John Morgan: England Pro Became Senior Winner
Date of birth: September 3, 1943
Place of birth: Oxford, England
Date of death: June 23, 2006
Not to be confused with: The other English pro golfer named John Morgan. That golfer went by, and is referred to today by, John E. Morgan, using his middle initial to differentiate. The first John Morgan (the one we are writing about here) was active on tour in the 1970s and 1980s. John E. Morgan came later, playing on various pro tours in the 2000s. There was also a prominent amateur golfer named John Morgan, a Welshman who played Walker Cup in the 1950s.
His Biggest Wins
John Morgan had one official win on the European Tour:- 1986 Jersey Open
- 1979 Nigerian Open
- 1979 Lusaka Open
- 1982 Ivory Coast Open
- 1994 Northern Electric Seniors
- 1994 Lawrence Batley Seniors
- 1994 PGA Seniors Championship
- 1995 PGA Seniors Championship
- 1996 Scottish Seniors Open
- 1996 Motor City Seniors Classic
- 1998 West of Ireland Seniors Championship
- 1999 Irish Seniors Open
In the Majors
Of the four professional majors, John Morgan only played in the British Open. He first appeared in the 1968 Open, and last in the 1990 Open. He had no Top 10 finishes. His best showing was in the 1974 Open Championship, where he shared the first-round lead with Gary Player before finishing in a tie for 13th.Aside from once sharing the first-round lead, perhaps the most notable thing that happened to Morgan in an Open Championship is this oddity: He was bitten by a rat. In his debut in the 1968 British Open at Carnoustie, Morgan was searching for his ball in the rough off the 10th fairway during the first round. And a rat jumped out of the grass and bit him. It was a minor bite — he continued and finished the round. But the incident might have shaken him: He turned in a score of 91.
More About John Morgan
John Morgan was a British youth international in the early 1960s. But he didn't turn pro until age 24 in 1968.He started playing pro tournaments, making his Open Championship debut that year, while also working club jobs. (Eventually, he was head professional at Royal Liverpool from 1977 through 1982, while also playing the tour.)
Morgan didn't see a lot of success on the European Tour in the 1970s, but did win several tournaments in Africa during the decade. Playing on what was known as the Safari Circuit, Morgan recorded two victories in 1979, in the Nigerian Open and Lusaka Open, and topped that tour's Order of Merit for the year. He later won the 1982 Ivory Coast Open on the Safari Ciruit.
Prior to 1982, Morgan never played more than 18 tournaments in a season on the European Tour, usually closer to 10 or fewer. But from 1982 through 1990, he played in 20 or more tournaments per year on the Euro Tour.
His best finishes on the European Tour Order of Merit were 31st in 1978, and 36th in 1986, the year of his lone Euro Tour victory. It happened when he was 42 years old, in the 1986 Jersey Open. Morgan defeated Peter Fowler in a playoff on the first extra hole.
He also won off the tour in 1986, again in Africa but after the dissolution of the Safari Circuit, at the Sierra Leone Open.
Morgan never played in a PGA Tour event (outside of his British Open appearances which, at the time, were not counted as official PGA Tour appearances). But he made 327 career starts on the European Tour with 21 Top 10 finishes, including the one win, plus two second-place finishes.
Morgan went on to much greater success on the European Seniors Tour, which he began playing in 1993, and last played in 2005. In his first full year on the senior circuit, 1994, Morgan won three times and was second in one other tournament, and finished first on the money list.
He was second on the money list in both 1995 and 1996, and his one other multi-win year with two victories. His biggest senior wins included back-to-back triumphs in the PGA Seniors Championship in 1994 and 1994, plus the Scottish Seniors Open (1996) and Irish Seniors Open (1999).
Morgan was 13th in money on the European Seniors Tour in 1999, the year of his last victory on that circuit. But he finished 10th on the money list in 2001, and fourth in 2002 at age 59 when he finished second once, third twice, and had 10 total Top 10 finishes in 18 starts.
For his European Seniors Tour career, Morgan made 145 starts with eight wins, three seconds, 10 thirds, and 58 total Top 10 finishes. He also served on the Tour Committee for 10 years, 1996-2005, helping set tour policy.
For a couple years in the mid-to-late 1990s, Morgan did play on the U.S. Champions Tour. In late 1996, Morgan became the first European Tour player to earn a card for the Champions Tour through its Q-School. He never won on the Champions Tour, but made 121 starts with 11 total Top 10s. His best finish on the American senior circuit was second place in the 1998 Raley's Gold Rush Classic.
Outside of competitive golf, Morgan designed the Pines Golf Club course in Lincolnshire, England. In 1996, that layout was named best new course in England by Golf World magazine.
Morgan was only 62 years old when he succumbed to a brain tumor in 2006.
Sources:
(Book titles are affiliate links; commissions earned)
Alliss, Peter. Alliss' 19th Hole, 2005, DeCapo Press.
Alliss, Peter. The Who's Who of Golf, 1983, Orbis Publishing.
Brenner, Morgan. The Majors of Golf, Volume 2, 2009, McFarland and Company.
Conner, Floyd. Golf's Most Wanted, 2001, Brassey's Inc.
European Tour. Players, John Morgan, Career Records, https://www.europeantour.com/players/132/career-record?tour=dpworld-tour.
European Tour. "Tributes follow death of John organ," June 23, 2006, pgatour.com, https://web.archive.org/web/20110604115952/http://www.pgatour.com/story/9522951 /.
PGA Tour. Players, John Morgan, https://www.pgatour.com/player/20112.
