Dan Sikes
Encyclopedia
Daniel David Sikes, Jr. was an American professional golfer
who played on the PGA Tour
and Champions Tour
. Sikes won nine tournaments as a pro, including six PGA Tour events.
and was raised in Jacksonville
. He attended Andrew Jackson High School
in Jacksonville.
in Gainesville, Florida
, where he played for the Florida Gators men's golf team in National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) competition from 1951 to 1953. He was recognized as an All-American in 1952—the University of Florida's first All-American golfer. Sikes graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree
in business administration in 1953, and was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great."
from the University of Florida College of Law and was known as the "golfing lawyer," he never actually practiced law. Sikes won the 1958 U.S. Amateur Public Links
championship while in law school. He turned professional in 1960 and won six tournaments on the PGA Tour
. His career year was 1967, when he won two events, finished one shot off the lead in the PGA Championship
and fifth on the final money list. He played on the 1969 Ryder Cup
team.
Sikes was instrumental in helping organize the Senior PGA Tour. He won three times in this venue—the first of which came at the rain-shortened Hilton Head Seniors International in 1982 which Sikes and Miller Barber
were leading when play was stopped.
Sikes died in Jacksonville at the age of 58. He was posthumously inducted into the Jacksonville Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.
PGA Tour playoff record (0-2)
Note: Sikes never played in The Open Championship
.
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10
Professional golfer
In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
who played on the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
and Champions Tour
Champions Tour
The Champions Tour, a golf tour run by the PGA Tour, hosts a series of events annually in the United States and the United Kingdom for golfers 50 years of age and older. Many of the PGA Tour's most successful golfers have gone on to play on the Champions Tour.The Senior PGA Championship, founded in...
. Sikes won nine tournaments as a pro, including six PGA Tour events.
Early years
Sikes was born in Wildwood, FloridaWildwood, Florida
Wildwood is a city in Sumter County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,924 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2004 estimates, the city had a population of 3,598.-Geography:Wildwood is located at ....
and was raised in Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
. He attended Andrew Jackson High School
Andrew Jackson High School (Jacksonville, Florida)
Andrew Jackson High School is the oldest fully accredited high school in Duval County, Florida. It is located just north of downtown Jacksonville on Main Street . It opened in 1927, followed by Robert E. Lee High School, which opened in 1928. It was originally an all-white school, but the school...
in Jacksonville.
College career
He attended the University of FloridaUniversity of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where he played for the Florida Gators men's golf team in National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
(NCAA) competition from 1951 to 1953. He was recognized as an All-American in 1952—the University of Florida's first All-American golfer. Sikes graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in business administration in 1953, and was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great."
Professional career
Although he later earned a law degreeLaw degree
A Law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers; but while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not themselves confer a license...
from the University of Florida College of Law and was known as the "golfing lawyer," he never actually practiced law. Sikes won the 1958 U.S. Amateur Public Links
U.S. Amateur Public Links
The U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, often referred to as the Public Links or the Publinx, is a men's amateur golf tournament, one of 10 individual amateur championships organized by the United States Golf Association. The USGA typically calls the event the U.S. Amateur Public Links, which...
championship while in law school. He turned professional in 1960 and won six tournaments on the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
. His career year was 1967, when he won two events, finished one shot off the lead in the PGA Championship
PGA Championship
The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
and fifth on the final money list. He played on the 1969 Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
team.
Sikes was instrumental in helping organize the Senior PGA Tour. He won three times in this venue—the first of which came at the rain-shortened Hilton Head Seniors International in 1982 which Sikes and Miller Barber
Miller Barber
Miller Barber is an American professional golfer who enjoyed significant success on the PGA Tour in the 1960s and 1970s, and a greater degree of success on the Senior PGA Tour in the 1980s.-Career:...
were leading when play was stopped.
Sikes died in Jacksonville at the age of 58. He was posthumously inducted into the Jacksonville Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.
PGA Tour wins (6)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar 24, 1963 | Doral C.C. Open Invitational | 1 stroke |  Sam SneadSam Snead Samuel Jackson Snead was an American professional golfer who was one of the top players in the world for most of four decades. Snead won a record 82 PGA Tour events including seven majors. He failed to win a U.S... |
|
| 2 | Jun 13, 1965 | Cleveland Open Invitational | 3 strokes | Tony Lema Tony Lema Anthony David "Tony" Lema was an American professional golfer, who rose to fame in the beginning of golf's modern era, but had his young life and career cut short in an aircraft accident. His most prestigious victory was the 1964 British Open.-Biography:Lema was born in Oakland, California, to... |
|
| 3 | Mar 19, 1967 | Jacksonville Open | 1 stroke | Bill Collins Bill Collins (golfer) William R. Collins was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1950s and 1960s and the Senior PGA Tour in the 1980s.... |
|
| 4 | Sep 17, 1967 | Philadelphia Golf Classic | 2 strokes | George Archer George Archer George William Archer was an American golfer who won twelve events on the PGA Tour, including one major championship.Archer was born in San Francisco, California and was raised just south in the city of San Mateo... |
|
| 5 | Mar 17, 1968 | Florida Citrus Open Invitational | 1 stroke | Tom Weiskopf Tom Weiskopf Thomas Daniel Weiskopf is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. His most successful decade was the 1970s, and he won 16 PGA Tour titles between 1968 and 1982. After winding down his tournament career, Weiskopf has become a noted golf course... |
|
| 6 | Jul 28, 1968 | Minnesota Golf Classic | 1 stroke | Ken Still Ken Still Kenneth Allan Still is an American professional golfer who has played on both the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour.Still was born in Tacoma, Washington. During his early twenties, he developed a friendship with Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. He turned professional in... |
PGA Tour playoff record (0-2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1962 | Houston Classic | Bobby Nichols Bobby Nichols Robert Herman Nichols is an American professional golfer, best known for winning the 1964 PGA Championship.Nichols was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He attended St. Xavier High School in Louisville and later played golf at Texas A&M University were his team won the Southwest Conference Championship... , Jack NicklausJack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a... |
Nichols won with eagle on first extra hole after a 18-hole playoff (Nichols:71, Sikes:71, Nicklaus:75) |
| 2 | 1973 | Byron Nelson Golf Classic | Lanny Wadkins Lanny Wadkins Jerry Lanston "Lanny" Wadkins, Jr. is an American professional golfer. He ranked in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for 86 weeks from their debut in 1986 to 1988.... |
Lost to par on first extra hole |
Senior PGA Tour wins (3)
- 19821982 Senior PGA TourThe 1982 Senior PGA Tour was the third season since the Senior PGA Tour officially began in 1980 . The season consisted of 11 official money events with purses totalling $1,597,500, including two majors. Miller Barber won the most tournaments, three...
(1) Hilton Head Seniors International (tie with Miller BarberMiller BarberMiller Barber is an American professional golfer who enjoyed significant success on the PGA Tour in the 1960s and 1970s, and a greater degree of success on the Senior PGA Tour in the 1980s.-Career:...
) - 19841984 Senior PGA TourThe 1984 Senior PGA Tour was the fifth season since the Senior PGA Tour officially began in 1980 . The season consisted of 22 official money events with purses totalling $4,366,000, including four majors. Miller Barber won the most tournaments, four...
(2) Gatlin Brothers Seniors Golf Classic, United Virginia Bank Seniors
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | T15 | T13 | 5 | T36 | DNP | T35 | 12 | T36 | CUT | DNP | DNP | T15 | CUT |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
T36 | 10 | T44 | T36 | DNP | DNP | 15 | T38 | T27 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
DNP | T47 | DNP | T45 | T28 | T3 | T8 | T25 | T18 | T46 | T13 | T6 | T74 | DNP |
Note: Sikes never played in The Open Championship
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
.
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- Golfers with most PGA Tour winsGolfers with most PGA Tour winsThis is a list of golfers who have won five or more official money events on the PGA Tour.Players under 50 years of age are shown in bold. On his 50th birthday a golfer becomes eligible to compete on the Champions Tour, and he is unlikely to add to his tally of PGA Tour wins after that date This is...
- List of Florida Gators golfers
- List of Levin College of Law graduates
- List of University of Florida alumni