Steve Spray

{{Short description|American professional golfer (1940–2020)}} {{use mdy dates|date=November 2025}} {{Infobox golfer | name = Steve Spray | image = | imagesize =  | caption = | fullname = John Stephen Spray | nickname = | birth_date = {{Birth date |1940|12|16}} | birth_place = Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|5|15|1940|12|16}} | death_place = Chesterfield, Missouri, U.S. | height = {{height|ft=6|in=1}} | weight = {{convert|170|lb|kg st|abbr=on}} | nationality = {{USA}} | residence = | spouse = | partner = | children = 2 | college = University of Iowa<br>Eastern New Mexico University | yearpro = 1964 | extour = PGA Tour<br>Champions Tour | prowins = 8 | pgawins = 1 | otherwins = 7 | majorwins =  | masters = 43rd: 1969 | usopen = T5: 1968 | open = DNP | pga = T78: 1971 | wghofid =  | wghofyear =  | award1 =  | year1 =  | award2 = | year2 = | awardssection =  }} '''John Stephen Spray''' (December 16, 1940 – May 15, 2020) was an American professional golfer. He played on the PGA Tour in the 1960s and 1970s.

== Early life and amateur career == In 1940, Spray was born in Des Moines, Iowa. He grew up in Indianola, Iowa.<ref name="ys">{{cite web |title=statistics from Yahoo Golf |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/golf/pga/players/Steve+Spray/2191 |access-date=May 1, 2009}}</ref><ref name="ighof" /> His first big win as an amateur came in the 1958 Iowa Junior Amateur; the next year he gained national fame by winning the Western Junior.

Spray attended the University of Iowa initially but transferred to Eastern New Mexico University where he spent most of his college career.<ref name="ighof">{{cite web |title=Iowa Golf Hall of Fame Induction |url=http://www.iowagolf.org/HTML/News/2009News/news2009HallofFamePR.htm |accessdate=May 1, 2009 }}{{Dead link|date=June 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}</ref><ref name="sfg">{{cite news |title=Spray's win at Harding not list in mists of time |last=Chapin |first=Dwight |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |url=https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Spray-s-win-at-Harding-not-lost-in-mists-of-time-2604584.php |access-date=May 1, 2009 |date=October 3, 2005}}</ref> In consecutive years, from 1962 to 1963, he won the NAIA Championship while at Eastern New Mexico.

== Professional career == In 1964, Spray turned professional. He began play on the PGA Tour the following year.<ref name="ys" /><ref name="sfg" /> The highlight of Spray's career came in 1969 with a win at the San Francisco Open Invitational, the last PGA Tour event held at San Francisco's storied Harding Park Golf Club.<ref name="sfg" /> His best finish in a major championship was a T-5 at the 1968 U.S. Open.<ref>{{cite web |title=Steve Spray |website=Golf Major Championships |url=http://www.golfmajorchampionships.com/players/713 |accessdate=May 1, 2009}}</ref>

Spray was hampered by injuries during the last years of his PGA career including tendinitis in his left thumb that forced him to change his grip and back surgery that caused him to miss almost all of 1974.<ref name="sfg" />

After leaving the PGA Tour, Spray began working as the head pro at St. Louis Country Club in 1976 – a position he held for more than 30 years.<ref name="sfg" />

== Personal life == Spray died in Chesterfield, Missouri on May 15, 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.overtonfunerals.com/obituary/john-spray?fbclid=IwAR2SVkmaAS7D8BPo4sx5T3qT-uXQePBqvqwgOAHMHKC3Q6SNiWimdCqP69E |title=John Stephen Spray obituary}}</ref>

== Awards and honors ==

* In 1984, Spray was honored as the Gateway Section PGA Player of the Year. * In 2009, he was inducted into the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame.<ref name="ighof" />

==Amateur wins== *1958 Iowa Junior Amateur *1959 Western Junior *1962 Northwest Amateur, Central States Amateur, NAIA Championship *1963 [http://www.iowaamateur.org/ Iowa Amateur], Central States Amateur, Tournament of Champions, NAIA Championship

==Professional wins (8)== ===PGA Tour wins (1)=== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%" ! No. ! Date ! Tournament ! Winning score ! Margin of<br>victory ! Runner-up |- |align=center|1 |align=right|Oct 26, 1969 |San Francisco Open Invitational |−15 (70-63-66-70=269) |1 stroke |{{flagicon|USA}} Chi-Chi Rodríguez |} Source:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Steve Spray |url=https://www.pgatour.com/player/02130/steve-spray |access-date=2025-11-20 |publisher=PGA Tour}}</ref>

===Other wins (7)=== *1964 Iowa Open *1966 Waterloo Open Golf Classic *1972 [https://web.archive.org/web/20120327164654/http://www.iowagolf.org/HTML/Scholarships/Sani.html Herman Sani] *1973 New Mexico Open, Arizona Open *1977 Gateway Section PGA Championship *1979 Gateway Section PGA Championship

== Results in major championships == {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;" !Tournament !1964 !1965 !1966 !1967 !1968 !1969 !1970 !1971 !1972 !1973 !1974 !1975 !1976 |- |align="left" |Masters Tournament |CUT |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |42 |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |- |align="left" |U.S. Open |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |CUT |style="background:yellow;"|T5 |CUT |T51 |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |CUT |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |- | align="left" |PGA Championship |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |T79 |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |} {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;" !Tournament !1977 !1978 !1979 !1980 !1981 !1982 !1983 !1984 !1985 !1986 !1987 !1988 !1989 |- |align="left" |Masters Tournament |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |- |align="left" |U.S. Open |CUT |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |CUT |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |CUT |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |- |align="left" |PGA Championship |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |CUT |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |CUT |} ''Note: Spray never played in the Open Championship.'' {{legend|yellow|Top 10}} {{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}} CUT = missed the half-way cut<br> "T" = tied for place

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{PGATour player|02130}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spray, Steve}} Category:American male golfers Category:PGA Tour golfers Category:PGA Tour Champions golfers Category:Golfers from Iowa Category:Iowa Hawkeyes men's track and field athletes Category:Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds men's track and field athletes Category:Sportspeople from Des Moines, Iowa Category:People from Indianola, Iowa Category:1940 births Category:2020 deaths Category:20th-century American sportsmen