Steve Spray (born December 16, 1940) is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1960s and 1970s.
Spray was born in Des Moines, Iowa and reared in Indianola, Iowa.[1][2] His first big win as an amateur came in the 1958 Iowa Junior Amateur; the next year he gained national fame by winning the Western Junior. Spray attended the University of Iowa initially, but transferred to Eastern New Mexico University where he spent most of his college career.[2][3]
Spray turned professional in 1964 and began play on the PGA Tour in 1965.[1][3] The highlight of Spray's career came in 1969 with a win at the San Francisco Open Invitational, the last PGA Tour event held at San Francisco's storied Harding Park.[3] His best finish in a major championship was a T-5 at the 1968 U.S. Open.[4] Spray was hampered by injuries during the last years of his PGA career including tendinitis in his left thumb that forced him to change his grip and back surgery that caused him to miss almost all of 1974.[3]
After leaving the PGA Tour, Spray began working as the head pro at St. Louis Country Club in 1976 — a position he has held for more than 30 years.[3] In 1984, he was honored as the Gateway Section PGA Player of the Year, and was inducted into the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame in May 2009.[2]
Contents |
Amateur wins
- 1958 Iowa Junior Amateur
- 1959 Western Junior
- 1962 Northwest Amateur, Central States Amateur
- 1963 Iowa Amateur, Central States Amateur, Tournament of Champions
PGA Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 26, 1969 | San Francisco Open Invitational | 1 stroke |  Chi Chi Rodriguez |
Other wins
- 1964 Iowa Open
- 1966 Waterloo Open Golf Classic
- 1972 Herman Sani
- 1973 New Mexico Open, Arizona Open
- 1977 Gateway Section PGA Championship
- 1979 Gateway Section PGA Championship
References
- ^ a b "statistics from Yahoo Golf". http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/pga/players/Steve+Spray/2191. Retrieved on 2009-05-01.
- ^ a b c "Iowa Golf Hall of Fame Induction". http://www.iowagolf.org/HTML/News/2009News/news2009HallofFamePR.htm. Retrieved on 2009-05-01.
- ^ a b c d e Chapin, Dwight. "Spray's win at Harding not list in mists of time". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2005/10/03/SPG1QF1L9F1.DTL&type=golf. Retrieved on 2009-05-01.
- ^ "Golf Major Championships". http://golfmajorchampionships.com/players?player=714. Retrieved on 2009-05-01.
External links
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