James Lawrence Wiechers (August 7, 1944 – October 15, 2018) 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 ...

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 k ...

in the 1960s and 1970s.

Early life

Wiechers was born in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

. He won the 1962

U.S. Junior Amateur The United States Junior Amateur Championship is one of the fourteen U.S. national golf championships organized by the United States Golf Association. It is open to amateur boys who are under 19 on the last day of the competition and have a USGA Ha ...

while in high school.

Amateur career

He then attended

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university's campus surrounds the historic Mis ...

and was a member of the

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

team, winning first-team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n honors in 1965. He collected many honors during his amateur career including ''

Golf Digest ''Golf Digest'' is a monthly golf magazine published by Warner Bros. Discovery through its sports unit under its Warner Bros. Discovery Golf division. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competiti ...

s Number One U.S. Amateur award in 1966.

Professional career

Wiechers turned professional and joined the PGA Tour in 1966. He played on the PGA Tour from 1966 to 1979. His best years were in the late 1960s through the mid-1970s when he finished on the top-60 money list five times. He won one PGA Tour event during his career: the 1969

West End Classic The West End Classic was PGA Tour satellite event that was played at the Grand Bahama Hotel and Country Club in West End on Grand Bahama Island from 1967 to 1969. In 1970 it was replaced by a new PGA Tour event, the Bahamas National Open, which w ...

. After leaving the tour, Wiechers first began working in California's

Napa Valley Napa Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in Napa County in California's Wine Country. It was established by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) on January 27, 1981. Napa Valley is considered one of the premier ...

wine industry in the 1980s. Then he returned to golf in the 1990s, first as head instructor at McCaffrey's Golf School in San Francisco, then as a teaching pro at Chardonnay Golf Club for 19 years, and finally at Eagle Vines Golf Club. He also coached the men's and women's golf teams at

Napa Valley College Napa Valley College, formerly Napa Junior College and Napa Community College, is a public community college in Napa, California. The tree-lined main campus is on overlooking the Napa River and includes a performing arts center, a child develop ...

Death

Wiechers died on October 15, 2018, at

Queen of the Valley Medical Center Queen of the Valley Medical Center is a medical center located in Napa, California operated by Providence Health & Services. The hospital first opened its doors in 1958 when it replaced Parks Victory Memorial Hospital. It is a Level III adult trau ...

Napa, California Napa is the largest city and county seat of Napa County and a principal city of Wine Country in Northern California. Located in the North Bay region of the Bay Area, the city had a population of 77,480 as of the end of 2021. Napa is a major t ...

following a four-month-long illness.

Amateur wins

*1962

*1964

Western Junior The Western Junior is the oldest national junior golf tournament in the United States. It was founded in 1914 and is organized by the Western Golf Association. It is played at a different course each year, primarily in the midwest. From 1914 to 19 ...

*1966

Western Amateur The Western Amateur is a leading annual golf tournament in the United States for male amateur golfers. It is organized by the Western Golf Association. The Western Amateur features an international field of top-ranked amateur golfers. It was first ...

Trans-Mississippi Amateur The Trans-Mississippi Amateur or Trans-Miss Amateur is an annual amateur golf tournament. It is organized by the Trans-Mississippi Golf Association and was first played in 1901. It is played at a different course each year that are located near or ...

Professional wins (1)

PGA Tour wins (1)

PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wiechers, Jim American male golfers Santa Clara Broncos men's golfers PGA Tour golfers College golf coaches in the United States Golfers from California Napa Valley College Sportspeople from Oakland, California People from Atherton, California Sportspeople from San Mateo County, California Sportspeople from Napa, California 1944 births 2018 deaths