Dale Douglass passes away at age 86

Dale Douglass, ever a gentlemanly and unassuming golf professional, once joked that all that set him apart from “Mr. Average Guy” were the two “s’s” at the end of his last name. Maybe the joke was that this came from someone who made 17 career holes-in-one. But Douglass found another way to distinguish himself through unexpected stardom on PGA TOUR Champions.

Douglass, who passed away Wednesday in Scottsdale, Arizona at age 86, went from teaching professional in Colorado to the PGA TOUR in 1963, several years after graduating from the University of Colorado.

"Dale was so very proud of being from Fort Morgan and the University of Colorado," said World Golf Hall of Fame inductee and fellow University of Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Hale Irwin. “He wore the school colors proudly. Personally, I've lost a close friend I've had for some 57 years. More importantly, golf has lost a real gentleman and a man who really championed golf throughout the country. He did so much for a lot of people, particularly in Colorado. There was never a bad word you heard from anyone about Dale Douglass."

Douglass was the University of Colorado’s first golfer to compete on the PGA TOUR and was inducted to the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010, becoming the second golfer after Irwin to be honored.

“Dale was like my big brother and I was like his bratty little brother," added Irwin. “We throw the word mentor around a lot, but in Dale's case, I can elevate the word mentor to friend. I'll miss him. … Back in the day before we had sponsors and all the courtesies we now have, you were pretty much on your own. You had to drive yourself to most events, find your own hotel and arrange for a caddy on-site. It was a lot for a young guy to have to figure out, but Dale was the one who helped me navigate the tour. That in of itself was difficult for anyone – it was night and day compared to now."

Counter to his deprecating self-assessment, Douglass did find reasonable success on TOUR with three victories, all coming within a 10-month span: the 1969 Azalea Open Invitational and Kemper Open, followed in January 1970 at the Phoenix Open. He finished a career-high 12th on the money list in 1969 and qualified for that year’s United States Ryder Cup team. Though he continued to play into the 1980s, Douglass began curtailing his schedule as various injuries took their toll and he had minimal success.

Douglass began preparing for PGA TOUR Champions as he approached his 50th birthday and when he finally became eligible in March 1986, he wasted little time making an impact. Eleven days after his birthday, Douglass lost in a playoff, then won the next two tournaments he entered, the Vintage Invitational and Johnny Mathis Senior Classic. In fact, Douglass led or co-led nine of his first 10 rounds on Tour.

He went on two win two more times as a rookie, with the highlight of his season – and career – coming at the U.S. Senior Open at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio, where he led wire-to-wire and defeated future World Golf Hall of Fame member Gary Player by one stroke.

Douglass came to Columbus red-hot, having eight top-10 finishes in his previous nine tournaments. He opened at Scioto with a 5-under-par 66 to lead by two, then increased his lead by one stroke after both the second and third rounds. Player, however, climbed to within one stroke following a birdie on the 11th hole on Sunday, but Douglass increased his lead to two on the 15th hole when he saved par from a greenside bunker and Player three-putted for bogey 5. Douglass held on for the victory, despite a closing bogey.

Douglass went on to win 11 times on PGA TOUR Champions and finished second 26 times before retiring in 2011, including five times in senior majors. He also teamed with Charles Coody to win the Legends of Golf in 1990, 1994 and 1998.

Not only was he well liked but highly respected, evidenced by his serving as a Player Director on the PGA TOUR’s Policy Board from 1971-72 and on the Senior PGA TOUR Division Board from 1990-94 and again in 1996-97. Douglass, who was born in Oklahoma and moved to Fort Morgan, Colorado, with his family at age 15, also was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 1989.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Joyce and is survived by her sister, Barbara Lebsock of Highlands Ranch. Services are pending but will be held in Colorado Springs.