William Hugh Royer Jr. (August 19, 1936 – September 12, 2014) 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 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Royer was born in

Eastman, Georgia Eastman is a city in Dodge County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,962 at the 2010 census. Named after one of the founders who contributed a site and paid for the county courthouse, the city was established in 1871, and is the county ...

. During his youth, his family moved to

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it o ...

, where 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 Fred Haskins and Charlie Harper at the Columbus Country Club. He attended the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh List ...

where his love for the sport of golf was further nurtured by the legendary coach

Howell Hollis Howell T. Hollis (March 18, 1903 – March 11, 1991) was a football player, football and golf coach and administrator at the University of Georgia. As the men's golf coach from 1946 – 1970 his teams won 13 Southeastern Conference champio ...

. While a student at

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

, Royer was a standout basketball player and captain of the golf team. He graduated with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

in Education (B.S.Ed.) degree in 1959. In 1958, he won the Georgia State Amateur and the

Southern Amateur The Southern Amateur is an amateur golf tournament. It has been played since 1902 and is organized by the Southern Golf Association. From 1902 to 1963, it was played at match play. Since 1964, it has been played at stroke play. In December 2021, ...

tournaments. He turned pro in 1959 and won the St. Charles Open in his first pro event. Royer won one PGA Tour event, the biggest win of his career, at the 1970

Western Open The Western Open was a professional golf tournament in the United States, for most of its history an event on the PGA Tour. The tournament's founding in 1899 actually pre-dated the start of the Tour, which is generally dated from 1916, the y ...

, then considered to be one of the most prestigious non-major tournaments in men's professional golf. His best finish in a major was T-22 at the 1968 U.S. Open. He spent 14 years playing on the PGA Tour. Like most professional golfers of his generation, Royer earned his living primarily as a club pro as very few could afford the

Tour Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...

full-time. He was head pro at

Callaway Gardens Callaway Resort & Gardens is a resort complex located near Pine Mountain in Harris County, Georgia, from LaGrange, Georgia. The world's largest azalea garden, this destination draws over 750,000 visitors annually. Callaway Gardens was ranked ...

from 1960 to 1966. Later, he was head pro at Bull Creek Golf Club in

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

. Royer served as president of the Georgia PGA and was honored as Georgia Golf Professional of the Year in 1983. He was inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in January 1989. Royer also coached golf at

Columbus State University Columbus State University is a public university in Columbus, Georgia. Founded as Columbus College in 1958, the university was established and is administered by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. History The universi ...

. During his tenure as Associate Coach, the Cougars of Columbus State won five NCAA Division II titles. Royer lived in Columbus, Georgia. His son,

Hugh Royer III Hugh Royer III (born February 13, 1964) is an American professional golfer and golf instructor. He is the son of Hugh Royer Jr., who played on the PGA Tour for 14 years and won the 1970 Western Open. Royer was born in Columbus, Georgia and spent ...

, is a professional golfer with multiple wins on the

Nike Tour Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...

Amateur wins

*1958 Georgia State Amateur,

Professional wins (7)

PGA Tour wins (1)

Other wins (6)

*1959 St. Charles Open *1963

Georgia PGA Championship The Georgia PGA Championship is a golf tournament that is the section championship of the Georgia section of the PGA of America. It has been played annually since 1962 at a variety of courses around the state. Winners *2022 Tim Weinhart *2021 Jab ...

*1964

*1968

Georgia Open The Georgia Open is the Georgia (USA) state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Georgia section of the PGA of America. It has been played annually since 1954 at a variety of courses around t ...

*1983 Atlanta Open *1989 Georgia Senior Open

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Royer, Hugh Jr. American male golfers Georgia Bulldogs men's golfers PGA Tour golfers College golf coaches in the United States Golfers from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Eastman, Georgia Sportspeople from Columbus, Georgia 1936 births 2014 deaths