John Barnum

John Barnum
Personal information
Full nameJohn Oliver Barnum
Born(1911-10-06)October 6, 1911
DiedOctober 30, 1996(1996-10-30) (aged 85)
Florida
Sporting nationality United States
Career
StatusProfessional
Former tourPGA Tour
Professional wins14
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour1
Other13
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipT16: 1958
U.S. OpenT31: 1950
The Open ChampionshipDNP

John Oliver Barnum (October 6, 1911 – October 30, 1996) was an American professional golfer. He played on the PGA Tour in the 1950s and 1960s. He uniquely won his only PGA Tour event after the age of 50.

Professional career

Barnum is notable for his four-stroke victory at age 51 at the Cajun Classic Open Invitational in November 1962.[1][2] After Jim Barnes, he became the second player to win a PGA Tour event after turning fifty, and the only to win his first tour event entered past fifty.[3] His best finish in a major was T-16 at the 1958 PGA Championship;[4][5][6] he was the first round leader at the 1962 PGA Championship after a course record 66 at Aronimink Golf Club,[7][8] but finished twenty strokes back.[9][10]

Barnum won five Michigan PGA Senior titles and was runner-up three times in the PGA Seniors' Championship (1963, 1964, 1966).[11]

Awards and honors

  • In 1972, Barnum was inducted into the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame.[12]
  • In 1984, Barnum elected to the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame.[11]

Amateur wins

  • 1939 Mexican Amateur
  • 1940 Mexican Amateur

Professional wins (14)

PGA Tour wins (1)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner-up
1 Nov 11, 1962 Cajun Classic Open Invitational −14 (68-70-63-69=270) 6 strokes Gay Brewer

Source:[13]

Other wins (8)

Senior wins (5)

  • Five Michigan PGA Senior Championships

References

  1. ^ "Barnum's 2-under-par good for Cajun victory". Victoria Advocate. Texas. Associated Press. November 12, 1962. p. 11 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Lafayette, La". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. November 12, 1962. p. 25 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Oldest PGA Tour winners". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2008.
  4. ^ Grimsley, Will (July 21, 1958). "Finsterwald PGA champ; yips, hooks hit 'Pore Sam'". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. p. 11 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "PGA scores, prize money". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. July 21, 1958. p. 18 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Golf Major Championships". Retrieved January 11, 2008.
  7. ^ Gundelfinger, Phil (July 20, 1962). "Palmer five back in PGA first round". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "John Barnum PGA leader". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. July 20, 1962. p. 14 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Player strokes way to win". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. July 23, 1962. p. 8 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Final scores in PGA". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. July 23, 1962. p. 13 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b "Biographical information from Michigan Golf Foundation". Archived from the original on October 10, 2007. Retrieved January 10, 2008.
  12. ^ "Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame". Retrieved January 10, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  13. ^ "John Barnum PGA TOUR Player Profile, Stats, Bio, Career". www.pgatour.com. Retrieved May 21, 2026.