Cary Middlecoff made the most important career decision of his life in 1946. Just out of school, he chose to postpone a career as a dentist to try his hand at the PGA circuit. Thirty-nine PGA victories later, it is no surprise that he never did end up filling cavities. Born in Halls, Tennessee, Middlecoff did not waste much time in his scramble to the top of the golfing world. In only his third year, 1949, he won the U.S. Open and five other major tournaments. Middlecoff would go on to win the U.S. Open again in 1956. But the pinnacle of his illustrious career had to be 1955, when he won the Masters, the Western Open and four other major tournaments. Besides individual tournament victories, Middlecoff also had his share of awards and honors. He won the Varden Cup in 1956, awarded to the golfer with the lowest scoring average on tour; played on three Ryder Cup teams; and was the leading money winner of the 1950s. After a back injury forced Middlecoff to retire from competition in 1963, he became a successful television golf commentator. Rounding out an exemplary career in professional golf, Middlecoff was elected in 1986 to the prestigious PGA World Golf Hall of Fame. Dr. Cary Middlecoff passed away in 1998 at the age of seventy-seven, a true hero in Tennessee and U.S. golf history.
