Miller Barber

Lore & Background

Barber was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, and spent much of his life in Texarkana, Texas. He graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1954 and turned professional in 1958. He won his first PGA Tour event in 1964 and earned 11 career tour wins, but did not win a major championship. His closest major chance came at the 1969 U.S. Open, where he held a three-shot lead after three rounds but shot 78 in the final round to finish three shots behind winner Orville Moody. Earlier in April 1969, he entered the final round of the Masters two shots out of the lead and was paired with Billy Casper, shooting a final round 74 to finish 7th. He played on the Ryder Cup team in 1969 and 1971, and in 1971 was ranked sixth on the McCormack rankings. In 1973, he won the longest regulation tournament in PGA Tour history, the World Open Golf Championship at Pinehurst Country Club, a 144-hole affair, by three strokes over Ben Crenshaw. On the Senior PGA Tour, he was one of the dominant players throughout the 1980s, competing on even terms with Lee Trevino and Arnold Palmer. His 24 wins on that tour included five senior majors, three of them U.S. Senior Opens. Barber holds the record for combined PGA Tour and Champions Tour starts at 1,297. He played with an unusual looped backswing/downswing but squared up consistently through impact. He died June 11, 2013, at age 82 of lymphoma in Scottsdale, Arizona, survived by his wife of 43 years, Karen, and sons Larry and Richard and stepsons Casey, Doug, Brad.

In Their Own Story

The Ohio afternoon was thick and golden, the kind of late-July light that turns the Firestone fairways into ribbons of amber. Barber stood over a 14-footer on the 18th, the crowd a low murmur behind him. He didn't look at the gallery. He didn't look at the leaderboard. He looked at the flag, then at the ball, and his caddie—quiet, steady, a hand on his shoulder—simply said, "Same one."

He made the same swing he'd made on 14, on 15, on 16. The ball rolled, kissed the lip, and dropped. The murmur became a roar. Barber exhaled, turned, and let his caddie lift the trophy from the cart before the photographers even reached the green. In that moment, a South African who had spent four years in qualifying purgatory was, for one shining week, the best golfer in the world.

Reader's Guide

Miller Barber was a professional golfer whose career spanned the 1960s through the 1980s. He won 11 PGA Tour events, including the 1973 World Open Golf Championship, and 24 Senior PGA Tour events, including five senior majors. He played on the Ryder Cup team in 1969 and 1971. His record for combined PGA Tour and Champions Tour starts is 1,297.

Did You Know?

• Barber won the longest regulation tournament in PGA Tour history, the 144-hole World Open Golf Championship in 1973.
• He holds the record for combined PGA Tour and Champions Tour starts at 1,297.
• Barber played with an unusual looped backswing/downswing, similar to Jim Furyk's method.
• He was a dominant player on the Senior PGA Tour in the 1980s, winning 24 events including five senior majors.