Dave Ragan
Encyclopedia
David William Ragan, Jr. (born August 7, 1935) is a former American professional golfer
who played on the PGA Tour
and the Senior PGA Tour.
Ragan was born in Daytona Beach, Florida
. He attended the University of Florida
in Gainesville, Florida
, where he played for the Florida Gators men's golf team in National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) competition from 1954 to 1956. During his time as a Gator golfer, he was a member of the Gators team that finished sixth in the NCAA national tournament in 1955, and won the first two Southeastern Conference
(SEC) championships in team history in 1955 and 1956. As a senior in 1956, he won the SEC individual championship, and was recognized as an All-American. Ragan was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great."
Ragan turned professional in 1956 and played on the PGA Tour in the late 1950s and 1960s, winning three times. He finished second to Jack Nicklaus
in the 1963 PGA Championship
. He was a member of the 1963 Ryder Cup
team.
In the early 1980s, he was the coach for the Tennessee Temple Crusaders golf team of Tennessee Temple University
in Chattanooga
. He was also the coach of the Ragin' Cajuns golf team at University of Southwestern Louisiana
in Lafayette
. From 1984 to 1986, he worked in partnership with Jack Wall and Bobby Greenwood at the Master's School of Golf. He played sparingly on the Senior PGA Tour starting in 1987.
Golf Digest
magazine recognized Ragan as one of the top golf instructors in the state of Alabama in 2007. He is currently a teaching pro at Inverness Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama
. His son, Dave III, is a teaching pro in Miami.
PGA Tour playoff record (1-0)
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 the Senior PGA Tour.
Ragan was born in Daytona Beach, Florida
Daytona Beach, Florida
Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, USA. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city has a population of 64,211. Daytona Beach is a principal city of the Deltona – Daytona Beach – Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which the census bureau estimated had...
. He attended the University of Florida
University 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 Athletics Association (NCAA) competition from 1954 to 1956. During his time as a Gator golfer, he was a member of the Gators team that finished sixth in the NCAA national tournament in 1955, and won the first two Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) championships in team history in 1955 and 1956. As a senior in 1956, he won the SEC individual championship, and was recognized as an All-American. Ragan was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great."
Ragan turned professional in 1956 and played on the PGA Tour in the late 1950s and 1960s, winning three times. He finished second to Jack Nicklaus
Jack 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...
in the 1963 PGA Championship
1963 PGA Championship
The 1963 PGA Championship was the 45th PGA Championship played July 18–21 at Dallas Athletic Club in Dallas, Texas. Jack Nicklaus won the championship.-Final leaderboard:-External links:* - at www.golfobserver.com...
. He was a member of the 1963 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.
In the early 1980s, he was the coach for the Tennessee Temple Crusaders golf team of Tennessee Temple University
Tennessee Temple University
Tennessee Temple University is a four-year private Christian university, with its focus on liberal arts education, located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Operating there, also, is Temple Baptist Seminary, the university's graduate school of Christian theology....
in Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
. He was also the coach of the Ragin' Cajuns golf team at University of Southwestern Louisiana
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational, public research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana...
in Lafayette
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
. From 1984 to 1986, he worked in partnership with Jack Wall and Bobby Greenwood at the Master's School of Golf. He played sparingly on the Senior PGA Tour starting in 1987.
Golf Digest
Golf Digest
Golf Digest is a monthly golf magazine published by Condé Nast Publications in the United States. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. Condé Nast Publications also publishes the more specialized , and Golf World Business. The...
magazine recognized Ragan as one of the top golf instructors in the state of Alabama in 2007. He is currently a teaching pro at Inverness Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
. His son, Dave III, is a teaching pro in Miami.
PGA Tour (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jun 7, 1959 | Eastern Open Invitational Eastern Open Invitational The Eastern Open Invitational, first played as the Eastern Open, was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour that was played in Maryland in the 1950s and early 1960s. The first nine events were played at Mt. Pleasant Municipal Golf Club in Baltimore, an 18-hole par-71 public course designed by Gus Hook... |
1 stroke |  Gene LittlerGene Littler Gene Alec Littler is an American professional golfer. Known for a solid temperament and nicknamed "Gene the Machine" for his smooth rhythmical swing, he once said that, "Golf is not a game of great shots. It's a game of the best misses. The people who win make the smallest mistakes."-Early years... |
|
| 2 | Nov 4, 1962 | Beaumont Open Invitational Beaumont Open Invitational The Beaumont Open Invitational was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour that played for two years in the early 1960s at the Terrell Park Municipal Golf Course in Beaumont, Texas, an 18-hole, par-72, 6,656 yard city-owned course.... |
3 strokes | Dow Finsterwald Dow Finsterwald Dow Henry Finsterwald, Sr. is an American professional golfer who is best known for winning the 1958 PGA Championship. He won 11 Tour titles between 1955 and 1963, played on four Ryder Cup teams, and served as non-playing captain for the 1977 U.S. Ryder Cup team.Finsterwald was born and raised in... , Lionel HebertLionel Hebert Lionel P. Hebert was an American golfer. He won five times on the PGA Tour including the 1957 PGA Championship, the last to be held at match play. His older brother Jay won the same event at stroke play in 1960. Lionel also played on the 1957 Ryder Cup team... , Don MassengaleDon Massengale Donald Ray Massengale, Sr. was an American professional golfer who won tournaments on both the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour.-Career:... |
|
| 3 | Dec 2, 1962 | West Palm Beach Open Invitational West Palm Beach Open Invitational The West Palm Beach Open Invitational, first played as The West Palm Beach Open, was a PGA Tour event in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was held at the West Palm Beach Country Club, now known as the West Palm Beach Golf Course, an 18-hole, par-72 championship course established in 1921 and in... |
Playoff | Doug Sanders Doug Sanders George Douglas Sanders is a former American professional golfer who won twenty PGA Tour events during his career.-Early years:Sanders was born in Cedartown, Georgia. He grew up in a poor family, and picked cotton as a teenager... |
PGA Tour playoff record (1-0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1962 | West Palm Beach Open Invitational West Palm Beach Open Invitational The West Palm Beach Open Invitational, first played as The West Palm Beach Open, was a PGA Tour event in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was held at the West Palm Beach Country Club, now known as the West Palm Beach Golf Course, an 18-hole, par-72 championship course established in 1921 and in... |
Doug Sanders Doug Sanders George Douglas Sanders is a former American professional golfer who won twenty PGA Tour events during his career.-Early years:Sanders was born in Cedartown, Georgia. He grew up in a poor family, and picked cotton as a teenager... |
Won with birdie on second extra hole |
Other (6)
This list is possibly incomplete- 1956 Florida OpenFlorida OpenThe Florida Open is the Florida state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is now organized by the Florida State Golf Association . It has been played annually since 1942 at a variety of courses around the state...
(as an amateur) - 1957 Waterloo Open Golf ClassicWaterloo Open Golf ClassicThe Waterloo Jaycees Greater Waterloo Open Golf Classic is a the oldest and largest golf tournament in the state of Iowa. It has been played annually since 1934, and celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2008...
(tie with J. C. Goosie) - 1961 Haig & Haig Scotch Foursome (with Mickey WrightMickey WrightMary Kathryn "Mickey" Wright is an American professional golfer. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.-Early life:...
) - 1962 Florida PGA Championship
- 1963 Haig & Haig Scotch Foursome (with Mickey WrightMickey WrightMary Kathryn "Mickey" Wright is an American professional golfer. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.-Early life:...
), Senior Service Tournament (UK)
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...
- List of Florida Gators golfers
- List of University of Florida alumni