Purvis Jennings "Jim" Ferree (born June 10, 1931) is 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 ...

and the Senior PGA Tour. Born in Pinebluff, North Carolina, Ferree grew up in

Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in ...

and graduated from Reynolds High School. He learned the game of

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 ...

from his father, Purvis, long-time pro at Winston-Salem's Old Town Golf Club. Ferree played college golf at the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

in Chapel Hill. Following service in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

, he turned professional in late 1955. Ferree had one PGA Tour win during his regular career years. He was regarded as one of the very best in the game in the tee-to-green ball-striking phase of the game, but putting was always his weakness. He spent most of his thirties and forties as the director of golf at Long Cove Club in

Hilton Head, South Carolina Hilton Head Island, sometimes referred to as simply Hilton Head, is a Lowcountry resort town and barrier island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is northeast of Savannah, Georgia, and southwest of Charleston. The island is n ...

. Ferree was later a club pro and joined the Senior PGA Tour at age fifty in

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

. He was chosen by PGA Commissioner

Deane Beman } Deane R. Beman (born April 22, 1938) is an American professional golfer, golf administrator. He was the second commissioner of the PGA Tour, serving from 1974 to 1994. Early years Born in Washington, D.C., Beman attended the University of Maryl ...

to be the model for the knickers-wearing player on the Senior Tour's logo. He shares the Georgia-Pacific Grand Champions record for most victories (9) with two other golfers. He was the Senior PGA Tour's ''Comeback Player of the Year'' in 1993. In 1991, he became the first golfer inducted into the University of North Carolina's Hall of Fame. He lives in Hilton Head, South Carolina with his wife, Karen, also a former champion golfer.

Professional wins (19)

PGA Tour wins (1)

Other wins (12)

''this list is probably incomplete'' *1954 Forsyth County tournament *1955 Forsyth County tournament *1958

British Columbia Centennial Open The British Columbia Open, commonly known as the B. C. Open, was a golf tournament that was held in British Columbia, Canada. It was held annually from 1928 until 1993 except for during the Second World War and 1958, when it was cancelled due to t ...

*1961

Jamaica Open The Jamaica Open is a 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 standardize ...

*1962

Panama Open The Panama Open was a golf tournament played from 1938 to 1982, during which time it was won by some of the biggest names in professional golf, including Sam Snead and Arnold Palmer. It was an event on the PGA-sponsored Caribbean Tour between 1 ...

*1963 Maracaibo Open Invitational *1966 Carolinas PGA Championship *1967 Georgia PGA Championship *1977 Tri-State Open *1978

Tri-State PGA Championship The Tri-State PGA Championship is a golf tournament that is the championship of the Tri-State section of the PGA of America. The Tri-State area includes all of West Virginia, the northwest corner of Maryland, and western Pennsylvania. It has bee ...

*1981

*1983 Tri-State Open

Senior PGA Tour wins (2)

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–3)

Other senior wins (4)

''this list is probably incomplete'' *1997

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- ...

- Demaret Division (with George Bayer) *2002

- Demaret Division (with

Miller Barber Miller Westford Barber, Jr. (March 31, 1931 – June 11, 2013) was an American professional golfer who enjoyed significant success on the PGA Tour in the 1960s and 1970s, and a greater degree of success on the Senior PGA Tour (now the Champions ...

) *2003

- Demaret Division (with Miller Barber) *2006 Grand Champions team better-ball (with Jack Fleck)

U.S. national team appearances

* PGA Cup: 1979

Video

YouTube
– Jim Ferree interview (2014)

References

External links

*
Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame
– Jim Ferree {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferree, Jim American male golfers North Carolina Tar Heels men's golfers PGA Tour golfers PGA Tour Champions golfers Golfers from North Carolina Sportspeople from Winston-Salem, North Carolina People from Hilton Head, South Carolina 1931 births Living people