Miller Barber

{{Infobox golfer

| name = Miller Barber

| image =

| imagesize =

| caption =

| fullname = Miller Westford Barber Jr.

| nickname = Mr. X

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1931|3|31}}

| birth_place = Shreveport, Louisiana

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2013|6|11|1931|3|31}}

| death_place = Scottsdale, Arizona

| height = {{height|ft=5|in=11}}

| weight = {{convert|200|lb|kg st|abbr=on}}

| nationality = {{USA}}

| spouse =

| children =

| college = University of Arkansas

| yearpro = 1958

| extour = PGA Tour
Senior PGA Tour

| prowins = 43

| pgawins = 11

| champwins = 24 (6th all-time)

| otherwins = 1 (regular)
7 (senior)

| majorwins =

| masters = 7th: 1969

| usopen = 6th/T6: 1969, 1970

| open = 10th: 1969

| pga = T4: 1971

| wghofid =

| wghofyear =

| award1 = Senior PGA Tour
money list winner

| year1 = 1981, 1982

| award2 = Senior PGA Tour
Byron Nelson Award

| year2 = 1981

}}

Miller Westford Barber Jr. (March 31, 1931 – June 11, 2013) was an American professional golfer. He enjoyed significant success on the PGA Tour in the 1960s and 1970s, and a greater degree of success on the Senior PGA Tour in the 1980s.

Early life

Barber was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. He spent much of his life in Texarkana, Texas. Barber graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1954.

Professional career

In 1958, he turned professional. He won his first PGA Tour event in 1964. He earned 11 career tour wins, but did not win a major championship. The closest he came was in 1969 at the U.S. Open at Houston, where he held a three-shot lead over the field after three rounds, but shot 78 in the last round to finish three shots behind winner Orville Moody. Earlier in April 1969, Barber entered the final round of the Masters Tournament two shots out of the lead and was paired in Sunday's final group with Billy Casper but shot a final round 74 (which included a birdie from under a tree on the 72nd hole) and finished in 7th place. He played on the Ryder Cup team in 1969 and 1971, and in the latter year was ranked sixth on the McCormack rankings.

In 1973, Barber won the longest regulation tournament in PGA Tour history. The World Open Golf Championship played at Pinehurst Country Club was a 144-hole affair. Barber won by three strokes over Ben Crenshaw.

Barber became eligible to play on the Senior PGA Tour around a year after it was founded. He was one of the dominant players on the tour throughout the 1980s, competing on even terms with players who had had much more distinguished earlier careers, such as Lee Trevino and Arnold Palmer. His 24 wins on the tour included five senior majors, three of them U.S. Senior Opens.

Barber holds the record for combined PGA Tour and Champions Tour starts at 1,297.

Barber played with an unusual looped backswing/downswing, but squared up very consistently through impact. Several other PGA Tour players, including Jim Furyk, have had success with similar methods.

Death

Barber died June 11, 2013, at the age of 82 of lymphoma in Scottsdale, Arizona.{{cite web |url=http://www.pgatour.com/champions/news/2013/06/12/miller-barber-passes-away-at-82.html |title=Miller Barber passes away at age 82 |publisher=PGA Tour |date=June 12, 2013 |access-date=June 12, 2013}}{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/golfer-miller-barber-dies-at-82/2013/06/13/9a7f639a-d439-11e2-b05f-3ea3f0e7bb5a_story.html |title=Golfer Miller Barber dies at 82 |newspaper=The New York Times |agency=Associated Press |date=June 13, 2013 |access-date=June 15, 2013}} Barber was survived by his wife of 43 years, Karen,{{Cite web|url=http://www.golfdigest.com/blogs/the-loop/2013/06/remembering-miller-barber-as-a-great-player-and-a-singular-c.html|title=Remembering Miller Barber as a great player and a singular character}} and sons Larry and Richard and stepsons Casey, Doug, Brad.{{cite web| url = http://www.legacy.com/ns/obituary.aspx?n=miller-barber&pid=165294036| title = Miller Barber Obituary {{!}} Miller Barber Funeral {{!}} Legacy.com| website = Legacy.com}}

Professional wins (43)

=PGA Tour wins (11)=

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

!No.

!Date

!Tournament

!Winning score

!Margin of
victory

!Runner(s)-up

align=center|1

|align=right|Nov 22, 1964

|Cajun Classic Open Invitational

|−7 (72-70-68-67=277)

|5 strokes

|{{flagicon|USA}} Gay Brewer, {{flagicon|USA}} Jack Nicklaus

align=center|2

|align=right|May 28, 1967

|Oklahoma City Open Invitational

|−10 (70-72-68-68=278)

|Playoff

|{{flagicon|ZAF|1928}} Gary Player

align=center|3

|align=right|Apr 28, 1968

|Byron Nelson Golf Classic

|−10 (67-68-65-70=270)

|1 stroke

|{{flagicon|USA}} Kermit Zarley

align=center|4

|align=right|Jan 20, 1969

|Kaiser International Open Invitational

|−9 (68-67=135)*

|1 stroke

|{{flagicon|AUS}} Bruce Devlin

align=center|5

|align=right|Apr 20, 1970

|Greater New Orleans Open Invitational

|−10 (68-71-69-70=278)

|Playoff

|{{flagicon|NZL}} Bob Charles, {{flagicon|USA}} Howie Johnson

align=center|6

|align=right|Jan 24, 1971

|Phoenix Open Invitational

|−23 (65-64-67-65=261)

|2 strokes

|{{flagicon|USA}} Billy Casper, {{flagicon|USA}} Dan Sikes

align=center|7

|align=right|Jan 24, 1972

|Dean Martin Tucson Open

|−15 (68-73-67-65=273)

|Playoff

|{{flagicon|USA}} George Archer

align=center|8

|align=right|Nov 17, 1973

|World Open Golf Championship

| +2 (68-74-73-74-
67-73-72-69=570)

|3 strokes

|{{flagicon|USA}} Ben Crenshaw

align=center|9

|align=right|Sep 22, 1974

|Ohio Kings Island Open

|−7 (68-68-69-72=277)

|3 strokes

|{{flagicon|USA}} George Johnson

align=center|10

|align=right|Oct 2, 1977

|Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic

|−16 (71-66-70-65=272)

|2 strokes

|{{flagicon|USA}} George Archer

align=center|11

|align=right|Jan 15, 1978

|Phoenix Open (2)

|−12 (68-69-70-65=272)

|1 stroke

|{{flagicon|USA}} Jerry Pate, {{flagicon|USA}} Lee Trevino

*Note: The 1969 Kaiser International Open Invitational was shortened to 36 holes due to weather.

PGA Tour playoff record (3–4)

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

!No.!!Year!!Tournament!!Opponent(s)!!Result

style="background:#F2C1D1;"

|align=center|1

|1964

|Pensacola Open Invitational

|{{flagicon|USA}} Arnold Palmer, {{flagicon|ZAF|1928}} Gary Player

|Player won 18-hole playoff;
Player: −1 (71),
Palmer: E (72),
Barber: +2 (74)

style="background:#D0F0C0;"

|align=center|2

|1967

|Oklahoma City Open

|{{flagicon|ZAF|1928}} Gary Player

|Won with birdie on third extra hole

style="background:#D0F0C0;"

|align=center|3

|1970

|Greater New Orleans Open Invitational

|{{flagicon|NZL}} Bob Charles, {{flagicon|USA}} Howie Johnson

|Won with birdie on second extra hole

style="background:#D0F0C0;"

|align=center|4

|1972

|Dean Martin Tucson Open

|{{flagicon|USA}} George Archer

|Won with birdie on third extra hole after 18-hole playoff;
Archer: E (72),
Barber: E (72)

style="background:#F2C1D1;"

|align=center|5

|1973

|Greater New Orleans Open

|{{flagicon|USA}} Jack Nicklaus

|Lost to birdie on second extra hole

style="background:#F2C1D1;"

|align=center|6

|1973

|Liggett & Myers Open

|{{flagicon|USA}} Bert Greene

|Lost to birdie on fifth extra hole

style="background:#F2C1D1;"

|align=center|7

|1976

|San Antonio Texas Open

|{{flagicon|USA}} Butch Baird

|Lost to birdie on first extra hole

=Other wins (1)=

1962 Metropolitan Open

=Senior PGA Tour wins (24)=

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

! Legend

style="background:#e5d1cb;"

|Senior PGA Tour major championships (5)

Other Senior PGA Tour (19)

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

!No.

!Date

!Tournament

!Winning score

!Margin of
victory

!Runner(s)-up

align=center|1

|align=right|Jun 14, 1981

|Peter Jackson Champions

|−12 (67-68-69=204)

|Playoff

|{{flagicon|USA}} Gene Littler

align=center|2

|align=right|Oct 18, 1981

|Suntree Seniors Classic

|−12 (68-71-65=204)

|4 strokes

|{{flagicon|USA}} Bob Goalby

style="background:#e5d1cb;"

|align=center|3

|align=right|Dec 6, 1981

|PGA Seniors' Championship

|−7 (68-72-68-73=281)

|2 strokes

|{{flagicon|USA}} Arnold Palmer

style="background:#e5d1cb;"

|align=center|4

|align=right|Jul 11, 1982

|U.S. Senior Open

|−2 (72-74-71-65=282)

|4 strokes

|{{flagicon|USA}} Gene Littler, {{flagicon|USA}} Dan Sikes

align=center|5

|align=right|Oct 17, 1982

|Suntree Classic (2)

|−24 (66-66-66-66=264)

|5 strokes

|{{flagicon|USA}} Don January

align=center|6

|align=right|Oct 24, 1982

|Hilton Head Seniors International

|−6 (69-69=138)*

|colspan=2|Shared title with {{flagicon|USA}} Dan Sikes

style="background:#e5d1cb;"

|align=center|7

|align=right|Jun 12, 1983

|Senior Tournament Players Championship

|−10 (71-69-70-68=278)

|1 stroke

|{{flagicon|USA}} Gene Littler

align=center|8

|align=right|Jul 17, 1983

|Merrill Lynch/Golf Digest Commemorative Pro-Am

|−16 (65-66-69=200)

|5 strokes

|{{flagicon|USA}} Gay Brewer

align=center|9

|align=right|Oct 2, 1983

|United Virginia Bank Seniors

|−5 (68-71-72=211)

|1 stroke

|{{flagicon|ARG}} Roberto De Vicenzo, {{flagicon|USA}} Rod Funseth,
{{flagicon|USA}} Don January

align=center|10

|align=right|Oct 23, 1983

|Hilton Head Seniors International (2)

|−7 (72-69-71-69=281)

|3 strokes

|{{flagicon|USA}} Gay Brewer, {{flagicon|USA}} Jim Ferree,
{{flagicon|USA}} Gene Littler

align=center|11

|align=right|Jun 17, 1984

|Roy Clark Senior Challenge

|−1 (71-73-68=212)

|1 stroke

|{{flagicon|USA}} Don January, {{flagicon|AUS}} Peter Thomson

style="background:#e5d1cb;"

|align=center|12

|align=right|Jul 1, 1984

|U.S. Senior Open (2)

| +6 (74-71-70-71=286)

|2 strokes

|{{flagicon|USA}} Arnold Palmer

align=center|13

|align=right|Jul 8, 1984

|Greater Syracuse Senior's Pro Classic

|−10 (69-70-67=206)

|3 strokes

|{{flagicon|USA}} Rod Funseth

align=center|14

|align=right|Jul 29, 1984

|Denver Post Champions of Golf

|−8 (68-70-70=208)

|3 strokes

|{{flagicon|USA}} Gay Brewer

align=center|15

|align=right|Feb 10, 1985

|Sunrise Senior Classic

|−5 (76-66-69=211)

|1 stroke

|{{flagicon|USA}} Orville Moody

style="background:#e5d1cb;"

|align=center|16

|align=right|Jun 30, 1985

|U.S. Senior Open (3)

|−3 (71-72-71-71=285)

|4 strokes

|{{flagicon|ARG}} Roberto De Vicenzo

align=center|17

|align=right|Sep 22, 1985

|PaineWebber World Seniors Invitational

|−11 (72-67-67-71=277)

|2 strokes

|{{flagicon|USA}} Gay Brewer

align=center|18

|align=right|Jan 11, 1986

|MONY Senior Tournament of Champions

|−6 (70-70-70-72=282)

|5 strokes

|{{flagicon|USA}} Arnold Palmer

align=center|19

|align=right|Aug 30, 1987

|Showdown Classic

|−6 (71-67-72=210)

|1 stroke

|{{flagicon|AUS}} Bruce Crampton

align=center|20

|align=right|Sep 27, 1987

|Newport Cup

|−14 (67-70-65=202)

|2 strokes

|{{flagicon|AUS}} Bruce Crampton

align=center|21

|align=right|Ju1 18, 1988

|Showdown Classic (2)

|−9 (70-67-70=207)

|2 strokes

|{{flagicon|USA}} Orville Moody, {{flagicon|USA}} Dick Rhyan,
{{flagicon|USA}} Ben Smith

align=center|22

|align=right|Nov 13, 1988

|Fairfield Barnett Classic

|−19 (64-65-68=197)

|5 strokes

|{{flagicon|USA}} Homero Blancas

align=center|23

|align=right|Jan 8, 1989

|MONY Senior Tournament of Champions (2)

|−8 (73-67-68-72=280)

|1 stroke

|{{flagicon|USA}} Dale Douglass

align=center|24

|align=right|Mar 5, 1989

|Vintage Chrysler Invitational

|−7 (70-70-72-69=281)

|1 stroke

|{{flagicon|USA}} Don Bies, {{flagicon|NZL}} Bob Charles,
{{flagicon|USA}} Larry Mowry

*Note: The 1982 Hilton Head Seniors International was shortened to 36 holes due to inclement weather.

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

!No.!!Year!!Tournament!!Opponent(s)!!Result

style="background:#D0F0C0;"

|align=center|1

|1981

|Peter Jackson Champions

|{{flagicon|USA}} Gene Littler

|Won with par on first extra hole

style="background:#F2C1D1;"

|align=center|2

|1986

|Bank One Senior Golf Classic

|{{flagicon|USA}} Bob Goalby, {{flagicon|USA}} Gene Littler

|Littler won with par on third extra hole
Goalby eliminated by par on first hole

=Japan Senior wins (2)=

1985 Coca-Cola Grandslam Championship
1991 Fuji Electric Grandslam Championship

=Other senior wins (5)=

1982 Vintage Invitational
1985 Shootout at Jeremy Ranch (with Ben Crenshaw)
1987 Mazda Champions (with Nancy Lopez)
2002 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Jim Ferree)
2003 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Jim Ferree)

Results in major championships

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!1961

!1962

!1963

!1964

!1965

!1966

!1967

!1968

!1969

align=left|Masters Tournament

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|T12

|style="background:yellow;"|7

align=left|U.S. Open

|CUT

|22

|CUT

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|T32

|T26

|T18

|T24

|style="background:yellow;"|T6

align=left|The Open Championship

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:yellow;"|10

align=left|PGA Championship

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|DQ

|T34

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:yellow;"|T8

|style="background:yellow;"|T5

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!1970

!1971

!1972

!1973

!1974

!1975

!1976

!1977

!1978

!1979

align=left|Masters Tournament

|T21

|CUT

|T43

|T15

|T26

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|T24

|T12

align=left|U.S. Open

|style="background:yellow;"|6

|59

|T29

|T25

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|T24

|T38

|CUT

|T35

|CUT

align=left|The Open Championship

|CUT

|T60

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|CUT

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align=left|PGA Championship

|CUT

|style="background:yellow;"|T4

|T16

|T24

|T60

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|T51

|T25

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|T28

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!1980

!1981

!1982

!1983

!1984

!1985

!1986

align=left|Masters Tournament

|CUT

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align=left|U.S. Open

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|CUT

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|CUT

align=left|The Open Championship

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align=left|PGA Championship

|T65

|CUT

|T34

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

DQ = disqualified

CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1970 and 1974 Open Championships)

"T" indicates a tie for a place

=Summary=

Totals	0	0	0	2	7	20	49	35
class=wikitable style=text-align:center !Tournament !! Wins !! 2nd !! 3rd !! Top-5 !! Top-10 !! Top-25 !! Events !! Cuts made
align=left\|Masters Tournament	0	0	0	0	1	6	11	8
align=left\|U.S. Open	0	0	0	0	2	7	19	13
align=left\|The Open Championship	0	0	0	0	1	1	4	2
align=left\|PGA Championship	0	0	0	2	3	6	15	12

Most consecutive cuts made – 12 (1966 U.S. Open – 1970 U.S. Open)
Longest streak of top-10s – 5 (1968 PGA – 1969 PGA)

Champions Tour major championships

=Wins (5)=

class="sortable wikitable" !Year!!Championship!!Winning score!!Margin!!Runner(s)-up
style="background:#D8BFD8;" \| 1981	PGA Seniors' Championship	−7 (68-72-68-73=281)	2 strokes	{{flagicon\|USA}} Arnold Palmer
style="background:#FBCEB1;" \| 1982	U.S. Senior Open	−2 (72-74-71-65=282)	4 strokes	{{flagicon\|USA}} Gene Littler, {{flagicon\|USA}} Dan Sikes
style="background:#FFFF99;" \| 1983	Senior Tournament Players Championship	−10 (71-69-70-68=278)	1 stroke	{{flagicon\|USA}} Gene Littler
style="background:#FBCEB1;" \| 1984	U.S. Senior Open (2)	+6 (74-71-70-71=286)	2 strokes	{{flagicon\|USA}} Arnold Palmer
style="background:#FBCEB1;" \| 1985	U.S. Senior Open(3)	−3 (71-72-71-71=285)	4 strokes	{{flagicon\|ARG}} Roberto De Vicenzo