Introduction
Daniel David Sikes, Jr. (December 7, 1929 – December 20, 1987) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and Champions Tour.Sikes won nine tournaments as a pro, including six PGA Tour events. He was influential as the chairman of the tournament players committee in the late 1960s, prior to the formation of the PGA Tour.
Early years
Born in Wildwood, Florida, Sikes was raised in Jacksonville and attended Andrew Jackson High School.
College career
He enrolled the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he played for the Florida Gators' golf team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 1951 to 1953.He was recognized as an All-American in 1952—the University of Florida's first All-American golfer.Sikes graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1953, and was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great."
Professional career
Although he later earned a law degree from the university's College of Law and was known as the "golfing lawyer," he never actually practiced law. He was the chairman and spokesman of the controversial tournament players' committee prior to the formation of the "Tournament Players Division" in late 1968, which was later renamed the PGA Tour.
Sikes won the U.S. Amateur Public Links championship in 1958 while in law school.He turned professional in 1960 and won six tournaments on the PGA Tour, half in his home state of Florida. Sikes' career year was 1967, when he won two events and was fifth on the money list. He was also the 54-hole leader at the PGA Championship and finished one shot out of the playoff, in a tie for third with Jack Nicklaus. Due to disputes with the PGA of America, the championship was nearly boycotted by the top tournament players. Sikes played on the Ryder Cup team in 1969 at Royal Birkdale.
Sikes later represented caddies on tour in 1970 and was instrumental in helping organize the Senior PGA Tour, later renamed the Champions Tour. He won three times on the senior tour, the first at the rain-shortened Hilton Head Seniors International in 1982, which Sikes and Miller Barber were leading when play was stopped.
Sikes died in Jacksonville at age 58 in late 1987. He was posthumously inducted into the Jacksonville Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.
Professional wins (9)
PGA Tour wins (6)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar 24, 1963 | Doral C.C. Open Invitational | 76-70-67-70=283 | −5 | 1 stroke | Sam Snead |
| 2 | Jun 13, 1965 | Cleveland Open Invitational | 68-70-68-66=272 | −12 | 1 stroke | Tony Lema |
| 3 | Mar 19, 1967 | Jacksonville Open | 67-69-70-73=279 | −9 | 1 stroke | Bill Collins |
| 4 | Sep 17, 1967 | Philadelphia Golf Classic | 71-68-69-68=276 | −12 | 2 strokes | George Archer |
| 5 | Mar 17, 1968 | Florida Citrus Open Invitational | 71-67-70-66=274 | −14 | 1 stroke | Tom Weiskopf |
| 6 | Jul 28, 1968 | Minnesota Golf Classic | 71-66-71-64=272 | −12 | 1 stroke | Ken Still |
PGA Tour playoff record (0–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1962 | Houston Classic | Bobby Nichols, Jack Nicklaus | Nichols won with eagle on first extra hole after an 18-hole playoff (Nichols:71, Sikes:71, Nicklaus:76) |
| 2 | 1973 | Byron Nelson Golf Classic | Lanny Wadkins | Lost to par on first extra hole |
Senior PGA Tour wins (3)
- 1982 (1) Hilton Head Seniors International (tie with Miller Barber)
- 1984 (2) Gatlin Brothers Seniors Golf Classic, United Virginia Bank Seniors
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T15 | T13 | 5 | T36 | T35 | 12 | T36 | CUT | T15 | CUT | ||||
| U.S. Open | T36 | 10 | T44 | T36 | 15 | T38 | T27 | |||||||
| PGA Championship | T47 | T45 | T28 | T3 | T8 | T25 | T18 | T46 | T13 | T6 | T74 |
Note: Sikes never played in The Open Championship.
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 8 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 7 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 11 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 28 | 26 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 21 (1962 U.S. Open – 1970 PGA)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (five times)