# Gil Morgan

Gilmer Bryan Morgan II, OD (born September 25, 1946) is an American professional golfer.

## Early life

Morgan was born in Wewoka, Oklahoma. He graduated from East Central State College in Ada, Oklahoma in 1968.

## Professional career

In 1972, Morgan earned a Doctor of Optometry degree from the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee before turning professional at golf later that year. He is a member of Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity.
Morgan won seven events on the PGA Tour between 1977 and 1990. He was also one of the most consistent top five finishers during this period. He posted 21 2nd place and 21 3rd place finishes on the PGA Tour in his career. The most prestigious tournament he won on the PGA Tour was the 1978 World Series of Golf. He also played on the 1979 and 1983 Ryder Cup teams.
Although he never won a major title during his time on the PGA Tour, Morgan showed signs of brilliance. For example, during the 1992 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, Morgan became the first player to reach 10-under-par (−10) during U.S. Open competition when he recorded a birdie on the third hole during the third round. He later added two more birdies to reach −12 after the seventh hole. He would later finish badly to finish at −4. This was good enough for the 54-hole lead. However, a final round 81 left him +5, in a tie for 13th place and eight shots behind eventual winner Tom Kite Morgan also led the 1976 PGA Championship after 36 holes but finished T8.
He became eligible to play on the Champions Tour in 1996. He has enjoyed much success on the Champion's Tour notching 25 wins. Three of his wins have come in senior majors, namely The Tradition in 1997 and 1998 and the Senior Players Championship in 1998.

## Professional wins (41)
### PGA Tour wins (7)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | Sep 11, 1977 | B.C. Open | −14 (67-65-69-69=270) | 5 strokes | Lee Elder |
| 2 | Feb 19, 1978 | Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open | −6 (66-69-73-70=278) | 2 strokes | Jack Nicklaus |
| 3 | Oct 1, 1978 | World Series of Golf | −2 (71-72-67-68=278) | Playoff | Hubert Green |
| 4 | Jul 1, 1979 | Danny Thomas Memphis Classic | −10 (72-71-69-66=278) | Playoff | Larry Nelson |
| 5 | Jan 9, 1983 | Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open | −9 (65-71-68-67=271) | Playoff | Curtis Strange, Lanny Wadkins |
| 6 | Jan 16, 1983 | Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open (2) | −14 (71-68-63-68=270) | 2 strokes | Lanny Wadkins |
| 7 | Jun 3, 1990 | Kemper Open | −10 (68-67-70-69=274) | 1 stroke | Ian Baker-Finch |
PGA Tour playoff record (3–4)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
| 1 | 1978 | World Series of Golf | Hubert Green | Won with par on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1979 | Danny Thomas Memphis Classic | Larry Nelson | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 3 | 1980 | Pleasant Valley Jimmy Fund Classic | Wayne Levi | Lost to par on fourth extra hole |
| 4 | 1981 | Buick Open | Bobby Clampett, Hale Irwin, Peter Jacobsen | Irwin won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 5 | 1983 | Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open | Curtis Strange, Lanny Wadkins | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 6 | 1983 | Kemper Open | Chen Tze-chung, Fred Couples, Barry Jaeckel, Scott Simpson | Couples won with birdie on second extra hole Jaeckel eliminated by par on first hole |
| 7 | 1990 | Independent Insurance Agent Open | Tony Sills | Lost to par on first extra hole |

### PGA of Japan Tour wins (1)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | Oct 8, 1978 | Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters | −11 (68-67-68-70=273) | 3 strokes | Jerry Pate |

### Other wins (4)

* 1979 Heublein Open (Brazil)
* 1981 Oklahoma Open
* 1983 Jerry Ford Invitational (tie with Don Pooley)
* 1997 Oklahoma Open

### Champions Tour wins (25)

* Legend
* Champions Tour major championships (3)
* Tour Championships (1)
* Other Champions Tour (21)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | Oct 6, 1996 | Ralphs Senior Classic | −11 (68-68-66=202) | 1 stroke | Jim Colbert, Chi-Chi Rodríguez |
| 2 | Apr 6, 1997 | The Tradition | −22 (66-66-67-67=266) | 6 strokes | Isao Aoki |
| 3 | Jun 1, 1997 | Ameritech Senior Open | −6 (67-69-74=210) | 1 stroke | Hale Irwin |
| 4 | Jun 8, 1997 | BellSouth Senior Classic | −14 (69-66-67=202) | 2 strokes | John Bland |
| 5 | Aug 17, 1997 | First of America Classic | −9 (69-67-71=207) | 1 stroke | Bob Duval |
| 6 | Nov 2, 1997 | Ralphs Senior Classic (2) | −15 (67-66-65=198) | 1 stroke | George Archer |
| 7 | Nov 9, 1997 | Energizer Senior Tour Championship | −16 (69-66-66-71=272) | 2 strokes | Hale Irwin |
| 8 | Jan 18, 1998 | MasterCard Championship | −21 (65-66-64=195) | 6 strokes | Gibby Gilbert, Hale Irwin |
| 9 | Feb 8, 1998 | LG Championship | −6 (69-73-68=210) | 2 strokes | Dale Douglass, Raymond Floyd |
| 10 | Apr 5, 1998 | The Tradition (2) | −12 (71-66-69-70=276) | 2 strokes | Tom Wargo |
| 11 | Jul 12, 1998 | Ford Senior Players Championship | −21 (69-64-68-66=267) | 3 strokes | Hale Irwin |
| 12 | Aug 2, 1998 | Utah Showdown | −16 (66-67-67=200) | 4 strokes | Isao Aoki, John Mahaffey |
| 13 | Oct 4, 1998 | Vantage Championship | −12 (66-67-65=198) | 1 stroke | Hale Irwin |
| 14 | Sep 12, 1999 | Comfort Classic | −15 (67-65-69=201) | 2 strokes | Ed Dougherty |
| 15 | Sep 26, 1999 | Kroger Senior Classic | −18 (67-68-63=198) | 2 strokes | Ed Dougherty |
| 16 | Mar 26, 2000 | Emerald Coast Classic | −13 (65-65-67=197) | 4 strokes | Larry Nelson |
| 17 | Jul 23, 2000 | Instinet Classic | −17 (67-66-66=199) | 4 strokes | Bruce Fleisher, Bob Murphy |
| 18 | Sep 10, 2000 | Comfort Classic (2) | −13 (64-67=131)* | 1 stroke | Jim Ahern |
| 19 | Feb 11, 2001 | ACE Group Classic (2) | −12 (71-67-66=204) | 2 strokes | Dana Quigley |
| 20 | Jun 17, 2001 | Instinet Classic (2) | −15 (63-69-69=201) | 2 strokes | Tom Jenkins, J. C. Snead |
| 21 | Jun 16, 2002 | BellSouth Senior Classic (2) | −14 (67-68-67=202) | 3 strokes | Bruce Fleisher, Mike McCullough, Dana Quigley |
| 22 | Sep 7, 2003 | Kroger Classic (2) | −16 (65-67-68=200) | 2 strokes | Doug Tewell |
| 23 | Mar 14, 2004 | SBC Classic (3) | −14 (67-66-69=202) | 2 strokes | Larry Nelson |
| 24 | Jun 4, 2006 | Allianz Championship | −16 (66-64-67=197) | 1 stroke | Loren Roberts |
| 25 | Sep 2, 2007 | Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach | −14 (70-65-67=202) | 2 strokes | Hale Irwin |
*Note: The 2000 Comfort Classic was shortened to 36 holes due to rain.
Champions Tour playoff record (0–6)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
| 1 | 1997 | Emerald Coast Classic | Isao Aoki | Lost to par on second extra hole |
| 2 | 2000 | Bruno's Memorial Classic | John Jacobs | Lost to par on first extra hole |
| 3 | 2000 | Vantage Championship | Jim Dent, Larry Nelson | Nelson won with birdie on sixth extra hole Dent eliminated by birdie on first hole |
| 4 | 2001 | Toshiba Senior Classic | José María Cañizares | Lost to birdie on ninth extra hole |
| 5 | 2005 | Bayer Advantage Classic | Dana Quigley, Tom Watson | Quigley won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 6 | 2007 | Boeing Classic | R. W. Eaks, David Eger, Naomichi Ozaki, Dana Quigley, Craig Stadler, Denis Watson | Watson won with eagle on second extra hole Eger, Ozaki, Morgan and Quigley eliminated by birdie on first hole |

### Other senior wins (4)

* 1997 Diners Club Matches (with Jay Sigel)
* 1998 Senior Slam at Los Cabos,
* 1999 Senior Slam at Los Cabos, Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Hubert Green)

## Playoff record

European Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
| 1 | 1978 | European Open | Bernard Gallacher, Bobby Wadkins | Wadkins won with birdie on first extra hole |

## Results in major championships

| Tournament | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
| Masters Tournament | | | CUT | T18 | T31 |
| U.S. Open | | | T41 | CUT | CUT |
| The Open Championship | | | | | CUT |
| PGA Championship | T17 | T8 | T15 | T4 | T28 |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
| Masters Tournament | T19 | T21 | CUT | T8 | T3 | CUT | | | | |
| U.S. Open | T16 | CUT | T22 | 3 | T21 | T23 | | T51 | CUT | WD |
| The Open Championship | T10 | | CUT | | T22 | | | | | |
| PGA Championship | T3 | T19 | T22 | T55 | CUT | T28 | CUT | T21 | CUT | CUT |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 |
| Masters Tournament | | CUT | | T50 | CUT | | |
| U.S. Open | T56 | CUT | T13 | CUT | CUT | | |
| The Open Championship | | T64 | | T14 | CUT | | |
| PGA Championship | 3 | T16 | T21 | CUT | T39 | T31 | T41 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1979 and 1982 Open Championships) WD = withdrew "T" = tied

### Summary

| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 7 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 17 | 9 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 4 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 22 | 17 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 25 | 58 | 37 |
* Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (1982 PGA – 1984 Open Championship)
* Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (twice)

## Results in The Players Championship

| Tournament | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 |
| The Players Championship | T58 | CUT | T65 | T40 | T20 | T12 | T31 | T12 | T47 | T23 | T44 | CUT | T58 | | T6 | T6 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T3 | | T68 | T13 | T53 |
CUT = missed the halfway cut "T" indicates a tie for a place

## Champions Tour major championships
### Wins (3)

| Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
| 1997 | The Tradition | −22 (66-66-67-67=266) | 6 strokes | Isao Aoki |
| 1998 | The Tradition (2) | −12 (71-66-69-70=276) | 2 strokes | Tom Wargo |
| 1998 | Ford Senior Players Championship | −21 (69-64-68-66=267) | 3 strokes | Hale Irwin |

## U.S. national team appearances

Professional
* Ryder Cup: 1979 (winners), 1983 (winners)
* Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (representing Senior PGA Tour): 1998 (winners)