The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture

MORGAN, GILMER BRYAN, II (1946– ).

Gilmer Bryan "Gil" Morgan, born September 25, 1946, at Wewoka, Oklahoma, proved a consistent Professional Golf Association (PGA) golfer for twenty-three years, and an instant success in the Senior PGA tour. Not offered a college scholarship after high school, Morgan attended East Central University in Ada. He joined the college golf team in his junior year, achieving honorable mention All-American honors his senior season. In 1972 Morgan earned a doctor of optometry degree at Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee, but never practiced the occupation, because he turned to professional golf after graduation.

He won eight tournaments on the PGA tour including the B. C. Open (1977), the World Series of Golf (1978), and the Kemper Open (1990). He made the final cut 414 times out of 555 events, accumulating more than $5 million in official tour winnings. Early in his career he moved to Edmond and played out of the Oak Tree Golf Club. In 1979 and 1983 he played for the United States on the Ryder Cup team. In 1996, eleven days after his fiftieth birthday made him eligible for the Senior PGA tour, he won his first senior tournament. In 1997 he captured the seniors' "rookie of the year" designation. Through 2001 he had won twenty senior tournaments, including three major tournaments, the Tradition (1997 and 1998) and the Senior Players Championship (1998). Gil Morgan is in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.

Larry O'Dell