| Don January | |
| Fullname: | Donald Ray January |
| Nickname: | Bones |
| Birth Date: | 20 November 1929 |
| Birth Place: | Plainview, Texas, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Spouse: | Patricia |
| Children: | 3 |
| College: | North Texas State College |
| Yearpro: | 1956 |
| Extour: | PGA Tour Senior PGA Tour |
| Prowins: | 45 |
| Pgawins: | 10 |
| Champwins: | 22 (Tied-7th all-time) |
| Otherwins: | 13 |
| Majorwins: | 1 |
| Masters: | T4: 1971 |
| Usopen: | 3rd: 1967 |
| Open: | DNP |
| Pga: | Won: 1967 |
| Award1: | Vardon Trophy |
| Year1: | 1976 |
| Year2: | 1980, 1983, 1984 |
| Award3: | Senior PGA Tour Byron Nelson Award |
| Year3: | 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985 |
Donald Ray January (November 20, 1929 – May 7, 2023) was an American professional golfer, best known for winning the 1967 PGA Championship.
Born in Plainview, Texas, January graduated from Sunset High School in Dallas. He was a member of the North Texas State golf team that won four consecutive NCAA Division I titles from 1949 to 1952. January is a member of the Sunset High School Hall of Fame.
While in college as a sophomore, as part of his scholarship, January helped teach a beginning golf class, where he met his future wife, Patricia "Pat" Rushing. They both graduated in 1953 and eloped to Ardmore, Oklahoma. They lived in San Antonio while Don was in the Air Force, and began their family—two boys and a girl.[1]
January won 10 PGA Tour titles, though never more than one in a year, with his most notable at the 1967 PGA Championship, an 18-hole playoff victory over Don Massengale. January had lost the 1961 PGA Championship in a playoff to Jerry Barber when his 68, the lowest losing score ever in an 18-hole playoff for a major championship, was bested by Barber's 67. He won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average in 1976 at the age of 47. He was a member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team in both 1965 and 1977.
January was responsible for a change to the rules of golf. During the 1963 Phoenix Open, January had a putt roll up to the lip of the hole and stop. January claimed that the ball was still moving, and waited for seven minutes for the ball to drop (it never did).[2] Rule 16-2 was revised in 1964 to state that players had to tap the ball in within ten seconds or be penalized.[3]
In the period between his last PGA Tour win and the start of the Senior PGA Tour, January devoted most of his professional efforts to a golf course design business, JanMart Enterprises, which he established with fellow Texan and PGA Tour golfer Billy Martindale.
January is well known for his success on the Senior PGA Tour (now the PGA Tour Champions),[4] winning 22 events including two PGA Seniors' Championships. In 1980, he won the first official event on the Senior PGA Tour—the Atlantic City Senior International.[5]
The Don January Golf Classic is a golf tournament played annually in the spring that was established to honor him in 1990 by his alma mater, now known as the University of North Texas.
January appeared as himself on the March 6, 1961 episode of the game show To Tell the Truth. He received two votes.[6]
January died at his home in Dallas on May 7, 2023, at the age of 93.[7] [8]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Major championships (1) | |
| Other PGA Tour (9) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 27, 1956 | Dallas Centennial Open | −12 (64-67-70-67=268) | 1 stroke |  Dow Finsterwald, Doug Ford | |
| 2 | Feb 21, 1960 | Tucson Open Invitational | −9 (67-67-68-69=271) | 3 strokes | Bob Harris | |
| 3 | Jul 9, 1961 | −19 (66-71-68-64=269) | 1 stroke | Buster Cupit | ||
| 4 | Feb 17, 1963 | Tucson Open Invitational (2) | −22 (65-67-69-65=266) | 11 strokes | Gene Littler, Phil Rodgers | |
| 5 | Aug 28, 1966 | −10 (69-69-69-71=278) | 1 stroke | Jack Nicklaus | ||
| 6 | Jul 24, 1967 | PGA Championship | −7 (71-72-70-68=281) | Playoff | Don Massengale | |
| 7 | Apr 21, 1968 | Tournament of Champions | −8 (70-68-69-69=276) | 1 stroke | Julius Boros | |
| 8 | Mar 23, 1970 | Greater Jacksonville Open | −9 (68-75-70-66=279) | Playoff | Dale Douglass | |
| 9 | Oct 19, 1975 | San Antonio Texas Open | −13 (71-67-71-66=275) | Playoff | ||
| 10 | Apr 18, 1976 | MONY Tournament of Champions (2) | −11 (71-68-69-69=277) | 5 strokes | Hubert Green |
PGA Tour playoff record (3–5)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1956 | Western Open | Mike Fetchick, Doug Ford, Jay Hebert | Fetchick won 18-hole playoff; Fetchick: −6 (66), Hebert: −1 (71), Ford: E (72), January: +3 (75) | |
| 2 | 1961 | PGA Championship | Jerry Barber | Lost 18-hole playoff; Barber: −3 (67), January: −2 (68) | |
| 3 | 1964 | Lucky International Open | Chi-Chi Rodríguez | Lost 18-hole playoff; Rodríguez: −1 (70), January: E (71) | |
| 4 | 1967 | PGA Championship | Don Massengale | Won 18-hole playoff; January: −3 (69), Massengale: −1 (71) | |
| 5 | 1969 | Kaiser International Open Invitational | George Archer, Billy Casper, Jack Nicklaus | Nicklaus won with birdie on second extra hole January eliminated by birdie on first hole | |
| 6 | 1970 | Greater Jacksonville Open | Dale Douglass | Won 18-hole playoff; January: −3 (69), Douglass: E (72) | |
| 7 | 1971 | Houston Champions International | Hubert Green | Lost to birdie on first extra hole | |
| 8 | 1975 | San Antonio Texas Open | Larry Hinson | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
This list may be incomplete
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Senior major championships (1) | |
| Other Senior PGA Tour (21) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jun 22, 1980 | Atlantic City Senior International | −5 (68-71-69=208) | 2 strokes | Mike Souchak | |
| 2 | Apr 5, 1981 | Michelob-Egypt Temple Senior Classic | −8 (71-70-72-67=280) | Playoff | Doug Ford | |
| 3 | Jun 7, 1981 | −5 (71-69-68=208) | 2 strokes | Bob Goalby | ||
| 4 | Apr 4, 1982 | Michelob Senior Classic (2) | −10 (73-69-67-69=278) | 3 strokes | Dow Finsterwald | |
| 5 | Dec 5, 1982 | PGA Seniors' Championship | E (74-75-69-70=288) | 1 stroke | Julius Boros | |
| 6 | Jun 5, 1983 | Gatlin Brothers Seniors Golf Classic | −8 (71-67-68=208) | Playoff | Billy Casper | |
| 7 | Jun 26, 1983 | Peter Jackson Champions | −10 (68-67-71-68=274) | 2 strokes | Miller Barber | |
| 8 | Jul 3, 1983 | Marlboro Classic | −11 (69-72-68-64=273) | 3 strokes | Miller Barber, Gay Brewer | |
| 9 | Aug 21, 1983 | Denver Post Champions of Golf | −17 (70-65-67-69=271) | 4 strokes | Billy Casper, Doug Sanders | |
| 10 | Sep 4, 1983 | Citizens Union Senior Golf Classic | −19 (67-67-65-70=269) | 3 strokes | Bob Stone | |
| 11 | Oct 16, 1983 | Suntree Classic | −14 (69-66-68-71=274) | 3 strokes | Arnold Palmer | |
| 12 | Mar 25, 1984 | Vintage Invitational | −8 (70-72-72-66=280) | 4 strokes | ||
| 13 | Aug 12, 1984 | du Maurier Champions (2) | −19 (65-63-66=194) | 5 strokes | Miller Barber, Lee Elder | |
| 14 | Sep 23, 1984 | Digital Middlesex Classic (2) | −7 (70-70-69=209) | 4 strokes | Orville Moody | |
| 15 | Mar 24, 1985 | Senior PGA Tour Roundup | −18 (65-69-64=198) | 3 strokes | Gene Littler | |
| 16 | May 12, 1985 | Dominion Seniors | −10 (69-70-67=206) | 2 strokes | Gay Brewer | |
| 17 | May 19, 1985 | United Hospitals Senior Golf Championship | −5 (69-66=135)* | 5 strokes |  Al Balding | |
| 18 | Jul 7, 1985 | The Greenbrier American Express Championship | −16 (70-64-66=200) | 2 strokes | Lee Elder | |
| 19 | Jun 8, 1986 | Senior Players Reunion Pro-Am | −13 (66-68-69=203) | 2 strokes | Chi-Chi Rodríguez | |
| 20 | Jul 13, 1986 | The Greenbrier American Express Championship (2) | −9 (70-66-71-207) | Playoff | Jim Ferree | |
| 21 | Nov 2, 1986 | Seiko-Tucson Senior Match Play Championship | E (70) | 1 stroke |  Bob Charles | |
| 22 | Jan 10, 1987 | MONY Senior Tournament of Champions | −1 (67-72-73-75=287) | Playoff | Butch Baird |
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (4–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1981 | Michelob-Egypt Temple Senior Classic | Doug Ford | Won with birdie on first extra hole | |
| 2 | 1983 | Gatlin Brothers Seniors Golf Classic | Billy Casper | Won with par on fifth extra hole | |
| 3 | 1985 | Digital Seniors Classic | Jerry Barber, Lee Elder | Elder won with birdie on first extra hole | |
| 4 | 1986 | The Greenbrier American Express Championship | Jim Ferree | Won with par on first extra hole | |
| 5 | 1987 | MONY Senior Tournament of Champions | Butch Baird | Won with birdie on fourth extra hole |
| Tournament | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 36 | ||||||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | T7 | T19 | |||||
| PGA Championship | T49 |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T20 | T4 | T20 | T9 | T18 | CUT | T6 | T26 | T14 | T5 | |
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | 11 | T11 | CUT | T17 | 3 | T24 | WD | ||
| PGA Championship | 5 | 2 | T27 | T40 | CUT | T12 | 1 | T51 | T15 |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T12 | T4 | CUT | T10 | T33 | T8 | T11 | CUT | |||
| U.S. Open | T27 | T11 | T29 | T14 | |||||||
| PGA Championship | T12 | CUT | CUT | T10 | T2 | T6 | T19 | T7 |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | |||
| U.S. Open | ||||
| PGA Championship | CUT | T19 | CUT |
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 16 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 17 | 11 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| PGA Championship | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 21 | 16 | |
| Totals | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 16 | 34 | 58 | 43 |
Professional
1965 (winners), 1977 (winners)