Jerome Kendrick "Jerry" Pate (born September 16, 1953) is an American professional golfer.
Jerry Pate was born in Macon, Georgia,[1] and attended the University of Alabama, where he played on the Crimson Tide golf team. Pate had a distinguished amateur career. He won the U.S. Amateur in 1974, and the following year he was a member of victorious U.S. teams at the Walker Cup and the Eisenhower Trophy. He was also the low amateur at the U.S. Open in 1975.
Pate turned professional in 1975[1] and was the medalist at the 1975 PGA Tour Qualifying School.[2] During his rookie season in 1976, he won the U.S. Open, his only major championship victory, and the Canadian Open. Pate was selected as the Rookie of the Year and Co-Player of the Year. Six more PGA Tour victories followed between 1977 and 1982, 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.[3] That final victory was the Tournament Players Championship, the first held at TPC at Sawgrass. Pate celebrated by throwing course designer Pete Dye and PGA Tour chief Deane Beman into the lake adjacent to the 18th green, then jumped in himself.[4]
Pate later served as a broadcast analyst for ABC, CBS and the BBC and set up a golf course design practice and a turf and irrigation company.[3] During the years between his regular and senior careers, Pate returned to the University of Alabama to complete his Bachelor of Administrative Science degree;[1] his daughter, Jenni, received her degree at the same graduation ceremony in 2001.[3] He designed the Kiva Dunes in 1995 and the Ol' Colony Golf Complex in 2000,[5] 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.[3] Pate now owns a golf cart and golf course design company named the Jerry Pate Company. The company is based in Pensacola, Florida with branches in Birmingham, Alabama , Atlanta, Georgia & Pensacola, Florida.
Amateur wins (1)
Professional wins (15)
PGA Tour wins (8)
| No. |
Date |
Tournament |
Winning score |
Margin
of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|
| 1 |
Jun 20, 1976 |
U.S. Open |
−3 (71-69-69-68=277) |
2 strokes |
 Al Geiberger, Tom Weiskopf |
| 2 |
Jul 25, 1976 |
Canadian Open |
−13 (69-67-68-63=267) |
4 strokes |
Jack Nicklaus |
| 3 |
Jan 9, 1977 |
Phoenix Open |
−7 (67-67-70-73=277) |
Playoff |
Dave Stockton |
| 4 |
Oct 23, 1977 |
Southern Open |
−14 (64-67-69-66=266) |
7 strokes |
Phil Hancock, Mac McLendon,
Johnny Miller, Steve Taylor |
| 5 |
Sep 10, 1978 |
Southern Open |
−11 (67-67-66-69=269) |
1 stroke |
Phil Hancock |
| 6 |
Jun 28, 1981 |
Danny Thomas Memphis Classic |
−14 (69-70-66-69=274) |
2 strokes |
Tom Kite, Bruce Lietzke |
| 7 |
Oct 18, 1981 |
Pensacola Open |
−13 (66-69-65-71=271) |
3 strokes |
Steve Melnyk |
| 8 |
Mar 21, 1982 |
Tournament Players Championship |
−8 (70-73-70-67=280) |
2 strokes |
Brad Bryant, Scott Simpson |
PGA Tour playoff record (1–2)
Japan Golf Tour wins (2)
Other wins (3)
Champions Tour wins (2)
Champions Tour playoff record (0–1)
Major championships
Wins (1)
Results timeline
LA = Low amateur
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
DQ = Disqualified
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
Summary
- Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (1980 Open Championship – 1982 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (twice)
U.S. national team appearances
Amateur
Professional
See also
References
External links
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- † indicates the event was won in a playoff;
- ‡ indicates the event was won wire-to-wire;
- # indicates the event was won by an amateur
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- † indicates the event was won in a playoff
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Mark James
Fulton Allem,