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Cary Middlecoff

United States · born , Halls, Tennessee, USA · died

3major championships

Summary

  • First major 1949 U.S. Open
  • Last major 1956 U.S. Open
  • Ryder Cup 3 Cups · 2-3-1 · 2.5 points (41.7%)
  • Runner-up in majors 4 times

Wins

  1. 1949 U.S. Open Medinah C.C. · 286 (+2) · by 1 stroke from Clayton Heafner and Sam Snead
  2. 1955 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · 279 (-9) · by 7 strokes from Ben Hogan
  3. 1956 U.S. Open Oak Hill C.C. · 281 (+1) · by 1 stroke from Julius Boros and Ben Hogan

Near misses

  1. 1948 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · runner-up to Claude Harmon · 284
  2. 1955 PGA Championship Meadowbrook Country Club · runner-up to Doug Ford · lost the final 4 & 3
  3. 1957 U.S. Open Inverness Club · runner-up to Dick Mayer · playoff: 18 holes, 72–79
  4. 1959 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · runner-up to Art Wall Jr. · 285

Ryder Cup

3 Cups, 6 matches: 2 won, 3 lost, 1 halved, 2.5 points. Foursomes 1-1-1, four-ball 0-0-0, singles 1-2-0.

  1. 1953 Wentworth Club (course not named in sources found) USA · USA won 6.5–5.5 · 1-1-0, 1 point · automatic
  2. 1955 Thunderbird Ranch & Country Club USA · USA won 8–4 · 1-1-0, 1 point
  3. 1959 Eldorado Country Club USA · USA won 8.5–3.5 · 0-1-1, 0.5 points

Rivals

Beat him

Ryder Cup partners

Ryder Cup opponents

Next in the chain: Doug Ford's rivals →

Moments

  1. 1955 Masters Middlecoff's second-round 65 included a front-nine 31, then a Masters record, and his seven-stroke winning margin was a tournament record until 1965.
  2. 1955 Masters The Sarazen Bridge was dedicated during tournament week to mark the 20th anniversary of Gene Sarazen's 1935 double eagle.

Results by championship

    Best day

    1955 Masters

    Augusta National Golf Club · 279 (-9) · by 7 strokes from Ben Hogan

    Middlecoff's second-round 65 included a front-nine 31, then a Masters record, and his seven-stroke winning margin was a tournament record until 1965.

    The Sarazen Bridge was dedicated during tournament week to mark the 20th anniversary of Gene Sarazen's 1935 double eagle.

    Chosen by rule: his widest winning margin in a major. Year page: 1955.

    Career line, 1948–1959

    Masters
    1948 Masters: runner-up to Claude Harmon1955 Masters: won1959 Masters: runner-up to Art Wall Jr.
    PGA Championship
    1955 PGA Championship: runner-up to Doug Ford
    U.S. Open
    1949 U.S. Open: won1956 U.S. Open: won1957 U.S. Open: runner-up to Dick Mayer
    Ryder Cup
    1953 Ryder Cup (USA): 1-1-01955 Ryder Cup (USA): 1-1-01959 Ryder Cup (USA): 0-1-1
    195019551960

    10 results. Hover or tap a mark; click it for the year.

    • Major win
    • Runner-up
    • Ryder Cup, USA

    Cary Middlecoff was born on January 6, 1921, in Halls, Tennessee, USA. Middlecoff won 3 major championships: 1 Masters (1955) and 2 U.S. Opens (1949, 1956). Middlecoff played in 3 Ryder Cups for USA (1953, 1955, 1959), winning 2, losing 3 and halving 1 of 6 matches for 2.5 points.

    See Cary Middlecoff in our rooms: The Masters, U.S. Open, Greatest Golfer by State and Every Ground.

    Cards you pull this visit stack here. Tap one to go back to it.

    The record

    Wins in the majors (3)

    1. 1949 U.S. Open Medinah C.C., Medinah, IL · 286 (+2) · by 1 stroke from Clayton Heafner and Sam Snead
    2. 1955 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · 279 (-9) · by 7 strokes from Ben Hogan
    3. 1956 U.S. Open Oak Hill C.C., Rochester, NY · 281 (+1) · by 1 stroke from Julius Boros and Ben Hogan

    Near misses

    1. 1948 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · runner-up to Claude Harmon · 284
    2. 1955 PGA Championship Meadowbrook Country Club · runner-up to Doug Ford · lost the final 4 & 3
    3. 1957 U.S. Open Inverness Club · runner-up to Dick Mayer · playoff: 18 holes, 72–79
    4. 1959 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · runner-up to Art Wall Jr. · 285

    U.S. Open top-10 finishes in his career: 4 (GNN U.S. Open room data).

    Ryder Cup

    Middlecoff played 3 Ryder Cups for USA: 6 matches, 2 won, 3 lost, 1 halved, 2.5 points (41.7% of those available). By format: foursomes 1-1-1, four-ball 0-0-0, singles 1-2-0 (won-lost-halved).

    1. 1953 Wentworth Club (course not named in sources found) USA · USA won 6.5–5.5 · 1-1-0, 1 point · automatic
    2. 1955 Thunderbird Ranch & Country Club USA · USA won 8–4 · 1-1-0, 1 point
    3. 1959 Eldorado Country Club USA · USA won 8.5–3.5 · 0-1-1, 0.5 points

    Partners, with matches played together: Sam Snead (2), Walter Burkemo (1).

    PGA Championship match play

    Every recorded match in our bracket file, 1916–1957: 13 won, 4 lost, including 0 of 1 finals.

    1. 1952 Round of 64 beat Joe Taylor 5 & 4
    2. 1952 Round of 32 beat Charles Harter 3 & 2
    3. 1952 Round of 16 beat Al Smith 4 & 2
    4. 1952 Quarterfinal lost to Ted Kroll won on 38th hole
    5. 1953 Round of 64 beat Jerry Barber 2 & 1
    6. 1953 Round of 32 lost to Jimmy Clark 5 & 4
    7. 1954 Round of 64 beat Joe Brown 1 up
    8. 1954 Round of 32 beat Bob Toski 2 & 1
    9. 1954 Round of 16 beat Ted Kroll 5 & 4
    10. 1954 Quarterfinal beat Shelley Mayfield 3 & 1
    11. 1954 Semifinal lost to Walter Burkemo won on 37th hole
    12. 1955 Round of 64 beat Walter Burkemo 2 & 1
    13. 1955 Round of 32 beat Bill Nary 3 & 2
    14. 1955 Round of 16 beat Mike Pavella 8 & 6
    15. 1955 Quarterfinal beat Jack Burke Jr. won on 40th hole
    16. 1955 Semifinal beat Tommy Bolt 4 & 3
    17. 1955 Final lost to Doug Ford 4 & 3

    Masters Champions Dinner

    No menu has been recorded for the 1956 (as the 1955 champion) dinner. Until about 1986 champions did not design the meal: the club served its standard menu.

    Sources

    Elsewhere: Wikipedia.

    Every fact on this page comes from Golf Network News data sets compiled in October 2026 (Masters, PGA Championship, The Open, U.S. Women's Open, Ryder Cup, PGA Tour 2024–2026, major host sites, Champions Dinner menus, and the U.S. Open and state rooms). These are the sources those rows cite.

    1. golfcompendium.com: masters winners
    2. golfcompendium.com: us open winners
    3. golfcompendium.com: british open winners
    4. golfcompendium.com: pga championship winners
    5. Wikipedia: Cary Middlecoff
    6. golfcompendium.com: pga tour career wins
    7. golfcompendium.com: 1948 masters
    8. golfcompendium.com: 1959 masters tournament
    9. Wikipedia: Masters Tournament
    10. pga.com: list masters champions
    11. WP: List of American Ryder Cup golfers
    12. GNN U.S. Open room (champions data)
    13. Wikipedia: 1955 Masters Tournament
    14. golfcompendium.com: 1955 masters
    15. topendsports.com: winners
    16. nbcsports.com: by the numbers jumpsuit numbers for every masters champions caddie
    17. todays-golfer.com: how the masters prize money has changed over the years
    18. golf.com: masters purse masters winners payouts alltime
    19. pgatour.com: what is the cut at the masters tournament augusta national (archived copy; the original link no longer works)
    20. todays-golfer.com: cut rules
    21. golfcompendium.com: 1957 masters
    22. liveabout.com: what are the yardages at augusta national during the masters 1564592
    23. PGA of America 2013 media guide, p. 80
    24. Golf Compendium 1952
    25. Golf Compendium 1953
    26. Michigan Daily, 4 July 1953 (AP)
    27. Golf Compendium 1954
    28. Golf Compendium 1955
    29. New England Golf, match-play history
    30. PGA of America winners & venues
    31. GC: 1953 ryder cup
    32. Wikipedia: 1953 Ryder Cup
    33. GC: 1955 ryder cup
    34. Wikipedia: 1955 Ryder Cup
    35. GC: 1959 ryder cup
    36. Wikipedia: 1959 Ryder Cup