Jerry Heard

Jerry Heard
Jerry Heard
Personal information
Full name	Jerry Michael Heard
Born	May 1, 1947 (age 77); Visalia, California
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	190 lb (86 kg; 14 st)
Sporting nationality	United States
Career
College	Fresno State
Turned professional	1968
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour; European Tour; Champions Tour
Professional wins	8
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	5
European Tour	1
Other	2
Best results in major championships;
Masters Tournament	T5: 1972
PGA Championship	T7: 1972
U.S. Open	T7: 1973
The Open Championship	T28: 1972

Jerry Michael Heard (born May 1, 1947) is an American professional golfer who won several PGA Tour events in the 1970s.

Early life

Heard was born in Visalia, California. He attended Fresno State College (now Fresno State University) for a short while.

Professional career

Heard turned professional in 1968 and joined the PGA Tour in 1969. His first professional win came in the American Golf Classic at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio in 1971. He finished with a four-day total of 275, three strokes better than runner-up Dale Douglass. In 1972, he won the Florida Citrus Open and the Colonial National Invitation. Heard had nearly 60 top-10 finishes in PGA Tour events in his career including four top-10 finishes in major championships — his best finish in a major was T-5 at the 1972 Masters Tournament.^[1] Heard was struck by lightning at the 1975 Western Open, along with playing partner Lee Trevino. Three others were also struck: Bobby Nichols, Jim Ahern, and Tony Jacklin.^[2]^[3]

Heard left the Tour in 1980, and today owns and operates a golf school, the Jerry Heard Golf Academy located at the Silverthorn Country Club in Spring Hill, Florida. His school had been located for many years in southwest Florida – in the Fort Myers area where he now lives.

Professional wins (8)

PGA Tour wins (5)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Aug 8, 1971	American Golf Classic	67-66-68-74=275	−5	3 strokes	Dale Douglass
2	Mar 12, 1972	Florida Citrus Open	70-67-70-69=276	−12	2 strokes	Bobby Mitchell
3	May 14, 1972	Colonial National Invitation	69-66-67-73=275	−5	2 strokes	Fred Marti
4	Mar 3, 1974	Florida Citrus Open (2)	67-68-69-69=273	−15	3 strokes	Homero Blancas, Jim Jamieson
5	May 28, 1978	Atlanta Classic	67-67-68-67=269	−19	2 strokes	Lou Graham, Bob Murphy Tom Watson

PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	1974	Kemper Open	Bob Menne	Lost to birdie on first extra hole

European Tour wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	Apr 20, 1974	Spanish Open	72-67-70-70=279	−9	6 strokes	Gary Player

New Zealand Golf Circuit wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	Nov 21, 1971	Garden City Classic	67-70-68-64=269	−23	5 strokes	Bob Charles

Source:^[4]

Other wins (1)

1968 Northern California Open

Results in major championships

Tournament	1966	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1978	1979
Masters Tournament			48	T5	56	T11	T26			CUT
U.S. Open	CUT	CUT	T13	T29	T7	T45	T29			CUT
The Open Championship				T28		CUT
PGA Championship			T9	T7	T66	T48	T25	T22	T64

Top 10

Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

Tournament	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	1	1	2	6	5
U.S. Open	0	1	2	8	5
The Open Championship	0	0	0	2	1
PGA Championship	0	2	4	7	7
Totals	1	4	8	23	18

Most consecutive cuts made – 12 (1971 PGA – 1974 U.S. Open)
Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (four times)

References

^ "Golf Major Championships". Retrieved January 31, 2008.
^ "Lightning hits Trevino, 4 other golfers". Milwaukee Journal. June 28, 1975. p. 11. Archived from the original on April 30, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
^ "Lightning is a big shocker for 3 golfers". Miami News. Chicago Daily News Service. June 28, 1975. p. 3B.
^ "Heard has five-stroke win in NZ". The Age. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 22 November 1971. p. 20. Retrieved 1 December 2023 – via Google News Archive.