Gil Morgan

This article is about the golfer. For rugby league footballer, see Gil Morgan (rugby league).

Gilmer Bryan Morgan II, OD (born September 25, 1946) is an American professional golfer.

Gil Morgan
Morgan in 2009
Personal information
Full name	Gilmer Bryan Morgan II
Nickname	Doc
Born	(1946-09-25) September 25, 1946 (age 78) Wewoka, Oklahoma
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight	170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
Sporting nationality	United States
Residence	Edmond, Oklahoma
Career
College	East Central State College Southern College of Optometry
Turned professional	1972
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour Champions Tour
Professional wins	41
Highest ranking	22 (February 3, 1991)[1]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	7
Japan Golf Tour	1
PGA Tour Champions	25 (Tied 4th all time)
Other	8
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament	T3: 1984
PGA Championship	3rd/T3: 1980, 1990
U.S. Open	3rd: 1983
The Open Championship	T10: 1980
Achievements and awards
Senior PGA Tour Rookie of the Year 1997 Senior PGA Tour Byron Nelson Award 2000, 2001

Early life

Morgan was born in Wewoka, Oklahoma. He graduated from East Central State College in Ada, Oklahoma in 1968.

Professional career

In 1972, Morgan earned a Doctor of Optometry degree from the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee before turning professional at golf later that year. He is a member of Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity.

Morgan won seven events on the PGA Tour between 1977 and 1990. He was also one of the most consistent top five finishers during this period. He posted 21 2nd place and 21 3rd place finishes on the PGA Tour in his career.^[2] The most prestigious tournament he won on the PGA Tour was the 1978 World Series of Golf. He also played on the 1979 and 1983 Ryder Cup teams.

Although he never won a major title during his time on the PGA Tour, Morgan showed signs of brilliance. For example, during the 1992 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, Morgan became the first player to reach 10-under-par (−10) during U.S. Open competition when he recorded a birdie on the third hole during the third round. He later added two more birdies to reach −12 after the seventh hole. He would later finish badly to finish at −4. This was good enough for the 54-hole lead. However, a final round 81 left him +5, in a tie for 13th place and eight shots behind eventual winner Tom Kite^[3] Morgan also led the 1976 PGA Championship after 36 holes but finished T8.

He became eligible to play on the Champions Tour in 1996. He has enjoyed much success on the Champion's Tour notching 25 wins. Three of his wins have come in senior majors, namely The Tradition in 1997 and 1998 and the Senior Players Championship in 1998.

Professional wins (41)

PGA Tour wins (7)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Sep 11, 1977	B.C. Open	−14 (67-65-69-69=270)	5 strokes	Lee Elder
2	Feb 19, 1978	Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open	−6 (66-69-73-70=278)	2 strokes	Jack Nicklaus
3	Oct 1, 1978	World Series of Golf	−2 (71-72-67-68=278)	Playoff	Hubert Green
4	Jul 1, 1979	Danny Thomas Memphis Classic	−10 (72-71-69-66=278)	Playoff	Larry Nelson
5	Jan 9, 1983	Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open	−9 (65-71-68-67=271)	Playoff	Curtis Strange, Lanny Wadkins
6	Jan 16, 1983	Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open (2)	−14 (71-68-63-68=270)	2 strokes	Lanny Wadkins
7	Jun 3, 1990	Kemper Open	−10 (68-67-70-69=274)	1 stroke	Ian Baker-Finch

PGA Tour playoff record (3–4)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1978	World Series of Golf	Hubert Green	Won with par on first extra hole
2	1979	Danny Thomas Memphis Classic	Larry Nelson	Won with birdie on second extra hole
3	1980	Pleasant Valley Jimmy Fund Classic	Wayne Levi	Lost to par on fourth extra hole
4	1981	Buick Open	Bobby Clampett, Hale Irwin, Peter Jacobsen	Irwin won with birdie on second extra hole
5	1983	Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open	Curtis Strange, Lanny Wadkins	Won with birdie on second extra hole
6	1983	Kemper Open	Chen Tze-chung, Fred Couples, Barry Jaeckel, Scott Simpson	Couples won with birdie on second extra hole Jaeckel eliminated by par on first hole
7	1990	Independent Insurance Agent Open	Tony Sills	Lost to par on first extra hole

PGA of Japan Tour wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	Oct 8, 1978	Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters	−11 (68-67-68-70=273)	3 strokes	Jerry Pate

Other wins (4)

• 1979 Heublein Open (Brazil)^[4][5]
• 1981 Oklahoma Open
• 1983 Jerry Ford Invitational (tie with Don Pooley)
• 1997 Oklahoma Open

Champions Tour wins (25)

Legend
Champions Tour major championships (3)
Tour Championships (1)
Other Champions Tour (21)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Oct 6, 1996	Ralphs Senior Classic	−11 (68-68-66=202)	1 stroke	Jim Colbert, Chi-Chi Rodríguez
2	Apr 6, 1997	The Tradition	−22 (66-66-67-67=266)	6 strokes	Isao Aoki
3	Jun 1, 1997	Ameritech Senior Open	−6 (67-69-74=210)	1 stroke	Hale Irwin
4	Jun 8, 1997	BellSouth Senior Classic	−14 (69-66-67=202)	2 strokes	John Bland
5	Aug 17, 1997	First of America Classic	−9 (69-67-71=207)	1 stroke	Bob Duval
6	Nov 2, 1997	Ralphs Senior Classic (2)	−15 (67-66-65=198)	1 stroke	George Archer
7	Nov 9, 1997	Energizer Senior Tour Championship	−16 (69-66-66-71=272)	2 strokes	Hale Irwin
8	Jan 18, 1998	MasterCard Championship	−21 (65-66-64=195)	6 strokes	Gibby Gilbert, Hale Irwin
9	Feb 8, 1998	LG Championship	−6 (69-73-68=210)	2 strokes	Dale Douglass, Raymond Floyd
10	Apr 5, 1998	The Tradition (2)	−12 (71-66-69-70=276)	2 strokes	Tom Wargo
11	Jul 12, 1998	Ford Senior Players Championship	−21 (69-64-68-66=267)	3 strokes	Hale Irwin
12	Aug 2, 1998	Utah Showdown	−16 (66-67-67=200)	4 strokes	Isao Aoki, John Mahaffey
13	Oct 4, 1998	Vantage Championship	−12 (66-67-65=198)	1 stroke	Hale Irwin
14	Sep 12, 1999	Comfort Classic	−15 (67-65-69=201)	2 strokes	Ed Dougherty
15	Sep 26, 1999	Kroger Senior Classic	−18 (67-68-63=198)	2 strokes	Ed Dougherty
16	Mar 26, 2000	Emerald Coast Classic	−13 (65-65-67=197)	4 strokes	Larry Nelson
17	Jul 23, 2000	Instinet Classic	−17 (67-66-66=199)	4 strokes	Bruce Fleisher, Bob Murphy
18	Sep 10, 2000	Comfort Classic (2)	−13 (64-67=131)*	1 stroke	Jim Ahern
19	Feb 11, 2001	ACE Group Classic (2)	−12 (71-67-66=204)	2 strokes	Dana Quigley
20	Jun 17, 2001	Instinet Classic (2)	−15 (63-69-69=201)	2 strokes	Tom Jenkins, J. C. Snead
21	Jun 16, 2002	BellSouth Senior Classic (2)	−14 (67-68-67=202)	3 strokes	Bruce Fleisher, Mike McCullough, Dana Quigley
22	Sep 7, 2003	Kroger Classic (2)	−16 (65-67-68=200)	2 strokes	Doug Tewell
23	Mar 14, 2004	SBC Classic (3)	−14 (67-66-69=202)	2 strokes	Larry Nelson
24	Jun 4, 2006	Allianz Championship	−16 (66-64-67=197)	1 stroke	Loren Roberts
25	Sep 2, 2007	Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach	−14 (70-65-67=202)	2 strokes	Hale Irwin

*Note: The 2000 Comfort Classic was shortened to 36 holes due to rain.

Champions Tour playoff record (0–6)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1997	Emerald Coast Classic	Isao Aoki	Lost to par on second extra hole
2	2000	Bruno's Memorial Classic	John Jacobs	Lost to par on first extra hole
3	2000	Vantage Championship	Jim Dent, Larry Nelson	Nelson won with birdie on sixth extra hole Dent eliminated by birdie on first hole
4	2001	Toshiba Senior Classic	José María Cañizares	Lost to birdie on ninth extra hole
5	2005	Bayer Advantage Classic	Dana Quigley, Tom Watson	Quigley won with birdie on first extra hole
6	2007	Boeing Classic	R. W. Eaks, David Eger, Naomichi Ozaki, Dana Quigley, Craig Stadler, Denis Watson	Watson won with eagle on second extra hole Eger, Ozaki, Morgan and Quigley eliminated by birdie on first hole

Other senior wins (4)

• 1997 Diners Club Matches (with Jay Sigel)
• 1998 Senior Slam at Los Cabos,
• 1999 Senior Slam at Los Cabos, Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Hubert Green)

Playoff record

European Tour playoff record (0–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponents	Result
1	1978	European Open	Bernard Gallacher, Bobby Wadkins	Wadkins won with birdie on first extra hole

Results in major championships

Tournament	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979
Masters Tournament			CUT	T18	T31
U.S. Open			T41	CUT	CUT
The Open Championship					CUT
PGA Championship	T17	T8	T15	T4	T28

Tournament	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
Masters Tournament	T19	T21	CUT	T8	T3	CUT
U.S. Open	T16	CUT	T22	3	T21	T23		T51	CUT	WD
The Open Championship	T10		CUT		T22
PGA Championship	T3	T19	T22	T55	CUT	T28	CUT	T21	CUT	CUT

Tournament	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996
Masters Tournament		CUT		T50	CUT
U.S. Open	T56	CUT	T13	CUT	CUT
The Open Championship		T64		T14	CUT
PGA Championship	3	T16	T21	CUT	T39	T31	T41

  Top 10

  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1979 and 1982 Open Championships)
WD = withdrew
"T" = tied

Summary

Tournament	Wins	2nd	3rd	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	0	0	1	1	2	5	12	7
U.S. Open	0	0	1	1	1	6	17	9
The Open Championship	0	0	0	0	1	3	7	4
PGA Championship	0	0	2	3	4	11	22	17
Totals	0	0	4	5	8	25	58	37

• Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (1982 PGA – 1984 Open Championship)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (twice)

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997
The Players Championship	T58	CUT	T65	T40	T20	T12	T31	T12	T47	T23	T44	CUT	T58		T6	T6	CUT	CUT	CUT	T3		T68	T13	T53

  Top 10

  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Champions Tour major championships

Wins (3)

Year	Championship	Winning score	Margin	Runner(s)-up
1997	The Tradition	−22 (66-66-67-67=266)	6 strokes	Isao Aoki
1998	The Tradition (2)	−12 (71-66-69-70=276)	2 strokes	Tom Wargo
1998	Ford Senior Players Championship	−21 (69-64-68-66=267)	3 strokes	Hale Irwin

U.S. national team appearances

Professional

• Ryder Cup: 1979 (winners), 1983 (winners)
• Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (representing Senior PGA Tour): 1998 (winners)

See also

• 1973 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
• List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins
• List of golfers with most PGA Tour Champions wins
• List of golfers with most Champions Tour major championship wins

References

1. "Week 5 1991 Ending 3 Feb 1991" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
2. "Gil Morgan – Profile". PGA Tour. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
3. GOLF; An Ocean of Contenders After Morgan's Cliff Dive
4. "Gil Morgan wins Brazilian tourney". The Jackson Sun. Jackson, Tennessee. AP. November 5, 1979. p. 6. Retrieved May 15, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Gil Morgan, EUA, venceu o Heublein Open de Golfe". Folha de S.Paulo (in Portuguese). São Paulo, Brazil. November 5, 1979. p. 12. Retrieved May 15, 2020.

External links

• Gil Morgan at the PGA Tour official site
• Gil Morgan at the Japan Golf Tour official site
• Gil Morgan at the Official World Golf Ranking official site