Jimmy Wright (golfer)

Jimmy Wright (born December 1, 1939) is an American professional golfer.

Jimmy Wright
Personal information
Born (1939-12-01) December 1, 1939
Bentonville, Arkansas
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight190 lb (86 kg; 14 st)
Nationality United States
SpouseJoyce McGugin
Career
CollegeOklahoma State University
Turned professional1961
Retired1985
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins12
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT29: 1970
PGA Championship4th: 1969
U.S. OpenCUT: 1970, 1971, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1982
The Open ChampionshipCUT: 1974

Biography

Wright was born on a farm in Bentonville, Arkansas. At the age of 10, he moved to Enid, Oklahoma where he spent most of his youth. He started caddying at a local golf course when he was 12 and began playing golf the following year. He shot a 72 on the first 9 holes he ever played. Five years later, on the same par-36 nine holes, he shot an 8-under-par 28. In 1957, he won the State High School Championship.

After high school, Wright attended Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration in January 1962. Wright was an All-American for three years at Oklahoma State (at the time freshmen were not allowed to compete). He was the only sophomore to make the All-American team.

In 1960, Wright won the Oklahoma State Amateur Championship. In September 1961, he turned professional and won the first professional tournament he entered. After graduating from college, he played the PGA Tour part-time in 1962 and 1963.

Wright joined the National Guard in 1963 and headed off to basic military training. Upon fulfilling his active duty obligation to the National Guard, he returned home to marry Joyce McGugin in March 1964.

Shortly thereafter, Wright resumed his golf career and was selected for the number one assistant position at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York, where he worked under the tutelage of respected and noted golf instructor Claude Harmon. Wright was at Winged Foot from 1964 until the fall of 1965 when he was selected as the Head Professional of the Inwood Country Club in Long Island, New York. While at Inwood, Wright played part-time on the PGA Tour, making 48 starts between 1968 and 1972.[1]

After a decade at Inwood, Wright replaced Herman Barron as the head golf professional of the Fenway Golf Club[2] in Scarsdale, New York. He held this position from 1976 to 1988, when he accepted the position as head golf professional at The Falls Country Club in Lake Worth, Florida. Five years later, Wright became the Director of Golf at The Oaks Club in Osprey, Florida. Wright worked at The Oaks until 2002 before embarking on an enterprise of opening a golf retail store in Sarasota, Florida called The Wright Approach.

In 2005, Wright closed his store and accepted a position as the Director of Golf at a new premier private club in Bradenton, Florida called The Concession Golf Club [3] - a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course designed in association with Tony Jacklin. The Concession, which was honored as the "Best New Private Course" of 2006 by Golf Digest, commemorates one of the greatest acts of sportsmanship in the history of golf, when Nicklaus conceded a two-foot putt to Jacklin in the 1969 Ryder Cup matches. Wright's love for and commitment to The Concession Golf Club and the traditions of the game and competitive play continues today in the role of Tournament Director.[4]

Professional wins (12)

U.S. national team appearances
  • PGA Cup: 1975 (winners), 1979, 1982 (winners)

Accomplishments

Holder of 15 course records:

PGA Club Professional records:

  • Only club professional to compete in the Masters Tournament in the past 50 years
  • Highest finish of a club professional in the PGA Championship since it went to the stroke play format, 1969[9]
  • Played in 21 major championships
  • Won 118 professional golf tournaments

References
  1. Sal Johnson and Dave Seanor, ed. (2009). The USA Today Golfers Encyclopedia. New York, New York: Skyhorse Publishing. p. 591. ISBN 978-1-60239-302-8.
  2. "Fenway Golf Club". Fenway Golf Club. Retrieved 2010-12-08.
  3. "The Concession Golf Club". Theconcession.com. Retrieved 2010-12-08.
  4. "Golf Digest Names The Concession Golf Club & Residences Best New Private Course 2006. - Free Online Library". Thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2010-12-08.
  5. PGA Championship Media Guide entry
  6. "PGA Tour Career Profile". Databasegolf.com. Retrieved 2010-12-08.
  7. "Masters History for Jimmy Wright". Databasegolf.com. Retrieved 2010-12-08.
  8. "Metropolitan Hall of Fame". Met.pga.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2010-12-08.
  9. "1969 PGA Championship Golf Tournament Scores and Recap". Golf.about.com. 2010-07-27. Retrieved 2010-12-08.
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