Gil Morgan


Gilmer Bryan Morgan II, OD is an American professional golfer.
Morgan was born in Wewoka, Oklahoma. He graduated from East Central State College in Ada, Oklahoma in 1968. 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. 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.
Morgan was known for playing tournaments with little or no practice. He was exceptional at "playing cold".
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 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 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)

PGA Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11978World Series of Golf Hubert GreenWon with par on first extra hole
21979Danny Thomas Memphis Classic Larry NelsonWon with birdie on second extra hole
31980Pleasant Valley Jimmy Fund Classic Wayne LeviLost to par on fourth extra hole
41981Buick Open Bobby Clampett, Hale Irwin,
Peter Jacobsen		Irwin won with birdie on second extra hole
51983Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open Curtis Strange, Lanny WadkinsWon with birdie on second extra hole
61983Kemper Open Chen Tze-chung, Fred Couples,
Barry Jaeckel, Scott Simpson		Couples won with birdie on second extra hole
Jaeckel eliminated with par on first hole
71990Independent Insurance Agent Open Tony SillsLost to par on first extra hole

Japan Golf Tour wins (1)

Other wins (4)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
1Oct 6, 1996Ralphs Senior Classic−11 1 stroke Jim Colbert, Chi-Chi Rodríguez
2Apr 6, 1997The Tradition−22 6 strokes Isao Aoki
3Jun 1, 1997Ameritech Senior Open−6 1 stroke Hale Irwin
4Jun 8, 1997BellSouth Senior Classic at Opryland−14 2 strokes John Bland
5Aug 17, 1997First of America Classic−9 1 stroke Bob Duval
6Nov 2, 1997Ralphs Senior Classic −15 1 stroke George Archer
7Nov 9, 1997Energizer Senior Tour Championship−16 2 strokes Hale Irwin
8Jan 18, 1998MasterCard Championship−21 6 strokes Gibby Gilbert, Hale Irwin
9Feb 8, 1998LG Championship−6 2 strokes Dale Douglass, Raymond Floyd
10Apr 5, 1998The Tradition −12 2 strokes Tom Wargo
11Jul 12, 1998Ford Senior Players Championship−21 3 strokes Hale Irwin
12Aug 2, 1998Utah Showdown−16 4 strokes Isao Aoki, John Mahaffey
13Oct 4, 1998Vantage Championship−12 1 stroke Hale Irwin
14Sep 12, 1999Comfort Classic−15 2 strokes Ed Dougherty
15Sep 26, 1999Kroger Senior Classic−18 2 strokes Ed Dougherty
16Mar 26, 2000Emerald Coast Classic−13 4 strokes Larry Nelson
17Jul 23, 2000The Instinet Classic−17 4 strokes Bruce Fleisher, Bob Murphy
18Sep 10, 2000Comfort Classic −13 1 stroke Jim Ahern
19Feb 11, 2001ACE Group Classic −12 2 strokes Dana Quigley
20Jun 17, 2001The Instinet Classic −15 2 strokes Tom Jenkins, J. C. Snead
21Jun 16, 2002BellSouth Senior Classic at Opryland −14 3 strokes Bruce Fleisher, Mike McCullough,
Dana Quigley
22Sep 7, 2003Kroger Classic −16 2 strokes Doug Tewell
23Mar 14, 2004SBC Classic −14 2 strokes Larry Nelson
24Jun 4, 2006Allianz Championship−16 1 stroke Loren Roberts
25Sep 2, 2007Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach−14 2 strokes Hale Irwin

Champions Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11997Emerald Coast Classic Isao AokiLost to par on second extra hole
22000Bruno's Memorial Classic John JacobsLost to par on first extra hole
32000Vantage Championship Jim Dent, Larry NelsonNelson won with birdie on sixth extra hole
Dent eliminated with birdie on first hole
42001Toshiba Senior Classic José María CañizaresLost to birdie on ninth extra hole
52005Bayer Advantage Classic Dana Quigley, Tom WatsonQuigley won with birdie on first extra hole
62007Boeing Classic R. W. Eaks, David Eger,
Naomichi Ozaki, Dana Quigley,
Craig Stadler, Denis Watson		Watson won with eagle on first extra hole
Eger, Ozaki, Morgan and Quigley eliminated on with birdie on first hole

Other senior wins (4)

European Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentsResult
11978European Open Bernard Gallacher, Bobby WadkinsWadkins won with birdie on first extra hole

Results in major championships

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

Summary

CUT = missed the halfway cut

"T" indicates a tie for a place

Champions Tour major championships

Wins (3)

U.S. national team appearances

Professional