Gary Cowan

Gary Cowan (born October 28, 1938) is a Canadian golfer who has achieved outstanding results at the highest class in amateur competition.

Gary Cowan
Cowan in 2009.
Personal information
Born	(1938-10-28) October 28, 1938 (age 86) Kitchener, Ontario
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
Sporting nationality	Canada
Career
Turned professional	1990
Former tour(s)	Senior PGA Tour
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament	T25: 1964
PGA Championship	DNP
U.S. Open	DNP
The Open Championship	DNP
Achievements and awards
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame 1967 Canadian Golf Hall of Fame 1972 Canadian Male Golfer of the 20th Century 2000

Early life

Cowan was born in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. He began to play golf at the municipal golf course, Rockway, in Kitchener, and found great rivalries there with local players such as Moe Norman and Gerry Kesselring. The three were coached by Lloyd Tucker.^[1]

In 1956, Cowan reached the semifinals of the Ontario Amateur Championship at age 17, a record for a player so young. Later in the year, he won the Canadian Junior Championship.

Amateur career

His first national championship victory at men's level was the 1961 Canadian Amateur Championship, which was to be his only win, but he reached the finals on four other occasions (1959, 1960, 1964, 1968), and finished second at stroke play twice more (1974, 1978). Cowan finished as the low individual scorer at the 1962 Eisenhower Trophy, an international amateur team event, in Japan.^[1]

Cowan went on to win the United States Amateur Championship on two occasions. In 1966, he was victorious at the Merion Golf Club in suburban Philadelphia, after defeating Deane Beman in an 18-hole playoff. Then in 1971, he won at the Wilmington Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware, by sinking his approach shot on the final hole with a nine-iron for an eagle two.^[2] Cowan remains one of only two Canadians to win the U.S. Amateur.^[1]

Cowan also won the Sunnehanna Amateur in 1964 and the Porter Cup in 1969.

Between 1964 and 1984 Cowan has captured nine Ontario Amateur championships.^[3]

Professional career

In 1990, at the age of 52, Cowan turned professional and played on the Senior PGA Tour for a couple of years with three top-10 finishes.

Cowan had a successful career in the insurance business.

Awards and honors

• In 1967, Cowan was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
• In 1972, he was inducted to the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame at the age of 33, the youngest inductee at the time^[4]
• In 1999, he was named the Canadian Male Golfer of the Century by the Royal Canadian Golf Association.^[5]: A1
• Cowan is also a member of the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame.^[6]
• In 2003, he was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.^[7]

Amateur wins (17)

• 1956 Canadian Junior Amateur
• 1961 Canadian Amateur
• 1964 Ontario Amateur, Sunnehanna Amateur
• 1966 U.S. Amateur
• 1968 Ontario Amateur
• 1969 Porter Cup
• 1970 North and South Amateur
• 1971 U.S. Amateur, Ontario Amateur
• 1974 Ontario Amateur
• 1975 Ontario Amateur
• 1977 Ontario Amateur
• 1978 Ontario Amateur
• 1981 Ontario Amateur
• 1984 Ontario Amateur

Professional wins

• 1968 Ontario Open (as an amateur)

Team appearances

this list may be incomplete

Amateur

• Commonwealth Tournament (representing Canada): 1959, 1963, 1967, 1971 (winners)
• Eisenhower Trophy (representing Canada): 1960, 1962 (individual leader), 1964, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1978
• Americas Cup (representing Canada): 1958, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1965 (winners), 1967