Hole in 1: a history of Kappa Alpha golfers
Jay Langhammer | 10/4/2004 Over the last eight decades, Kappa Alpha Order undergraduates and alumni have created an amazing legacy in the game of golf. The first KA to receive All-American honors were Cary Middlecoff (Mississippi ‘40) in 1939, who then became Tennessee amateur champion from 1940 to 1943. He joined the professional ranks in 1947 and won a tournament every year until 1961. His 40 total wins ranks eighth in PGA Tour history and his major wins included the U.S. Open (1947,1956) and the Masters (1955). Cary finished second in earnings four times and won the 1956 Vardon Trophy for best stroke average. A three time Ryder Cup player (1953,1955,1959), he was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1986. After retiring from the game, he was a frequent commentator on televised tournaments for more than 10 years.
Gaining All-American recognition in 1948 was Gardner Dickinson (LSU ‘46), who joined the PGA Tour in 1952 and won money in 24 of his first 25 tournaments. Gardner ranked in the top 60 money winners each year from 1953-59, 1961-69 and in 1971, while winning seven tournaments and playing on two Ryder Cup teams (1967,1971). He joined the Senior PGA Tour in 1980 and later played the Georgia-Pacific Grand Champion Tour, winning three titles. In his pro career, Gardner won over $800,000 between the three Tours.
Eddie Merrins (LSU ‘51) won the Mississippi amateur title at 17, then was a three-time All-American for the Tigers, second place finisher at the 1952 NCAA tournament and Western amateur champion in 1955. He also played in four consecutive U.S. Amateur championships before becoming a successful pro, playing in more than 200 events between 1957 and 1961. The following year, he became head pro at the Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles and was there for the next 41 years. Eddie also was UCLA golf coach from 1975 through 1989, winning the NCAA championship in 1988 and earning induction into the Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1992.
Nicknamed “The Little Pro” for his teaching and instructional skills while at Bel-Air, Eddie has worked with hundreds of celebrities including Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise, Clint Eastwood, George C. Scott, Dean Martin and James Woods, among others. His 1973 instructional book “Swing the Handle, Not the Clubhead” is still available and was the basis for his most recent endeavorÑthe “Swing the Handle” video series. In 2003, Eddie became a charter inductee into the Southern California Golf Hall of Fame.
Also inducted into the Southern California Hall of Fame was Ely Callaway (Emory ‘37), a good player in the late 1930’s before starting his own golf manufacturing company in 1982. A distant relative of the legendary Bobby Jones, he was club champion at the Highland Country Club in LaGrange, GA from 1936 to 1939 before military service in World War II. After successful careers with Burlington Industries and the first successful Southern California winery, he started Callaway Golf in 1982 and the revolutionary Big Bertha driver was developed under his leadership, followed by the Great Big Bertha driver in 1995.
Don January (North Texas ‘53) anchored collegiate teams that won three straight national titles before he joined the pro ranks in 1956. He won 10 PGA Tour events, including the 1967 PGA Championship; earned $1,140,925; and was on Ryder Cup teams in 1965 and 1977. His best year was 1976, as he earned $163,122; won his second Tournament of Champions title; and won the Vardon Trophy. Don continued to play well after joining the PGA Senior Tour in 1980, winning 28 titles and being the top money winner in 1980, 1983 and 1984. He then joined the Champions Tour in 1990 and added 22 more championships. Don continued to play through 1998 and had total PGA earnings of $1,140,925.
Following on the heels of Gardner Dickinson and Eddie Merrins as an LSU All-American was Johnny Pott (LSU ‘54), a
collegiate All-American and medalist on the 1955 NCAA championship team. He turned pro in 1956 and was in the top 60 money winners each year between 1958 and 1969, winning nearly $400,000. Johnny won five tournaments and played on the Ryder Cup teams in 1963, 1965 and 1967. He also had numerous second place finishes, including a playoff loss to Arnold Palmer at the San Diego Open. His top year on the PGA Tour was 1965, as he finished 14th with earnings of nearly $51,000.
After leaving the PGA Tour, Johnny became project director for Unique Golf Concepts and was a marketing director at clubs in Oklahoma and North Carolina before becoming director of golf operations for Koll International. In 1986, he started playing in a few PGA Senior Tour events up until 1996. In recent years, Johnny has been an owner/senior vice president, design & construction for Landmark Golf Company in LaQuinta, Calif.
One of the top amateurs of the 1950’s was Billy Joe Patton (Wake Forest ‘40), the low amateur at the U.S. Open from 1952 to 1954. He placed third (behind Ben Hogan and Sam Snead) at the 1954 Masters and was the top amateur at the 1958 Masters. A long hitter with one of the era’s quickest swings, he was on the Walker Cup squad in 1955-59,1963,1965 and was non-playing captain in 1969. He was also on the U.S. team for the Americas Cup in 1954-58 and 1963 and the U.S. World Amateur Team in 1958 and 1962.
Tommy Aaron (Florida ‘56) was a member of the 1959 Walker Cup team and won the 1960 Western Amateur before joining the PGA Tour. He was on two Ryder Cup teams (1969,1973) and had a best earnings year of $118,924 for ninth place in 1972. Tommy won the Masters in 1973 and finished with $925,061 in PGA Tour earnings. After joining the Champions Tour, he had his most productive year ($459,230) in 1992 with a win at the Kaanapali Classic. Prior to this year, he had earned $2,721,242 on the Champions Tour and is a member of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
The first outstanding golfer from Beta Sigma chapter at USC was Al Geiberger (Southern California ‘58), who won the 1954 National Jaycee title and later became a two-time All-American before turning pro. He has won 11 tournaments in 25 years on the PGA Tour (including the 1966 PGA Championship); 10 titles on the Champions Tour; nine tournaments on the Georgia-Pacific Grand Champions Tour; and five other events. On June 10, 1977, he became the first player to break 60 in an official PGA Tour event, shooting 59 at the Danny Thomas-Memphis Classic. One of his biggest wins was the 1966 PGA Championship and he was a member of the 1967 and 1975 Ryder Cup Teams. Going into the 2004 season, Al’s career earnings were $6,548,183.
As Al was departing USC for the PGA Tour, Dave Stockton (Southern California ‘61) joined the house. After earning All-American honors in 1962-63, he joined the Tour in 1964 and ranked among the top 60 money winners each year from 1967 to 1978. Dave won 10 PGA Tour titles, including the 1976 PGA Championship, and played on the 1971 and 1977 Ryder Cup squads before serving as 1991 Ryder Cup captain. Since joining the Champions Tour in 1991, he has won over 10 million of his total career earnings of $11,378,568 (at the start of the 2004 season). He ranked number one in earnings in both 1993 and 1994; placed third in 1995; was fifth in 1996; and seventh in 1992.
Another KA golfer from the University of North Texas played on the PGA Tour in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Bill Garrett (North Texas ‘59) turned pro in 1964 and collected one career PGA Tour victory, the Coral Springs Open. After three rounds, he was tied with Lee Trevino and played well in the final round to clinch the win. After leaving the PGA Tour, Bill played in some Champions Tour events, winning $130,134.
One of the top current players on the Champions Tour, Jay Sigel (Wake Forest ‘63) was a top amateur player for three decades before turning pro at age 50 in 1994. As a collegian, he was a second team All-American in 1964 and a third team All-American in 1963. A member of nine Walker Cup teams, he holds the record for most appearances and total points won. Jay also played on a record seven American teams in the World Amateur Team Championships; won the 1979 British Amateur title; took back-to-back U.S. Amateur crowns in 1982-83; and was low amateur at the 1981,1982 and 1988 Masters.
Since joining the Champions Tour, Jay has won eight championships and surpassed a million in earnings three times (1996-98). He went over the eight million dollar mark in career earnings this season. Jay was inducted into the Collegiate Golf Coaches of America Hall of Fame in 1988; the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1993; and is included in the list of 100 Heroes of American Golf. He was named 1994 Professional Athlete of the Year and 2000 Most Courageous Athlete by the Philadelphia Sportswriters Association.
Sherman Finger (Southern California ‘63) was a three time All-American and Pacific-10 medalist in 1964-65-66, while leading USC to third place at the NCAA meet all three years. He played briefly on the PGA Tour. Rick Rhoads (Southern California ‘65) was a second team All-American in 1965-66 before playing on the PGA Tour from 1968 to 1975. He became head pro at the San Francisco Golf Club in 1976 and was later promoted to general manager & director of golf.
Kemp Richardson (Southern California ‘66) was an All-American and Pacific-10 medalist in 1967-68. He was runner up at the 1968 Western Amateur and tied for second at the 1968 Southern California Golf Association meet. Kemp bypassed the PGA Tour but continued playing as a founding member of the El Niguel Country Club. In 1999 and 2000, he was low amateur at the U.S. Senior Open and was 2001 U.S. Senior Amateur and British Senior Open champion. In 2003, he again won the U.S. Senior Amateur title.
Vaughn Moise (LSU ‘69) was an All-American and SEC Medalist in 1969 and All-SEC in 1969-70. He continued playing after graduation and lost the 1994 U.S. Amateur title to Tiger Woods while playing out of the Clubs of Kingwood (TX) at Deerwood. Vaughn has served the PGA as a Tour Official for a number of years, working 30 tournaments a year. He currently is part of the staff working with the Champions Tour.
The Order’s second member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, Ben Crenshaw (Texas ‘71) has been one of the game’s top players. As a collegian, he won three NCAA titles (1971-73) and the Fred Haskins Award as outstanding collegiate player all three years. He played on the PGA Tour from 1974 to 2001 and had two Masters victories (1984,1995) among his 19 victories. Since joining the Champions Tour in 2002, he has won $872,079 to run his career earnings to $7,527,205 (prior to the start of the 2004 season). Ben played on four Ryder Cup teams (1981,1983,1987,1995) and was captain of the 1999 Ryder Cup squad. He was also on two U.S. World Cup teams (1985,1988); served as American captain in the 1988 Kirin Cup; and played on the 1995 U.S. Dunhill Cup team.
Lyn Lott (Georgia ‘69) was an All-American in 1971-72 and helped lead the Bulldogs to four straight Southeastern Conference titles. He also won the 1971 Tennessee Classic and Junior-Senior Collegiate in addition to taking the Georgia Amateur crown in 1972. He played on the PGA Tour from 1974 to 1984, posting several second and third place finishes and finishing seventh, ninth and 12th at three U.S. Opens. Lyn earned more than $325,000 as a pro and has also played on the Hooters Tour (1989, 1992) and the Champions Tour. He is a member of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
Jim Simons (Wake Forest ‘70) earned All-American honors twice; was on the 1971-72 Walker Cup squads; and was low amateur at the 1971-72 U.S. Opens. He joined the PGA Tour in 1972 and played until 1988 when he quit to devote full time to his stock brokerage business. He won three tournaments and $981,056 on the PGA Tour before playing some Champions Tour events the last several seasons. Another fine collegiate golfer during the 1970’s was Jim White (Clemson ‘76), who earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors three times and was medalist at the ACC championship.
Peter Persons (Georgia ‘82) was an All-American in 1985-86, SEC Medalist in 1985 and SEC Player of the Year in 1986. He played on the 1989 Hooters Tour, the 1991 Nationwide Tour and the 1994 Nike Tour (which included a tie for sixth at the Dominion Open). In 1996, he ranked 26th on the Nationwide Tour with earnings of $65,748, which included a tie for second at the Tallahassee Open and a tie for third at the Texarkana Open. Pete also played on the 1996 Nationwide Tour with a best ninth place tie at the South Carolina Classic. Another good 1980’s player was Norman Chapman (Clemson ‘82), who earned All-ACC honors in 1982-83.
Franklin Langham (Georgia ‘87) earned All-American honors in 1991 and was a member of the victorious Walker Cup squad that year. He played on the Hooters Tour in 1989 and the Nationwide Tour in 1993-1995 (placing fourth in winnings to earn his PGA Tour card for 1996). He had his first good PGA Tour year in 1998 ($248,412) then reached $1,604,952 for 26th place on the money list in 2000. Franklin returned to the Nationwide Tour in 2003 and has done well so far this summer in an effort to return to the PGA Tour next year. In his pro career, he had won $3,408,068 prior to this season.
Beginning a pro career over the last several seasons has been John Pitt (Vanderbilt ‘97), who has played on the PGA European Tour in 2003-04 and the Nationwide Tour this year. Also in several Hooters Tour events during 2003 was Brandon LaCroix (Duke ‘99). Hoping for a pro career is Gregg Jones (Clemson ‘00), who concluded a stellar four year career this spring with a career stroke average of 72.65 over 142 rounds, 12 Top Ten finishes and 27 rounds in the 60’s.
Several other KA brothers have been involved with the PGA Tour as executives. Mike Diffenderffer (Missouri ‘60) currently serves as director of marketing for the Tournament Players Club after serving as national director of marketing & membership for PGA Tour Properties. Vernon Kelly (Florida ‘60) has been President of PGA Golf Course Properties for a number of years and Ben Nelson (Mississippi State ‘63) was a Tour Official for a few years before retiring in 2003.
Among those serving as club pros have been Steve Albright (North Carolina ‘89), Tobin Ayers (Auburn ‘95), John Buczek (Wake Forest ‘66), David Calhoun (Mississippi State ‘86), Tom Cecil (Mississippi ‘92), Kelly Jones (Birmingham Southern ‘91), Victor Lipscomb (Wofford ‘67), George Lodge (Missouri ‘80), Mike McClendon (Memphis State ‘84) Jeff Peltz (McNeese State ‘85), William Reed (Georgia Southern ‘95), William Richardson (Valdosta State ‘92), William Schober (Midwestern ‘74), Les Stradley (Furman ‘69), John Walker (Clemson ‘96) and Jeff Wilson (Western Carolina ‘77). Involved with college programs have been Bucky Ayers (Auburn ‘66), the director of golf at Auburn; current Presbyterian golf coach Tommy Addison (Presbyterian ‘74) and former Missouri-Rolla head coach H.C. Mercer (Missouri ‘56), among others.
|
