Jimmy Demaret bounced from club pro jobs in Houston to Noroton, Connecticut, to Detroit and back to Houston in the space of under three years in the early 1940s.
But after honing his swing near the windy Gulf of Mexico, the best was yet to come for the vivacious and colorful Texas native. He rolled off a total of three victories at Augusta National (and a runner-up finish) to go with three appearances in the Ryder Cup, where he compiled a perfect 6-0-0 record. He was named to a fourth American squad, but in 1941 the competition was canceled due to World War II.
Known for his loud apparel, “The Wardrobe,” as he was often called, won a total of 31 times on the PGA Tour and reached the semifinals of the PGA Championship on four different occasions, although he never advanced past that point.
Demaret befriended movie stars, royalty, heads of state and astronauts, and was known as perhaps the closest friend on the PGA Tour to Ben Hogan. He also co-founded Champions Golf Club in Houston with buddy Jack Burke Jr. It was at Champions where Demaret suffered a heart attack on Dec. 28, 1983, and was later pronounced dead. He was 73.
Here are some of our favorite pictures of the World Golf Hall of Famer through the years.