Cary Middlecoff (1921-1998): dentistry's top golfer

Between the late 1930s and mid-1950s, Dr. E. Cary Middlecoff, a one-time dentist from Memphis, Tennessee, and later, professional golfer, set the golf world on fire. His prestigious 16-year amateur and professional record became legendary. During his career, he won 40 professional tournaments, including the 1955 Masters and two U.S. National Open titles (1949 and 1956). Overall, in 91 tournaments, Middlecoff never placed lower than third. Fellow golf professionals acknowledged him as a talented and formidable competitor. He was a long, straight driver and an accomplished long-iron player who possessed an unorthodox, but accurate, putting style. Although he sometimes commented that he became a "bale of nerves" before competing, he was known to perform admirably while under extreme pressure. Cary concentrated on each hole with "exasperating deliberation," and paid compulsive attention to every detail of his game. In spite of his slow and intense play, he refused to dwell on a poor shot, an unproductive hole or a disappointing round. After leaving the tour circuit in 1963, Middlecoff spent the following 18 years working as a TV golf analyst. In 1986, he was elected as a PGA Hall of Fame member.