Emmett Cary Middlecoff (January 6, 1921 – September 1, 1998) was an American professional golfer on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...

from 1947 to 1961. His 39 Tour wins place him tied for tenth all-time, and he won three major championships. Middlecoff graduated as a

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental doctor, dental physician, dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry, the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. The dentist's supporting team aids in provi ...

, but gave up his practice at age 26 to become a full-time Tour golfer.

Early life and amateur career

Middlecoff was born January 6, 1921, in Halls, Tennessee. He graduated from Christian Brothers High School. He played collegiate golf at the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (Epithet, byname Ole Miss) is a Public university, public research university in University, near Oxford, Mississippi, United States, with a University of Mississippi Medical Center, medical center in Jackson, Miss ...

, becoming that school's first golf

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

in 1939. First as an undergraduate and active member of Kappa Alpha Order, then as a dental student at the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

, Middlecoff won the Tennessee State Amateur Championship for four straight years (1940–1943). After obtaining his Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree in 1944, he entered the United States Army Dental Corps during World War II. He won a PGA Tour tournament as an amateur in 1945

Professional career

In 1947, Middlecoff turned professional. He was selected for the 1947 Walker Cup team but immediately withdrew as he intended turning professional. During his playing career, Middlecoff won 39 PGA Tour tournaments, including the 1955 Masters and U.S. Open titles in 1949 and 1956. He won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average in 1956. Middlecoff played on three

Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States, with hosting duties alternating between venues in Europe and the United States for each edition. The cup is named after the English businessman S ...

teams: 1953, 1955, and 1959 – the U.S. teams won all three times. He was ineligible for the 1957 Ryder Cup because he failed to play in the PGA Championship that year. Middlecoff was disappointed to lose a playoff in the 1957 U.S. Open to Dick Mayer, and played very few events following that event. The U.S. lost the Cup in 1957, for the first time since 1933. Middlecoff's three best seasons were 1949, 1951 and 1956, as he won six tour titles in each of those years. He won at least one tour tournament in 13 of his 15 seasons, missing only in 1957 and 1960. During the decade of the 1950s, Middlecoff won 28 tour titles, more than any other player during that span. A tall player with plenty of power and very good accuracy, Middlecoff during his best years was also a superb putter. He was known for often taking excessive time to play his shots. Back problems and struggles with his nerves during competition ended his career in the early 1960s, when he was in his early 40s, although he continued to play occasionally, competing in the Masters until 1971, as a past champion. Middlecoff became a top player despite having one leg slightly shorter than the other. He appeared in two motion pictures as himself ('' Follow the Sun'' (1951, about the life and career of

Ben Hogan William Ben Hogan (August 13, 1912 – July 25, 1997) was an American professional golfer who is generally considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the game. He is notable for his profound influence on golf swing theory, hi ...

) and '' The Bellboy'' (1960)). He wrote a newspaper column, "The Golf Doctor." He also appeared in a short biographical sports documentary ''Golf Doctor'' (1947). Middlecoff later developed a reputation as one of the best of the early

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

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

commentators. After retiring from the tour, he spent 18 years as a golf analyst for television.

Death

Middlecoff died of heart disease in 1998 in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

. He was survived by his wife of 51 years, Edith.

Awards and honors

* In 1956, Middlecoff earned the Vardon Trophy, the honor bestowed to the player with the lowest average score over the course of the season. * In 1986, Middlecoff was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Professional wins (41)

PGA Tour wins (39)

*Mangrum and Middlecoff agreed to share the 1949 Motor City Open after failing light caused play to halt after eleven holes of a playoff. PGA Tour playoff record (7–6–1) Sources:

Other wins (1)

''this list may be incomplete'' *1949 Greenbrier Pro-Am

Major championships

Wins (3)

Results timeline

LA = low amateur
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" = tied

Summary

*Most consecutive cuts made – 12 (1948 Masters – 1953 Masters) *Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (twice)

U.S. national team appearances

Professional *

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...

(winners), 1955 (winners),

1959 Events January * January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...

(winners) *

Canada Cup The Canada Cup () was an invitational international ice hockey tournament held on five occasions between 1976 and 1991. The brainchild of Toronto lawyer Alan Eagleson, the tournament was created to meet demand for a true world championship that a ...

* Hopkins Trophy: 1952 (winners), 1955 (winners), 1956 (winners)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Middlecoff, Cary American male golfers Ole Miss Rebels men's golfers PGA Tour golfers Winners of men's major golf championships Ryder Cup competitors for the United States World Golf Hall of Fame inductees American golf writers American golf commentators Golfers from Memphis, Tennessee United States Army personnel of World War II University of Tennessee alumni People from Halls, Tennessee 1921 births 1998 deaths 20th-century American sportsmen