Don January

Don January
 Golfer 
Personal information
Full name Donald Ray January
Born (1929-11-20) November 20, 1929
Plainview, Texas
Nationality  United States
Spouse Patricia
Children Sherry, Richard, Tim
Career
College North Texas State College
Turned professional 1956
Retired 1999
Former tour(s) PGA Tour
Senior PGA Tour
Professional wins 44
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour 10
PGA Tour Champions 22 (tied 6th all time)
Other 12
Best results in major championships
(wins: 1)
Masters Tournament T4: 1971
U.S. Open 3rd: 1967
The Open Championship DNP
PGA Championship Won: 1967
Achievements and awards
Vardon Trophy 1976

Donald Ray January (born November 20, 1929) is an American retired professional golfer.

Early life

Born in Plainview, Texas, January graduated from Sunset High School in Dallas. He was a member of the North Texas State golf team that won four consecutive NCAA Division I titles from 1949-52.

While in college as a sophomore, as part of his scholarship, he helped teach a beginning golf class, where he met his future wife, Patricia "Pat" Rushing. They both graduated in 1953 and eloped to Ardmore, Oklahoma. They lived in San Antonio while Don was in the Air Force, and began their family — two boys and a girl.[1]

Professional career

January won 10 PGA Tour titles, though never more than one in a year, with his most notable at the 1967 PGA Championship, an 18-hole playoff victory over Don Massengale. January had lost the 1961 PGA Championship in a playoff to Jerry Barber when his 68, the lowest losing score ever in an 18-hole playoff for a major championship, was bested by Barber's 67. He won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average in 1976 at the age of 47. He was a member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team in both 1965 and 1977.

January was responsible for a change to the Rules of Golf. During the 1963 Phoenix Open, January had a putt roll up to the lip of the hole and stop. January claimed that the ball was still moving, and waited for seven minutes for the ball to drop (it never did).[2] Rule 16-2 was revised in 1964 to state that players had to tap the ball in within ten seconds or be penalized.[3]

In the period between his last PGA Tour win and the start of the Senior PGA Tour, January devoted most of his professional efforts to a golf course design business, JanMart Enterprises, that he had established with fellow Texan and PGA Tour golfer Billy Martindale.

January is well known for his success on the Senior PGA Tour (now the Champions Tour),[4] winning 22 events including two PGA Seniors' Championships. He won the first official event on the Senior PGA Tour – the 1980 Atlantic City Senior International.[5]

The Don January Golf Classic is a golf tournament played annually in the spring that was established to honor him in 1990 by his alma mater, now known as the University of North Texas.

Professional wins (44)

PGA Tour wins (10)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin
of victory
Runner(s)-up
1 May 27, 1956 Dallas Centennial Open −12 (64-67-70-67=268) 1 stroke United States Dow Finsterwald, United States Doug Ford
2 Feb 21, 1960 Tucson Open Invitational −9 (67-67-68-69=271) 3 strokes United States Bob Harris
3 Jul 9, 1961 St. Paul Open Invitational −19 (66-71-68-64=269) 1 stroke United States Buster Cupit
4 Feb 17, 1963 Tucson Open Invitational −22 (65-67-69-65=266) 11 strokes United States Gene Littler, United States Phil Rodgers
5 Aug 28, 1966 Philadelphia Golf Classic −10 (69-69-69-71=278) 1 stroke United States Jack Nicklaus
6 Jul 24, 1967 PGA Championship −7 (71-72-70-68=281) Playoff United States Don Massengale
7 Apr 21, 1968 Tournament of Champions −8 (70-68-69-69=276) 1 stroke United States Julius Boros
8 Mar 23, 1970 Greater Jacksonville Open −9 (68-75-70-66=279) Playoff United States Dale Douglass
9 Oct 19, 1975 San Antonio Texas Open −13 (71-67-71-66=275) Playoff United States Larry Hinson
10 Apr 18, 1976 MONY Tournament of Champions −11 (71-68-69-69=277) 5 strokes United States Hubert Green

PGA Tour playoff record (3–5)

No.  Year  TournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1956 Western Open United States Mike Fetchick, United States Doug Ford,
United States Jay Hebert
Fetchick won 18-hole playoff
(Fetchick:66, Hebert:71, Ford:72, January:75)
2 1961 PGA Championship United States Jerry Barber Lost 18-hole playoff (Barber:67, January:68)
3 1964 Lucky International Open United States Chi Chi Rodriguez Lost 18-hole playoff (Rodriguez:70, January:71)
4 1967 PGA Championship United States Don Massengale Won 18-hole playoff (January:69, Massengale:71 )
5 1969 Kaiser International Open Invitational United States George Archer, United States Billy Casper,
United States Jack Nicklaus
Nicklaus won with birdie on second extra hole
January eliminated with birdie on first hole
6 1970 Greater Jacksonville Open United States Dale Douglass Won 18-hole playoff (January:69, Douglass:72)
7 1971 Houston Champions International United States Hubert Green Lost to birdie on first extra hole
8 1975 San Antonio Texas Open United States Larry Hinson Won with birdie on second extra hole

Major championship is shown in bold.

Other wins

This list may be incomplete

Senior PGA Tour wins (22)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin
of victory
Runner(s)-up
1 Jun 22, 1980 Atlantic City Senior International −5 (68-71-69=208) 2 strokes United States Mike Souchak
2 Apr 5, 1981 Michelob-Egypt Temple Senior Classic −8 (71-7072-67=280) Playoff United States Doug Ford
3 Jun 7, 1981 Eureka Federal Savings Classic −5 (71-69-68=208) 2 strokes United States Bob Goalby
4 Apr 4, 1982 Michelob Senior Classic −10 (73-69-67-69=278) 3 strokes United States Dow Finsterwald
5 Dec 5, 1982 PGA Seniors Championship E (74-75-69-70=288) 1 stroke United States Julius Boros
6 Jun 5, 1983 Gatlin Brothers Seniors Golf Classic −8 (71-67-68=208 Playoff United States Billy Casper
7 Jun 26, 1983 Peter Jackson Champions −10 (68-67-71-68=274) 2 strokes United States Miller Barber
8 Jul 3, 1983 Marlboro Classic −11 (69-72-68-64=273) 3 strokes United States Miller Barber, United States Gay Brewer
9 Aug 21, 1983 Denver Post Champions of Golf −17 (70-65-67-69=271) 4 strokes United States Billy Casper, United States Doug Sanders
10 Sep 4, 1983 Citizens Union Senior Golf Classic −19 (67-67-65-70=269) 3 strokes United States Bob Stone
11 Oct 16, 1983 Suntree Classic −14 (69-66-68-71=274) 3 strokes United States Arnold Palmer
12 Mar 25, 1984 The Vintage Invitational −8 (70-72-72-66=280) 4 strokes United States Miller Barber
13 Aug 12, 1984 du Maurier Champions −19 (65-63-66=194) 5 strokes United States Miller Barber, United States Lee Elder
14 Sep 23, 1984 Digital Middlesex Classic −7 (70-70-69=209) 4 strokes United States Orville Moody
15 Mar 24, 1985 Senior PGA Tour Roundup −18 (65-69-64=198) 3 strokes United States Gene Littler
16 May 12, 1985 Dominion Seniors −10 (69-70-67=206) 2 strokes United States Gay Brewer
17 May 19, 1985 United Hospitals Senior Golf Championship −5 (69-66=135) 5 strokes Canada Al Balding
18 Jul 7, 1985 The Greenbrier American Express Championship −16 (70-64-66=200) 2 strokes United States Lee Elder
19 Jun 8, 1986 Senior Players Reunion Pro-Am −13 (66-68-69=203) 2 strokes United States Chi-Chi Rodríguez
20 Jul 13, 1986 The Greenbrier American Express Championship −9 (70-66-71-207) Playoff United States Jim Ferree
21 Nov 2, 1986 Seiko-Tucson Match Play Championship 70 to 71 New Zealand Bob Charles
22 Jan 10, 1987 MONY Senior Tournament of Champions −1 (67-72-73-75=287) Playoff United States Butch Baird

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (4–1)

No.  Year  TournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1981 Michelob-Egypt Temple Senior Classic United States Doug Ford Won with birdie on first extra hole
2 1983 Gatlin Brothers Seniors Golf Classic United States Billy Casper Won with par on fifth extra hole
3 1985 Digital Seniors Classic United States Jerry Barber, United States Lee Elder Elder won with birdie on first extra hole
4 1986 The Greenbrier American Express Championship United States Jim Ferree Won with par on first extra hole
5 1987 MONY Senior Tournament of Champions United States Butch Baird Won with birdie on fourth extra hole

Senior major championship is shown in bold.

Other senior wins (11)

Major championships

Wins (1)

YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner-up
1967 PGA Championship 4 shot deficit −7 (71-72-70-68=281) Playoff1 United States Don Massengale

1Defeated Massengale in an 18-hole playoff, 69 to 71.

Results timeline

Tournament 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
Masters Tournament DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 36
U.S. Open CUT DNP DNP DNP CUT DNP T7 T19
PGA Championship DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T49
Tournament 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
Masters Tournament T20 T4 T20 T9 T18 CUT T6 T26 T14 T5
U.S. Open DNP CUT CUT 11 T11 CUT T17 3 T24 WD
PGA Championship 5 2 T27 T40 CUT DNP T12 1 T51 T15
Tournament 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
Masters Tournament T12 T4 CUT T10 DNP DNP T33 T8 T11 CUT
U.S. Open DNP T27 T11 DNP DNP T29 T14 DNP DNP DNP
PGA Championship T12 CUT CUT DNP DNP T10 T2 T6 T19 T7
Tournament 1980 1981 1982
Masters Tournament CUT DNP DNP
U.S. Open DNP DNP DNP
PGA Championship CUT T19 CUT

Note: January never played in The Open Championship.
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10

Summary

Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 0 0 0 3 7 13 20 16
U.S. Open 0 0 1 1 2 9 17 11
The Open Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
PGA Championship 1 2 0 4 7 12 21 16
Totals 1 2 1 8 16 34 58 43

Champions Tour major championships

Wins (1)

YearChampionshipWinning scoreMarginRunner-up
1982 Senior PGA Championship E (74-75-69-70=288) 1 stroke United States Julius Boros

See also

References

  1. http://northtexan.unt.edu/content/par-success
  2. "Player cools heels 7 minutes; Misses putt, miffed at January". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. February 15, 1963. p. 4, part 2.
  3. Zullo, Allan (2001). Astonishing but True Golf Facts. Forest Fairview, North Carolina: Andrew McMeels Publishing. ISBN 0-7407-1426-0.
  4. "Golfer profile: Don January". Las Vegas Review-Journal. April 21, 1998. Archived from the original on June 25, 2003.
  5. Bingham, Walter (February 16, 1998). "Built To Last". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/24/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.