captain in 1961. Barber earned a living primarily as a club professional like most of the touring pros of his generation; he worked at

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

Wilshire Country Club Wilshire Country Club is an 18-hole private golf club on the West Coast of the United States, located in Los Angeles, California. The club in Hancock Park was founded in 1919 and its Norman Macbeth-designed course opened the following year. So ...

. He was the

Player of the Year Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year (POY) . In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award. Association football In association football, this award is he ...

on the PGA Tour in

, unseating

Arnold Palmer Arnold Daniel Palmer (September 10, 1929 – September 25, 2016) was an American professional golfer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most charismatic players in the sport's history. Dating back to 1955, he won numerous ev ...

for a year. At the 1961 PGA Championship in Illinois near

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, heavy rains wiped out Friday's second round and it had to be replayed on Saturday, followed by the final two rounds on Sunday. Barber led after the second round but trailed

Don January Donald Ray January (born November 20, 1929) is an American retired professional golfer, best known for winning the 1967 PGA Championship. Early life Born in Plainview, Texas, January graduated from Sunset High School in Dallas. He was a member ...

by four shots with three holes to play in the final round. In high heat and humidity, Barber made a birdie putt at the 16th hole, a par-saving putt at 17, and a birdie putt at 18 to tie January and force an 18-hole Monday playoff. Due to the double-rounds and a lengthy delay caused by another rainstorm in the morning, Barber and January did not complete their final rounds on Sunday until well past 8 pm. Barber won the playoff the next day by a single stroke when January bogeyed the 18th hole. At age 45, he was the oldest player at the time to win a major title, surpassed seven years later by

Julius Boros Julius Nicholas Boros (March 3, 1920 – May 28, 1994) was an American professional golfer noted for his effortless-looking swing and strong record on difficult golf courses, particularly at the U.S. Open. Early years Born in Fairfield, Connecti ...

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Janu ...

at age 48. Barber holds the record for the oldest player to ever play on the PGA Tour in February

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...

, when he played in the

Buick Invitational Buick () is a division (business), division of the United States, American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American Brand, marques of automobiles, and w ...

at Torrey Pines at the age of 77 years, 10 months. He died later that year, in September. Often referred to in the media as "little Jerry Barber," he stood . In 1966, he portrayed himself in a guest appearance on episode #23 ("Watch the Birdie") of '' I Dream of Jeannie''. Barber and his wife Lucile, who died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

in 1968, had five children: Tom, Nancy, twins Sandra and Sally, and Roger. Barber died in Glendale, California at the age of 78, after having mitral valve prolapse and suffering a stroke.

Professional wins (13)

PGA Tour wins (7)

PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

Other wins (5)

''this list may be incomplete'' *1950

Pennsylvania Open Championship The Pennsylvania Open Championship is the Pennsylvania state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Pennsylvania Golf Association. It has been played annually since 1912 (except for war years) at ...

*1951 Waterloo Open Golf Classic *1952 Waterloo Open Golf Classic *1959

California State Open The California State Open is the California state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Southern California section of the PGA of America. It was first played in 1900 and has been played at a var ...

Southern California PGA Championship The Southern California PGA Championship is a golf tournament that is the championship of the Southern California section of the PGA of America. The Southern California section was formed in 1924, and the tournament was first played that year. It ...

Other senior wins (2)

*1987

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- ...

- Legendary Division (with

Doug Ford Douglas Robert Ford Jr. (born November 20, 1964) is a Canadian politician and businessman who has served as the 26th and current premier of Ontario since June 2018 and leader of the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party since March 2018. He ...

) *1993

- Demaret Division

Playoff record

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

Major championships

Wins (1)

¹Defeated Don January in an 18-hole Monday playoff, 67 to 68

Results timeline

''Note: Barber 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 t ...

.''
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

*Most consecutive cuts made – 8 (1959 PGA – 1962 Masters) *Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1956 Masters – 1956 U.S. Open)

U.S. national team appearances

* Ryder Cup: 1955 (winners),

(winners, captain) *

Hopkins Trophy The Hopkins Trophy was an annual men's professional team golf competition between teams representing the United States and Canada. It was played from 1952 to 1956. The Americans won all five contests that were played. The matches were sponsored by ...

: 1954 (winners), 1955 (winners) *

Diamondhead 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 PG ...

: 1974 (winners)

References

External links

*
GolfCompendium.com: 1961 PGA Championship
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barber, Jerry American male golfers PGA Tour golfers PGA Tour Champions golfers Ryder Cup competitors for the United States Winners of men's major golf championships Golfers from Illinois People from Morgan County, Illinois Burials at Rose Hills Memorial Park 1916 births 1994 deaths