Jimmy Demaret (original) (raw)

Jimmy Demaret (May 24, 1910 - December 28, 1983) was a professional golfer. Perhaps the all-time character of golf's PGA Tour, he also won 31 events in a long career between 1935 and 1957 and was the first three-time winner of the Masters. Demaret reached his peak in the late 1940s with wins in the Masters in 1947, runner-up to Ben Hogan in both the 1948 U.S. Open and PGA Championship, and leading money winner status in 1947. He reached the semifinals of the PGA Championship four times in all but never won. Selected on the 1951 Ryder Cup team, his career declined in the 1950s although he managed several key wins including the 1952 Crosby. Known for his outrageous humor and outrageously colorful outfits, he was the original host of Shell's Wonderful World of Golf in the early 1960s, and was introduced to a new generation of golf fans. The over-70s groupings on the PGA Senior Tour were named the Friends of Demaret in his honor.