James David McGovern (born February 5, 1965) is an American professional golfer who has 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 ...
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck () is a township in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 39,776, reflecting an increase of 516 (+1.3%) f ...
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', February 28, 1993. Accessed February 16, 2011. "He grew up in Oradell, N.J., in a house literally adjacent to the fourth green at Hackensack Golf Club. ''I remember once finding a stray ball in the upstairs bathroom,'' he said." McGovern attended
Bergen Catholic High School
Bergen Catholic High School is an all-male Roman Catholic high school in Oradell, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grade. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Coll ...
and was a star football player there. However, a coach introduced him to golf during his junior year.
Amateur career
McGovern initially attended the
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...
as a non-scholarship member of its golf team. He transferred after two years to
Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University (Old Dominion or ODU) is a public research university in Norfolk, Virginia. It was established in 1930 as the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary and is now one of the largest universities in Virginia w ...
in Norfolk, Virginia and was a member of that school's golf team. He turned pro in 1988 and joined 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 ...
in 1991.
Professional career
McGovern was a member of the PGA Tour from 1991–1998. His career year was 1993 when he won once, had two other top-10 finishes, earned $587,495 and finished 27th on the money list. His best finish in a major was T5 at the 1994 Masters Tournament. He had 14 career top-10 finishes in 386 PGA Tour events.
McGovern finished 19th in
qualifying school
In professional golf, the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S.-based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the ...
and earned his PGA Tour card for 2008; he made the cut in 11 of 26 events. In 2009, he was back on the Nationwide Tour.
On January 1, 2011, McGovern became the head golf professional at White Beeches Golf & Country Club in
Haworth, New Jersey
Haworth ( ) is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 3,382,2014 PGA Championship through his finish at the
PGA Professional National 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 ...
after having to qualify in a playoff for one of the twenty positions. He occasionally continues to compete at senior major events and those sanctioned through the New Jersey section of the PGA of America.
*1987 Virginia State Intercollegiate Championship
*1988
Metropolitan Amateur The Metropolitan Amateur or Met Amateur is an amateur golf tournament organized by the Metropolitan Golf Association. It has been played annually since 1899 and is one of the oldest amateur golf tournaments in the United States along with the U.S. ...
Professional wins (9)
PGA Tour wins (1)
''*Note: The 1993 Shell Houston Open was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.''
PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)
Ben Hogan Tour wins (3)
Ben Hogan Tour playoff record (1–0)
Other wins (5)
*1987
Metropolitan Open
The Metropolitan Open is a golf tournament organized by the Metropolitan Golf Association. In the early 20th century it was one of the top events in the country and was retroactively given PGA Tour-level status.
History
The tournament has been ...
(as an amateur)
*1994
Diners Club Matches The Hyundai Team Matches were a series of golf tournaments from 1994 to 2002. The matches features four two-player teams from the LPGA Tour, the PGA Tour, and the Senior PGA Tour (now the Champions Tour). Within each tour, the teams competed in a ma ...
(with
Jeff Maggert
Jeffrey Allan Maggert (born February 20, 1964) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions.
Early life
Maggert was born in Columbia, Missouri. He was raised on a golf course in The Woodlands, Texas where ...
)
*2015 New Jersey Senior Open
*2016 New Jersey Senior Open, Metropolitan Senior Open
1997 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
__NOTOC__
This is a list of the 38 players who earned 1998 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 ...
*
2007 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates __NOTOC__
This is a list of the 26 players who earned their 2008 PGA Tour
The 2008 PGA Tour season ran from January 3 to November 9. The season consisted of 49 official money events. This included four major championships and three World Golf Ch ...