A caddie who expertly worked the grill on the back of his truck.
An Augusta National Golf Club caddie who became the unofficial historian for Masters loopers.
The longtime starter at the British Open who famously never took a bathroom break between the first tee time and the last.
The winner of the first-ever PGA Tour Champions event.
A four-time U.S. Women’s Open champion.
The world of golf indeed lost some true legends in 2023. From players to caddies, course designers to teachers, to many others who contributed their life’s work to the game.
Here’s a closer look at those the world of golf goodbye to this year.
Sam Workman
Sam Workman died shortly after being diagnosed with cancer in February. But Steven Alker, who walked countless fairways on the PGA Tour Champions alongside Workman, knew he was there in spirit in November when Alker won the circuit’s season finale.
“He was here somewhere,” Alker said at Phoenix Country Club, choking up a bit on live TV on Golf Channel moments after his win.
Workman was 55.
John Paramor, Glen Albaugh
Among the colorful characters that make up this great game, rules official John Paramor and former college golf coach and mental coach Glen Albaugh left their mark within their specific niche.
Jariah Beard
Longtime Augusta National Golf Club caddie Jariah Beard, who was alongside for Fuzzy Zoeller’s 1979 Masters victory, died in March at age 82.
Zoeller remains the most recent first-time participant to win the Masters (only Horton Smith in first tournament, 1934, and Gene Sarazen in 1935 were other rookie winners). Zoeller famously gave Beard, who made his own yardage book and considered clubbing a player to be an art, the keys to dictate yardage, clubbing and reading greens.
“He called all the shots,”: Zoeller said in a phone interview with Golfweek.
Dick Smith
Dick Smith was PGA of America president from 1991-92. He did in March after complications from a stroke at age 80.
Jim Ferree
Jim Ferree joined the PGA Tour Champions in 1981, then known as the Senior PGA Tour. Then-PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman chose Ferree to be the model for the knickers-wearing player on that Tour’s logo and, thus, created a living logo. Ferree is often cited as one of the players who was instrumental in helping get PGA Tour Champions off the ground.
Marlene Hagge-Vossler
Marlene Hagge-Vossler, a teen golf sensation in the 1940s and 1950s who was the last survivor of the 13 women who founded the LPGA in 1950, died in May in Rancho Mirage, California, family members confirmed. Hagge-Vossler was 89.
Lance Ten Broeck
“Last Call” Lance Ten Broeck famously played and caddied in the same PGA Tour event. He did in May in West Palm Beach at age 67.
He qualified for the U.S. Open seven times and held the 36-hole lead in the 2012 U.S. Senior Open, but was the quintessential journeyman golfer, playing at least 14 tournaments in 12 seasons, making 355 career starts on the Tour, recording 11 top-10 finishes without ever claiming an official win.
Don January
Don January won the 1967 PGA Championship and was a two-time member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team. He did in May at age 93. January won 10 times on the PGA Tour and 22 on the PGA Tour Champions, notably winning the first-ever Champions event at the1980 Atlantic City Senior International.
John Bland
In a professional career that spanned more than 40 years, John Bland didn’t compete in the U.S. until turning 50 but quickly proved his mettle with five senior titles and more than $7 million in earnings. He won in his second start as a Monday Qualifier, earning exempt status for a year and went on to be named Senior PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 1996 after winning four times and finishing third on the money list.
Ron Kirby
Golf course architect Ron Kirby, 90, whose top-rated efforts included Old Head of Kinsale in Ireland and Apes Hill in Barbados, died in July in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was overcome by a quick illness, and he was still working on a golf project.
John Davis
John Davis, a 2019 inductee into the Arizona Golf Hall of Fame and sports journalist for nearly 36 years, died in August after a long battle with cancer. Davis, 73, was a fixture on the Arizona golf scene for more than 20 years and witnessed firsthand the rise of the Phoenix Open. Phil Mickelson, a native of San Diego but a hero for Arizona State, became the face of the event, spearheading its massive growth into one of the world’s most highly attended sporting events. Davis was right there along for the ride and the two forged friendship.
Sir Michael Bonallack
Michael Bonallack, a giant figure in amateur golf both as a player and later as an administrator, died in September in St. Andrews, Scotland. He was 88. To run down a list of Bonallack’s wins and awards is like reading a catalog of the available prizes in British amateur golf.
Andy Bean
Andy Bean, an 11-time PGA Tour winner who underwent a double lung replacement in Septemnber, died abnout a month later following complications from the surgery. He was 70.
Bean won 11 times on the PGA Tour and captured three titles on the PGA Tour Champions. He turned pro in 1975 after an illustrious career at Florida, where he was a three-time All-American and helped the Gators win the NCAA men’s golf title in 1973.
Bean’s lungs were badly damaged from a bout with COVID-19, according to a Facebook post by friend Alan Pope.
Ivor Robson
Ivor Robson, the longtime starter at the British Open known for his distinctive voice, has died at the age of 83. From Jack Nicklaus to Tiger Woods, from Arnold Palmer to Seve Ballesteros, from Tom Watson to Rory McIlroy, he sent them on their way to glory, introducing players in his familiar fashion, beginning with “Now on the tee,” followed by the name of the player. He also famously never took a bathroom break between the first tee time and the last.
Kevin McAlpine
Kevin McAlpine, Lexi Thompson’s former caddie and Anna Nordqvist’s ex-husband, died suddenly at 39 in October.
Betsy Rawls
Betsy Rawls, a four-time U.S. Women’s Open champion, died in October at the age of 95. One of the most prolific winners in golf, Rawls transitioned from a playing career to tournament administrator in 1975, impacting the LPGA greatly both inside and outside the ropes. Rawls won 55 times on the LPGA, including eight majors.
Eric Quinn
From gopetrels.com:
The Oglethorpe University family grieves the death of former golfer and current assistant coach Eric Quinn, 32, who passed away Nov. 1. Eric was a member of the 2012 NCAA Division III National Championship-winning Oglethorpe men’s golf team and helped the Petrels earn the No. 1 national ranking for much of the 2012-13 season.
R.H. Sikes
Razorbacks Mourn Loss of R.H. Sikes
– 1963 @NCAA Champion
– 2x @USGA Amateur Public Links Champion
– 1963 @WalkerCup Winning Team
– 2x @PGATOUR winner
– 1964 @GolfDigest PGA Rookie of the YearFull Story: https://t.co/jhuHtRhnbb
🐗⛳️ #NCAAChampion pic.twitter.com/AWXsd6PSxr— Razorback Men's Golf (@RazorbackMGolf) November 3, 2023
Eddie Merrins
Eddie Merrins, who was affectionately known as “The Li’l Pro” and one of the most accomplished and decorated PGA professionals, died on Nov. 22. CBS Sports’s Jim Nantz, a longtime close personal friend, confirmed his passing on Wednesday morning in Los Angeles after a long illness at age 91. “The famed ‘Li’l Pro’ was a giant in the game,” Nantz said.
