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.

Early life and amateur career Marr was born and raised in Houston, Texas, the son of a professional golfer. 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.

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. 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.

Death and legacy After a battle with stomach cancer, Marr died at age 63 at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston on October 5, 1997.

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.

Golf executive Bryan Naugle created the Dave Marr Award the year after his death. It is awarded annually in conjunction with the Insperity Invitational. From 1995 through 1997 Marr was a member of the NBC Sports Golf broadcast team covering the US Open, US Amateur and Ryder Cup. Past winners of the Dave Marr Award include Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus, Judy Rankin, Gary Player, Former President George H. W. Bush, and Arnold Palmer.

Personal life Marr was married to Tally. They had five children: sons Dave III, Anthony, Wayne Bunch, Tucker Bunch, and daughter Elizabeth Hallas.

Marr was a close friend of 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.)

Awards and honors

In 1977, Marr was elected to the National Collegiate Hall of Fame. In 1978, Marr was inducted into the Texas Golf Hall of Fame. In 1980, Marr was selected for the Gold Tee Award presented by the Met (N.Y.) Golf Writers.

Professional wins (5)

PGA Tour wins (3) Legend Major championships (1) Other PGA Tour (2)

PGA Tour playoff record (2–0)

Source:

Other wins (2) 1960 Sam Snead Festival 1962 Metropolitan PGA Championship

Major championships

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

Results timeline

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

Summary 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)