Dave Marr

David Francis Marr, Jr. (December 27, 1933 – October 5, 1997) was an American professional golfer and sportscaster, best known for winning the 1965 PGA Championship.

Dave Marr
Personal information
Full nameDavid Francis Marr, Jr.
Born(1933-12-27)December 27, 1933
Houston, Texas
DiedOctober 5, 1997(1997-10-05) (aged 63)
Houston, Texas
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight160 lb (73 kg; 11 st)[1]
Nationality United States
Career
CollegeRice Institute
University of Houston
Turned professional1953
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins5
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour3
Best results in major championships
(wins: 1)
Masters TournamentT2: 1964
PGA ChampionshipWon: 1965
U.S. OpenT4: 1966
The Open ChampionshipT8: 1966
Achievements and awards
PGA Player of the Year1965

Early years

Marr was born and raised in Houston, Texas, the son of a professional golfer.[2] He attended St. Thomas High School, and while there was on the honor roll, captain of the golf team and member of the Letterman's Club.[3] Following graduation, he attended Rice Institute and the University of Houston.

Professional career

In 1953 at age 19, Marr left college and turned professional. He began his professional golfing career by accepting a position at Westwood Country Club in Westwood, New Jersey, in 1953. A short time later, Marr took a job as an assistant club pro to Claude Harmon at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York, where he began to blossom.[2] He began playing regularly on the PGA tour in 1960, and in that year earned his first professional win at the Sam Snead Festival. A year later, he won the Greater Seattle Open Invitational and then the Azalea Open in 1962. Marr joined the elite in golf world in 1965 when he captured the coveted PGA Championship, was named to the Ryder Cup team and elected PGA Player of the Year.[3]

The 1965 PGA Championship was played at the Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, Pennsylvania. He defeated golf legends Jack Nicklaus and Billy Casper by two strokes with a four-day total score of 280.[4][5] Incredibly, this wasn't the biggest news story of the day in the Marr family – a few hours after his victory, his third child, son Tony, was born.

Marr played in the 1965 Ryder Cup, finishing his six matches with a 4-2 record. He was the appointed non-playing captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 1981.[2]

Marr was a close friend of golf legend Arnold Palmer. Marr and Palmer were both sons of PGA pros and developed a close bond. Palmer called Marr's 1965 PGA victory "one of the happiest moments of my life," won at Palmer's home course. The two of them used to joke that between them they won a career grand slam. (Palmer won seven majors in his career, but never the PGA Championship, where he was a runner-up three times.)

Later years

Marr served as a golf analyst for ABC from 1972 until 1991,[2] and was usually teamed with host Jim McKay and fellow one-time PGA Championship winner, Bob Rosburg. He later worked for the BBC in Britain and NBC in the U.S.[2]

Marr and long-time golfing partner Jay Riviere established a golf course architectural and design firm in 1981, and designed many Texas courses and one each in Louisiana and Arizona.[3][6]

After a battle with stomach cancer, Marr died at age 63 at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston on October 5, 1997. He was survived by his wife, Tally, and sons Dave III, Anthony, Wayne Bunch, Tucker Bunch, and daughter Elizabeth Hallas.[2] Marr's oldest son, Dave III, works for Golf Channel covering the Champions Tour.[7]

Marr's children scattered his ashes around the various courses that meant so much to him during his playing days – Royal Birkdale, in England, where he played on the 1965 Ryder Cup team; Walton Heath, also in England, where he captained the 1981 Ryder Cup team; at the 18th hole at Laurel Valley, the site of his 1965 PGA Championship, along with Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston.[8]

Awards and honors

Marr was elected to the National Collegiate Hall of Fame in 1977 and the Texas Golf Hall of Fame in 1978. He was selected for the Gold Tee Award presented by the Met (N.Y.) Golf Writers in 1990.

Shell Oil Company created the Dave Marr Memorial Award the year after his death. It is awarded annually in conjunction with the Shell Houston Open. Marr's last assignment as a broadcaster had been to host Shell's Wonderful World of Golf from 1993–97. Past winners of the award include Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus, Judy Rankin, Gary Player, Former President George H. W. Bush and Arnold Palmer.

Professional wins (5)

PGA Tour wins (3)
Legend
Major championships (1)
Other PGA Tour (2)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 Sep 17, 1961 Greater Seattle Open Invitational −15 (67-69-66-63=265) Playoff Jacky Cupit, Bob Rosburg
2 Apr 1, 1962 Azalea Open −7 (73-66-71-71=281) Playoff Jerry Steelsmith
3 Aug 15, 1965 PGA Championship −4 (70-69-70-71=280) 2 strokes Billy Casper, Jack Nicklaus

PGA Tour playoff record (2–0)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1961 Greater Seattle Open Invitational Jacky Cupit, Bob Rosburg Won with birdie on first extra hole
2 1962 Azalea Open Jerry Steelsmith Won with birdie on first extra hole

Other wins (2)

Major championships

Wins (1)
YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunners-up
1965PGA ChampionshipTied for lead−4 (70-69-70-71=280)2 strokes Billy Casper, Jack Nicklaus

Results timeline
Tournament 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open CUT CUT CUT T15
The Open Championship
PGA Championship T44
Tournament 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
Masters Tournament T34 CUT T2 CUT CUT T16 T20 CUT
U.S. Open T17 CUT T21 CUT T4 T9 T32 T10
The Open Championship T8
PGA Championship T10 T22 T51 CUT 65 1 T18 T33 CUT T48
Tournament 1970 1971 1972 1973
Masters Tournament CUT
U.S. Open T30 CUT CUT
The Open Championship T41 T11 CUT
PGA Championship T35 CUT T46
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

Summary
TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament01011394
U.S. Open000136158
The Open Championship00001243
PGA Championship1001141411
Totals11036154226
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 8 (1966 U.S. Open – 1968 U.S. Open)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1966 U.S. Open – 1966 Open Championship)
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See also

References
  1. Gundelfinger, Phil (August 14, 1965). "Aaron still leads PGA with 137". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1.
  2. Brink, Bill (October 6, 1997). "Dave Marr, 63, golf champion and television commentator". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-09.
  3. "Profile from St. Thomas High School Alumni Hall of Honor page". Archived from the original on 2005-03-19.
  4. Gundelfinger, Phil (August 16, 1965). "Dave Marr wins PGA with 280". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1.
  5. Wright, Alfred (August 23, 1965). "Diary of a career in turmoil". Sports Illustrated: 24.
  6. http://www.golfadvisor.com/architects/1606-jay-riviere
  7. "Dave Marr III bio". Golf Channel. Archived from the original on 2008-05-20. Retrieved 2010-05-09.
  8. "Senior PGA Championship News".
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