Jerry Pate

Jerry Pate
Pate after winning the 1974 U.S. Amateur
Personal information
Full name	Jerome Kendrick Pate
Born	(1953-09-16) September 16, 1953 (age 71) Macon, Georgia, U.S.
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	180 lb (82 kg; 13 st)
Sporting nationality	United States
Residence	Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
Spouse	Soozi Nelson Pate ​ (m. 1975)​ [1] [2]
Children	3
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
PGA Championship	2nd: 1978
U.S. Open	Won: 1976
The Open Championship	T15: 1977

Jerome Kendrick 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 life

Born in Macon, Georgia, ^[7] he was one of six children in his family. His father and grandfather get him into golf early and the family spend summers in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, playing golf.

At young age the family moved to Alabama, where Pate learned the game at Anniston Country Club. In 1967 they moved to Florida because of Pate's fathers work ^[8] and Pate grew up in the panhandle of Florida at Pensacola. ^{[1] [9]}

Amateur career

Pate attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and played on its Crimson Tide golf team.

Pate had a distinguished amateur career with a win at the U.S. Amateur in 1974, ^{[10] [11] [12]} and was a member of victorious U.S. teams at the Eisenhower Trophy competition, also winning individually, later that year and at the Walker Cup in May 1975 at St Andrews in Scotland. ^[13] 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. ^{[14] [15]}

Professional career

In 1975, Pate turned professional. ^[7] Late in the year he was the medalist at Fall 1975 PGA Tour Qualifying School. ^{[16] [17]} During his rookie season he won the 1976 U.S. Open. ^{[3] [4] [5]} He also won the Canadian Open that year. Pate closed with a 63 (−7) to defeat runner-up Jack Nicklaus by four strokes. ^{[18] [19]}

Six more tour victories followed in ensuing years 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. ^[20] That final victory was at the 1982 Tournament Players Championship, the first held at TPC at Sawgrass. Pate celebrated by throwing course designer Pete Dye and PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman into the lake adjacent to the 18th green, then jumped in himself. ^{[21] [22] [23]} He had also jumped in the water after a victory the previous June, after going nearly three years without a win. ^{[24] [25]}

Later career

Pate later served as a golf broadcaster for ABC, CBS, and BBC. He also set up a golf course design practice and a turf and irrigation company. ^[20] He designed the Kiva Dunes in 1995 and the Ol' Colony Golf Complex in 2000, ^[26] 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.

Personal life

In the late 1990s, 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. ^[20]

Awards and honors

• In 1994, Pate was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. ^[27]
• In 2023, Pate was inducted into the Florida State Golf Association Hall of Fame. ^[8]
• In 2025, Pate was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2025. ^[28]

Amateur wins

• 1974 U.S. Amateur, Florida Amateur ^[29]

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	Al Geiberger, Tom Weiskopf
2	Jul 25, 1976	Canadian Open	69-67-68-63=267	−13	4 strokes	Jack Nicklaus
3	Jan 9, 1977	Phoenix Open	67-67-70-73=277	−7	Playoff	Dave Stockton
4	Oct 23, 1977	Southern Open	64-67-69-66=266	−14	7 strokes	Phil Hancock, Mac McLendon, Johnny Miller, Steve Taylor
5	Sep 10, 1978	Southern Open (2)	67-67-66-69=269	−11	1 stroke	Phil Hancock
6	Jun 28, 1981	Danny Thomas Memphis Classic	69-70-66-69=274	−14	2 strokes	Tom Kite, Bruce Lietzke
7	Oct 18, 1981	Pensacola Open	66-69-65-71=271	−17	3 strokes	Steve Melnyk
8	Mar 21, 1982	Tournament Players Championship	70-73-70-67=280	−8	2 strokes	Brad Bryant, Scott Simpson

PGA Tour playoff record (1–2)

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

PGA of Japan Tour wins (2)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Oct 10, 1976	Taiheiyo Club Masters	70-70-68-71=279	−5	2 strokes	Isao Aoki
2	Nov 9, 1980	ABC Japan vs USA Golf Matches	70-69-72-65=276	−12	1 stroke	Tom Purtzer, Norio Suzuki

South American Golf Circuit wins (2)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	Nov 23, 1980	Brazil Open	69-70-69-66=274	−10	Playoff	Manuel Piñero
2	Dec 13, 1981	Colombian Open	64-67-66-65=262	−26	21 strokes	Luis Arevalo

Other wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runners-up
1	Dec 4, 1977	Pepsi-Cola Mixed Team Championship (with Hollis Stacy)	61-70-69-70=270	−18	1 stroke	Nancy Lopez and Curtis Strange

Champions Tour 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	Morris Hatalsky, Hale Irwin, Mark James
2	Jan 27, 2008	Turtle Bay Championship	71-70-70=211	−5	2 strokes	Fulton Allem, Jim Thorpe

Champions Tour playoff record (0–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponents	Result
1	2005	Senior PGA Championship	Dana Quigley, Mike Reid	Reid won with birdie on first extra hole

Major championships

Wins (1)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runners-up
1976	U.S. Open	2 shot deficit	−3 (71-69-69-68=277)	2 strokes	Al Geiberger, 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	WD			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

Tournament	Wins	2nd	3rd	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	0	0	1	2	3	5	7	7
U.S. Open	1	1	0	2	2	4	13	5
The Open Championship	0	0	0	0	0	3	7	4
PGA Championship	0	1	0	4	6	8	12	8
Totals	1	2	1	8	11	20	39	24

• Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (1980 Open Championship – 1982 Masters)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (twice)

The Players Championship

Wins (1)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runners-up
1982	Tournament Players Championship	3 shot deficit	−8 (70-73-70-67=280)	2 strokes	Brad Bryant, Scott Simpson

Results timeline

Tournament	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992
The Players Championship	T17	T20	CUT	T45	1		CUT	T64				CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT

  Win

  Did not play

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

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

• Eisenhower Trophy: 1974 (team winners and joint individual leader)
• Walker Cup: 1975 (winners)

Professional

• Ryder Cup: 1981 (winners)
• World Cup: 1976

See also

• Fall 1975 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates

References

1. 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. Jenkins, Dan (June 28, 1976). "You were great, Jerry Pate". Sports Illustrated. p. 18.
4. Husar, John (June 21, 1976). "Rookie Pate beats odds, wins Open". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, sec. 6.
5. 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. "Jerry Pate". PGA Tour. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
8. "Jerry Pate". Florida State Golf Association. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
9. "Pate: something extra in Pensacola". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. (Florida). Associated Press. October 27, 1977. p. 3C.
10. Tomashek, Tom (September 1, 1974). "Pate defeats Grace in U.S. Amateur". Chicago Tribune. p. 4, sec.3.
11. "Pate rallies by Grace". Sunday Star-News. (Wilmington, North Carolina). UPI. September 1, 1974. p. 1C.
12. "Collegian Jerry Pate wins amateur crown". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. September 1, 1974. p. 3, sports.
13. "U.S. retains Walker Cup". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. May 30, 1975. p. 4, sec. 4.
14. Tomashek, Tom (June 23, 1975). "Graham, Mahaffey in Open playoff". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, sec. 4.
15. "Medinah showdown". Tuscaloosa News. (Alabama). Associated Press. June 23, 1975. p. 9.
16. "Golf: PGA Fall Qualifying at Orlando, Fla". Chicago Tribune. November 9, 1975. p. 10, sec. 3.
17. "PGA Tour career". Jerry Pate's official site. Archived from the original on April 30, 2011. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
18. "Pate shoots 63 to beat Nicklaus". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. July 26, 1976. p. 6, sec. 6.
19. "Jerry Pate adds another national title". Tuscaloosa News. (Alabama). Associated Press. July 26, 1976. p. 7.
20. "Jerry Pate". PGA Tour. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
21. "Pate charges at end, then takes cool dip". Tuscaloosa News. (Alabama). Associated Press. March 22, 1982. p. 9.
22. Jenkins, Dan (March 29, 1982). "Last one in is a winner". Sports Illustrated. p. 24. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013.
23. "In the swim of things". Chicago Tribune. March 22, 1982. p. 4, sec. 4.
24. "Pate ends drought with Memphis swim". Chicago Tribune. June 29, 1981. p. 2, sec. 4.
25. "The dry spell ends with a splash for Jerry Pate". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. June 29, 1981. p. 5C.
26. "Jerry Pate Golf Course Design" . Retrieved April 29, 2011.
27. "Former Alabama Golfer Jerry Pate Named to Georgia State Golf Association Hall of Fame". Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. March 18, 2025. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
28. "Former Alabama Golfer Jerry Pate Named to Georgia State Golf Association Hall of Fame". University of Alabama. March 18, 2025. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
29. "Jerry Pate". Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved March 26, 2025.

External links

• Official website
• Jerry Pate at the PGA Tour official site