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Jerry Barber

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Jerry Barber
Personal information
Full nameCarl Jerome Barber
Born(1916-04-25)April 25, 1916
Woodson, Illinois, U.S.
DiedSeptember 23, 1994(1994-09-23) (aged 78)
Glendale, California, U.S.
Height5 ft 5+1⁄2 in (1.66 m)[1]
Weight137 lb (62 kg; 9.8 st)
Sporting nationality United States
SpouseLucile Barber
Children5
Career
Turned professional1942
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins14
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour7
Other5 (regular)
2 (senior)
Best results in major championships
(wins: 1)
Masters TournamentT5: 1962
PGA ChampionshipWon: 1961
U.S. OpenT9: 1956, 1960
The Open ChampionshipDNP
Achievements and awards
PGA Player of the Year1961

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)

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PGA Tour wins (7)

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Legend
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 United States Doug Ford, United States Ted Kroll,
United States Johnny Palmer
2 Aug 8, 1954 All American Open 68-70-70-69=277 −11 1 stroke United States Gene Littler
3 Jan 18, 1960 Yorba Linda Open Invitational 67-70-69-72=278 −10 1 stroke United States Billy Maxwell
4 May 8, 1960 Tournament of Champions 69-66-66-67=268 −20 4 strokes United States Jay Hebert
5 Apr 2, 1961 Azalea Open Invitational (2) 71-71-71=213 −3 Playoff United States Chandler Harper
6 Jul 31, 1961 PGA Championship 69-67-71-70=277 −3 Playoff United States Don January
7 Mar 31, 1963 Azalea Open Invitational (3) 69-68-70-67=274 −14 5 strokes United States Larry Beck, Australia Bruce Crampton,
United States Doug Ford, United States Billy Maxwell,
United States Jack Rule Jr.

PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 1961 PGA Championship United States Don January Won 18-hole playoff;
Barber: −3 (67),
January: −2 (68)

Other wins (5)

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this list may be incomplete

Other senior wins (2)

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Playoff record

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Senior PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponents Result
1 1985 Digital Seniors Classic United States Lee Elder, United States Don January Elder won with birdie on first extra hole

Major championships

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Wins (1)

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Year Championship 54 holes Winning score Margin Runner-up
1961 PGA Championship 2 shot deficit −3 (69-67-71-70=277) Playoff1 United States Don January

1Defeated Don January in an 18-hole Monday playoff, 67 to 68

Results timeline

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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.

  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

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

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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

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ a b c d Cave, Ray (July 25, 1960). "A Barber with a razor edge". Sports Illustrated. pp. 40–5.
  4. ^ a b "Jerry Barber; Golf Champion, 78". The New York Times. September 25, 1994. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  5. ^ "Barber Small and Old but Champion". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. August 1, 1961. p. 16. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  6. ^ Wright, Alfred (August 7, 1961). "Rain, strain and a win". Sports Illustrated. pp. 10–1.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "Tournament Info for: 1961 PGA Championship". PGA.com. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  9. ^ "Oldest Golfer to Play in a PGA Tour Tournament". About.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
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