Steve Spray

John Stephen Spray (December 16, 1940 – May 15, 2020) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1960s and 1970s.

Steve Spray
Personal information
Full nameJohn Stephen Spray
Born(1940-12-16)December 16, 1940
Des Moines, Iowa
DiedMay 15, 2020(2020-05-15) (aged 79)
Chesterfield, Missouri
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
Nationality United States
Children2
Career
CollegeUniversity of Iowa
Eastern New Mexico University
Turned professional1964
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins8
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour1
Other7
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament43rd: 1969
PGA ChampionshipT78: 1971
U.S. OpenT5: 1968
The Open ChampionshipDNP

Spray was born in Des Moines, Iowa and reared in Indianola, Iowa.[1][2] His first big win as an amateur came in the 1958 Iowa Junior Amateur; the next year he gained national fame by winning the Western Junior. Spray attended the University of Iowa initially, but transferred to Eastern New Mexico University where he spent most of his college career.[2][3] He won the NAIA Championship in 1962 and 1963 while at Eastern New Mexico.

Spray turned professional in 1964 and began play on the PGA Tour in 1965.[1][3] The highlight of Spray's career came in 1969 with a win at the San Francisco Open Invitational, the last PGA Tour event held at San Francisco's storied Harding Park.[3] His best finish in a major championship was a T-5 at the 1968 U.S. Open.[4] Spray was hampered by injuries during the last years of his PGA career including tendinitis in his left thumb that forced him to change his grip and back surgery that caused him to miss almost all of 1974.[3]

After leaving the PGA Tour, Spray began working as the head pro at St. Louis Country Club in 1976 – a position he held for more than 30 years.[3] In 1984, he was honored as the Gateway Section PGA Player of the Year, and was inducted into the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame in May 2009.[2]

Spray died in Chesterfield, Missouri on May 15, 2020.[5]

Amateur wins

Professional wins (8)

PGA Tour wins (1)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner-up
1 Oct 26, 1969 San Francisco Open Invitational −15 (70-63-66-70=269) 1 stroke Chi-Chi Rodríguez

Other wins (7)

References
  1. "statistics from Yahoo Golf". Retrieved May 1, 2009.
  2. "Iowa Golf Hall of Fame Induction". Retrieved May 1, 2009.
  3. Chapin, Dwight (October 3, 2005). "Spray's win at Harding not list in mists of time". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 1, 2009.
  4. "Golf Major Championships". Retrieved May 1, 2009.
  5. "John Stephen Spray obituary".
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.