Jerry Pate

Jerry Pate
Pate after winning the 1974 U.S. Amateur Championship
Personal information
Full name Jerome Kendrick Pate
Born (1953-09-16) September 16, 1953
Macon, Georgia
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 13 st)
Nationality  United States
Residence Pensacola, Florida
Spouse Soozi Nelson Pate
(m. 1975)[1][2]
Children 1 daughter, 2 sons
Career
College University of Alabama
Turned professional 1975
Current tour(s) PGA Tour Champions
Former tour(s) PGA Tour
Professional wins 15
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour 8
Japan Golf Tour 2
PGA Tour Champions 2
Other 3
Best results in major championships
(wins: 1)
Masters Tournament T3: 1982
U.S. Open Won: 1976
The Open Championship T15: 1977
PGA Championship 2nd: 1978

Jerome Kendrick "Jerry" Pate (born September 16, 1953) is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour Champions, formerly on the PGA Tour. As a 22-year-old rookie, he won the U.S. Open in 1976.[3][4][5][6]

Early years

Born in Macon, Georgia,[7] Pate grew up in the panhandle of Florida at Pensacola.[1][8] He attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and played on its Crimson Tide golf team. He had a distinguished amateur career with a win at the U.S. Amateur in 1974,[9][10][11] and was a member of victorious U.S. teams at the Eisenhower Trophy competition later that year and for the Walker Cup in May 1975 at St Andrews in Scotland.[12] A few weeks later, he tied Walker Cup teammate Jay Haas of Wake Forest for low amateur at the U.S. Open, finishing in a six-way tie for eighteenth place at Medinah, outside Chicago.[13][14]

PGA Tour

Pate turned professional in 1975,[7] and was the medalist at the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament at Orlando in November.[15][16] During his rookie season in 1976, he won the U.S. Open,[3][4][5] his only major championship victory, and the Canadian Open, where he closed with a 63 to win by four strokes over runner-up Jack Nicklaus.[17][18] Pate was selected as the Rookie of the Year and Co-Player of the Year.

Six more tour victories followed between 1977 and 1982, as well as several other titles around the world. He was a member of the victorious Ryder Cup team in 1981, but shoulder injuries curtailed his career; his final win on the PGA Tour came at age 28.[19] That final victory was the Tournament Players Championship in 1982, the first held at TPC at Sawgrass. Pate celebrated by throwing course designer Pete Dye and PGA Tour chief Deane Beman into the lake adjacent to the 18th green, then jumped in himself.[20][21][22] He had also jumped in the water after a victory the previous June, after going nearly three years without a win.[23][24]

Later years

Pate later served as a broadcast analyst (ABC, CBS, BBC) and set up a golf course design practice and a turf and irrigation company.[19] During the years between his regular and senior careers, Pate returned to the University of Alabama to complete his bachelor's degree in administrative science;[7] his daughter, Jenni, received her degree at the same graduation ceremony in 2001.[19] He designed the Kiva Dunes in 1995 and the Ol' Colony Golf Complex in 2000,[25] which is the home course for the Alabama Crimson Tide golf team. In 2006, he earned his first Champions Tour win at the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am. Pate has been forced by health problems, including arthroscopic left-knee surgery in 2010, to begin limiting his Champions Tour appearances.[19] Pate now owns a golf cart and golf course design company, the Jerry Pate Company. The company is based in Pensacola, Florida with branches in Birmingham, Alabama and Atlanta, Georgia.

Amateur wins (1)

Professional wins (15)

PGA Tour wins (8)

Legend
Major championships (1)
Players Championships (1)
Other PGA Tour (6)
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin
of victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 Jun 20, 1976 U.S. Open 71-69-69-68=277 −3 2 strokes United States Al Geiberger, United States Tom Weiskopf
2 Jul 25, 1976 Canadian Open 69-67-68-63=267 −13 4 strokes United States Jack Nicklaus
3 Jan 9, 1977 Phoenix Open 67-67-70-73=277 −7 Playoff United States Dave Stockton
4 Oct 23, 1977 Southern Open 64-67-69-66=266 −14 7 strokes United States Phil Hancock, United States Mac McLendon,
United States Johnny Miller, United States Steve Taylor
5 Sep 10, 1978 Southern Open (2) 67-67-66-69=269 −11 1 stroke United States Phil Hancock
6 Jun 28, 1981 Danny Thomas Memphis Classic 69-70-66-69=274 −14 2 strokes United States Tom Kite, United States Bruce Lietzke
7 Oct 18, 1981 Pensacola Open 66-69-65-71=271 −17 3 strokes United States Steve Melnyk
8 Mar 21, 1982 Tournament Players Championship 70-73-70-67=280 −8 2 strokes United States Brad Bryant, United States Scott Simpson

PGA Tour playoff record (1–2)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1977 Phoenix Open United States Dave Stockton Won with birdie on first extra hole
2 1978 PGA Championship United States John Mahaffey, United States Tom Watson Mahaffey won with birdie on second extra hole
3 1980 Sea Pines Heritage United States Doug Tewell Lost to par on first extra hole

Japan Golf Tour wins (2)

Other wins (3)

PGA Tour Champions wins (2)

No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin
of victory		 Runners-up
1 Feb 26, 2006 Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am 68-68-66=202 −11 1 stroke United States Morris Hatalsky, United States Hale Irwin, England Mark James
2 Jan 27, 2008 Turtle Bay Championship 71-70-70=211 −5 2 strokes South Africa Fulton Allem, United States Jim Thorpe

PGA Tour Champions playoff record (0–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentsResult
1 2005 Senior PGA Championship United States Dana Quigley, United States Mike Reid Reid won with birdie on first extra hole

Major championships

Wins (1)

YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunners-up
1976U.S. Open2 shot deficit−3 (71-69-69-68=277)2 strokesUnited States Al Geiberger, United States Tom Weiskopf

Results timeline

Tournament 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
Masters Tournament 37 T14 T18 T41
U.S. Open T18 LA 1 CUT T16 T2
The Open Championship CUT T15 WD T26
PGA Championship T4 5 T2 T5
Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Masters Tournament T6 T5 T3
U.S. Open CUT T26 CUT CUT CUT CUT
The Open Championship T16 T19 WD
PGA Championship T10 T11 T9 T23 CUT
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship CUT
Tournament 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open
The Open Championship
PGA Championship CUT
Tournament 2010 2011
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open
The Open Championship
PGA Championship CUT
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

LA = Low amateur
CUT = missed the halfway cut (3rd round cut in 1976 Open Championship)
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place.

Summary

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament00123577
U.S. Open110224125
The Open Championship00000374
PGA Championship010468128
Totals121411203824
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (1980 Open Championship – 1982 Masters)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (twice)

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

Professional

See also

References

  1. 1 2 McKenzie, Mike (June 21, 1976). "Soozi sunshine". Tuscaloosa News. (Alabama). p. 11.
  2. ↑ Deason, Lauren (February 13, 2008). "Love stories from the Tour". PGA Tour. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  3. 1 2 Jenkins, Dan (June 28, 1976). "You were great, Jerry Pate". Sports Illustrated. p. 18.
  4. 1 2 Husar, John (June 21, 1976). "Rookie Pate beats odds, wins Open". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, sec. 6.
  5. 1 2 Mizell, Hubert (June 21, 1976). "Pate clinches Open on perfect shot". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). p. 1C.
  6. ↑ McKenzie, Mike (June 21, 1976). "Drama got it!". Tuscaloosa News. (Alabama). p. 1.
  7. 1 2 3 "PGA Tour Profile – Jerry Pate". PGA Tour. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Pate: something extra in Pensacola". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. (Florida). Associated Press. October 27, 1977. p. 3C.
  9. ↑ Tomashek, Tom (September 1, 1974). "Pate defeats Grace in U.S. Amateur". Chicago Tribune. p. 4, sec.3.
  10. ↑ "Pate rallies by Grace". Sunday Star-News. (Wilmington, North Carolina). UPI. September 1, 1974. p. 1C.
  11. ↑ "Collegian Jerry Pate wins amateur crown". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. September 1, 1974. p. 3, sports.
  12. ↑ "U.S. retains Walker Cup". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. May 30, 1975. p. 4, sec. 4.
  13. ↑ Tomashek, Tom (June 23, 1975). "Graham, Mahaffey in Open playoff". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, sec. 4.
  14. ↑ "Medinah showdown". Tuscaloosa News. (Alabama). Associated Press. June 23, 1975. p. 9.
  15. ↑ "Golf: PGA Fall Qualifying at Orlando, Fla". Chicago Tribune. November 9, 1975. p. 10, sec. 3.
  16. ↑ "PGA Tour career". Jerry Pate's official site. Archived from the original on April 30, 2011. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Pate shoots 63 to beat Nicklaus". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. July 26, 1976. p. 6, sec. 6.
  18. ↑ "Jerry Pate adds another national title". Tuscaloosa News. (Alabama). Associated Press. July 26, 1976. p. 7.
  19. 1 2 3 4 "PGA Tour Media Guide – Jerry Pate". Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Pate charges at end, then takes cool dip". Tuscaloosa News. (Alabama). Associated Press. March 22, 1982. p. 9.
  21. ↑ Jenkins, Dan (March 29, 1982). "Last one in is a winner". Sports Illustrated. p. 24.
  22. ↑ "In the swim of things". Chicago Tribune. March 22, 1982. p. 4, sec. 4.
  23. ↑ "Pate ends drought with Memphis swim". Chicago Tribune. June 29, 1981. p. 2, sec. 4.
  24. ↑ "The dry spell ends with a splash for Jerry Pate". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. June 29, 1981. p. 5C.
  25. ↑ "Jerry Pate Golf Course Design". Retrieved April 29, 2011.
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