Jerry Barber
5 ft 5+1⁄2 in (1.66 m)[1]
2 (senior)
(wins: 1)
PGA Player of the Year | 1961 |
---|
Carl Jerome Barber (April 25, 1916 – September 23, 1994) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour.[2][3] He had seven wins on tour, including a major title, the PGA Championship in 1961.
Born in Woodson, Illinois, Barber was one of nine children raised on an Illinois farm near Jacksonville,[3] and turned professional in 1942. Small in stature, he was one of the top putters of his era.[3]
Barber was a full-time member of the PGA Tour from 1948 to 1962. He played on two Ryder Cup teams, 1955 and 1961; and was also the team captain in 1961.[4] Barber earned a living primarily as a club professional like most of the touring pros of his generation; he worked at Los Angeles' Wilshire Country Club.[3] He was the Player of the Year on the PGA Tour in 1961, unseating Arnold Palmer for a year.
At the 1961 PGA Championship in Illinois near Chicago, heavy rains wiped out Friday's second round and it had to be replayed on Saturday, followed by the final two rounds on Sunday. Barber led after the second round but trailed Don January by four shots with three holes to play in the final round. In high heat and humidity, Barber made a twenty-foot (6 m) birdie putt at the 16th hole, a forty-foot (12 m) par-saving putt at 17, and a sixty-foot (18 m) birdie putt at 18 to tie January and force an 18-hole Monday playoff. Due to the double-rounds and a lengthy delay caused by another rainstorm in the morning, Barber and January did not complete their final rounds on Sunday until well past 8 pm. Barber won the playoff the next day by a single stroke when January bogeyed the 18th hole.[5][6][7][8] At age 45, he was the oldest player at the time to win a major title, surpassed seven years later by Julius Boros in 1968 at age 48.
Barber holds the record for the oldest player to ever play on the PGA Tour in February 1994, when he played in the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines at the age of 77 years, 10 months, and 9 days.[9] He died later that year, in September.[2]
Often referred to in the media as "little Jerry Barber," he stood 5 ft 5+1⁄2 in (1.66 m).[1]
In 1966, he portrayed himself in a guest appearance on episode #23 ("Watch the Birdie") of the television situation comedy I Dream of Jeannie.
Barber and his wife Lucile, who died as a result of cancer in 1968, had five children: Tom, Nancy, twins Sandra and Sally, and Roger.
Barber died in Glendale, California at the age of 78, after having mitral valve prolapse and suffering a stroke.[2][4]
Professional wins (13)
PGA Tour wins (7)
Legend |
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Major championships (1) |
Other PGA Tour (6) |
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Apr 5, 1953 | Azalea Open Invitational | 71-65-72-68=276 | −12 | 1 stroke | Doug Ford, Ted Kroll, Johnny Palmer |
2 | Aug 8, 1954 | All American Open | 68-70-70-69=277 | −11 | 1 stroke | Gene Littler |
3 | Jan 18, 1960 | Yorba Linda Open Invitational | 67-70-69-72=278 | −10 | 1 stroke | Billy Maxwell |
4 | May 8, 1960 | Tournament of Champions | 69-66-66-67=268 | −20 | 4 strokes | Jay Hebert |
5 | Apr 2, 1961 | Azalea Open Invitational (2) | 71-71-71=213 | −3 | Playoff | Chandler Harper |
6 | Jul 31, 1961 | PGA Championship | 69-67-71-70=277 | −3 | Playoff | Don January |
7 | Mar 31, 1963 | Azalea Open Invitational (3) | 69-68-70-67=274 | −14 | 5 strokes | Larry Beck, Bruce Crampton, Doug Ford, Billy Maxwell, Jack Rule Jr. |
PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1961 | PGA Championship | Don January | Won 18-hole playoff; Barber: −3 (67), January: −2 (68) |
Other wins (5)
this list may be incomplete
- 1950 Pennsylvania Open Championship
- 1951 Waterloo Open Golf Classic
- 1952 Waterloo Open Golf Classic
- 1959 California State Open, Southern California PGA Championship
Other senior wins (2)
- 1987 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Doug Ford)
- 1993 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Demaret Division
Playoff record
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1985 | Digital Seniors Classic | Lee Elder, Don January | Elder won with birdie on first extra hole |
Major championships
Wins (1)
Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1961 | PGA Championship | 2 shot deficit | −3 (69-67-71-70=277) | Playoff1 | Don January |
1Defeated Don January in an 18-hole Monday playoff, 67 to 68
Results timeline
Tournament | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | ||||
U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | ||
PGA Championship |
Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T21 | T6 | T56 | T6 | T26 | |||||
U.S. Open | CUT | WD | T30 | CUT | T9 | T35 | T19 | CUT | ||
PGA Championship | R64 | QF | R64 | R32 | T2 |
Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T34 | 37 | T5 | CUT | 48 | CUT | CUT | CUT | ||
U.S. Open | T9 | T34 | CUT | CUT | CUT | |||||
PGA Championship | T32 | 1 | CUT | T40 | WD | CUT | WD | CUT | CUT | CUT |
Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | ||||||||||
U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | CUT | |||||||
PGA Championship | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT |
Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | ||||
U.S. Open | ||||
PGA Championship | WD | CUT |
Note: Barber never played in The Open Championship.
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Summary
Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 9 |
U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 18 | 6 |
The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
PGA Championship | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 26 | 8 |
Totals | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 57 | 23 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 8 (1959 PGA – 1962 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1956 Masters – 1956 U.S. Open)
U.S. national team appearances
- Ryder Cup: 1955 (winners), 1961 (winners, captain)
- Hopkins Trophy: 1954 (winners), 1955 (winners)
- Diamondhead Cup: 1974 (winners)
See also
References
- ^ a b Seitz, Nick (June 2003). "Wizard with the wand: Jerry Barber's putting display at Olympia Fields in 1961 still astounds those who saw it". Golf Digest. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
- ^ a b c "Golf: Former champion Jerry Barber dies of heart failure". Los Angeles Times. staff and wire reports. September 24, 1994. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Cave, Ray (July 25, 1960). "A Barber with a razor edge". Sports Illustrated. pp. 40–5.
- ^ a b "Jerry Barber; Golf Champion, 78". The New York Times. September 25, 1994. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
- ^ "Barber Small and Old but Champion". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. August 1, 1961. p. 16. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
- ^ Wright, Alfred (August 7, 1961). "Rain, strain and a win". Sports Illustrated. pp. 10–1.
- ^ "Barber Defeats January by 1 Stroke To Win PGA Championship in Playoff". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. August 1, 1961. p. 16. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
- ^ "Tournament Info for: 1961 PGA Championship". PGA.com. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
- ^ "Oldest Golfer to Play in a PGA Tour Tournament". About.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
External links
- Jerry Barber at the PGA Tour official site
- GolfCompendium.com: 1961 PGA Championship
- Jerry Barber at Find a Grave
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era
- 1916 Jim Barnes
- 1919 Jim Barnes
- 1920 Jock Hutchison
- 1921 Walter Hagen
- 1922 Gene Sarazen
- 1923 Gene Sarazen
- 1924 Walter Hagen
- 1925 Walter Hagen
- 1926 Walter Hagen
- 1927 Walter Hagen
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- 1950 Chandler Harper
- 1951 Sam Snead
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- 1953 Walter Burkemo
- 1954 Chick Harbert
- 1955 Doug Ford
- 1956 Jack Burke Jr.
- 1957 Lionel Hebert
era
- 1958 Dow Finsterwald
- 1959 Bob Rosburg
- 1960 Jay Hebert
- 1961 Jerry Barber†
- 1962 Gary Player
- 1963 Jack Nicklaus
- 1964‡ Bobby Nichols
- 1965 Dave Marr
- 1966 Al Geiberger
- 1967 Don January†
- 1968 Julius Boros
- 1969‡ Raymond Floyd
- 1970 Dave Stockton
- 1971 Jack Nicklaus
- 1972 Gary Player
- 1973 Jack Nicklaus
- 1974 Lee Trevino
- 1975 Jack Nicklaus
- 1976 Dave Stockton
- 1977 Lanny Wadkins†
- 1978 John Mahaffey†
- 1979 David Graham†
- 1980 Jack Nicklaus
- 1981 Larry Nelson
- 1982‡ Raymond Floyd
- 1983‡ Hal Sutton
- 1984 Lee Trevino
- 1985 Hubert Green
- 1986 Bob Tway
- 1987 Larry Nelson†
- 1988 Jeff Sluman
- 1989 Payne Stewart
- 1990 Wayne Grady
- 1991 John Daly
- 1992 Nick Price
- 1993 Paul Azinger†
- 1994 Nick Price
- 1995 Steve Elkington†
- 1996 Mark Brooks†
- 1997 Davis Love III
- 1998 Vijay Singh
- 1999 Tiger Woods
- 2000‡ Tiger Woods†
- 2001 David Toms
- 2002 Rich Beem
- 2003 Shaun Micheel
- 2004 Vijay Singh†
- 2005 Phil Mickelson
- 2006 Tiger Woods
- 2007 Tiger Woods
- 2008 Pádraig Harrington
- 2009 Y. E. Yang
- 2010 Martin Kaymer†
- 2011 Keegan Bradley†
- 2012 Rory McIlroy
- 2013 Jason Dufner
- 2014 Rory McIlroy
- 2015 Jason Day
- 2016 Jimmy Walker
- 2017 Justin Thomas
- 2018 Brooks Koepka
- 2019 Brooks Koepka
- 2020 Collin Morikawa
- 2021 Phil Mickelson
- 2022 Justin Thomas†
- 2023 Brooks Koepka
- 2024‡ Xander Schauffele