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Born inPlainview, Texas, January graduated fromSunset High School in Dallas. He was a member of theNorth Texas State golf team that won four consecutiveNCAA Division I titles from 1949 to 1952. January is a member of the Sunset High School Hall of Fame.

While in college as a sophomore, as part of his scholarship, January helped teach a beginning golf class, where he met his future wife, Patricia "Pat" Rushing. They both graduated in 1953 and eloped toArdmore, Oklahoma. They lived in San Antonio while Don was in theAir Force, and began their family—two boys and a girl.^[1]

Professional career

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January won 10PGA Tour titles, though never more than one in a year, with his most notable at the1967 PGA Championship, an 18-hole playoff victory overDon Massengale. January had lost the1961 PGA Championship in a playoff toJerry Barber when his 68, the lowest losing score ever in an 18-hole playoff for a major championship, was bested by Barber's 67. He won theVardon Trophy for lowest scoring average in 1976 at the age of 47. He was a member of the U.S.Ryder Cup team in both 1965 and 1977.

January was responsible for a change to therules of golf. During the 1963Phoenix Open, January had a putt roll up to the lip of the hole and stop. January claimed that the ball was still moving, and waited for seven minutes for the ball to drop (it never did).^[2] Rule 16-2 was revised in 1964 to state that players had to tap the ball in within ten seconds or be penalized.^[3]

In the period between his last PGA Tour win and the start of the Senior PGA Tour, January devoted most of his professional efforts to agolf course design business, JanMart Enterprises, which he established with fellow Texan and PGA Tour golferBilly Martindale.

January is well known for his success on the Senior PGA Tour (now thePGA Tour Champions),^[4] winning 22 events including twoPGA Seniors' Championships. In 1980, he won the first official event on the Senior PGA Tour—theAtlantic City Senior International.^[5]

TheDon January Golf Classic is a golf tournament played annually in the spring that was established to honor him in 1990 by his alma mater, now known as theUniversity of North Texas.

January appeared as himself on the March 6, 1961 episode of the game showTo Tell the Truth. He received two votes.^[6]

Death

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January died at his home in Dallas on May 7, 2023, at the age of 93.^[7]^[8]

Professional wins (45)

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PGA Tour wins (10)

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Legend
Major championships (1)
Other PGA Tour (9)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	May 27, 1956	Dallas Centennial Open	−12 (64-67-70-67=268)	1 stroke	Dow Finsterwald,Doug Ford
2	Feb 21,1960	Tucson Open Invitational	−9 (67-67-68-69=271)	3 strokes	Bob Harris
3	Jul 9,1961	St. Paul Open Invitational	−19 (66-71-68-64=269)	1 stroke	Buster Cupit
4	Feb 17,1963	Tucson Open Invitational (2)	−22 (65-67-69-65=266)	11 strokes	Gene Littler,Phil Rodgers
5	Aug 28,1966	Philadelphia Golf Classic	−10 (69-69-69-71=278)	1 stroke	Jack Nicklaus
6	Jul 24,1967	PGA Championship	−7 (71-72-70-68=281)	Playoff	Don Massengale
7	Apr 21,1968	Tournament of Champions	−8 (70-68-69-69=276)	1 stroke	Julius Boros
8	Mar 23,1970	Greater Jacksonville Open	−9 (68-75-70-66=279)	Playoff	Dale Douglass
9	Oct 19,1975	San Antonio Texas Open	−13 (71-67-71-66=275)	Playoff	Larry Hinson
10	Apr 18,1976	MONY Tournament of Champions (2)	−11 (71-68-69-69=277)	5 strokes	Hubert Green

PGA Tour playoff record (3–5)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1956	Western Open	Mike Fetchick,Doug Ford, Jay Hebert	Fetchick won 18-hole playoff; Fetchick: −6 (66), Hebert: −1 (71), Ford: E (72), January: +3 (75)
2	1961	PGA Championship	Jerry Barber	Lost 18-hole playoff; Barber: −3 (67), January: −2 (68)
3	1964	Lucky International Open	Chi-Chi Rodríguez	Lost 18-hole playoff; Rodríguez: −1 (70), January: E (71)
4	1967	PGA Championship	Don Massengale	Won 18-hole playoff; January: −3 (69), Massengale: −1 (71)
5	1969	Kaiser International Open Invitational	George Archer,Billy Casper, Jack Nicklaus	Nicklaus won with birdie on second extra hole January eliminated by birdie on first hole
6	1970	Greater Jacksonville Open	Dale Douglass	Won 18-hole playoff; January: −3 (69), Douglass: E (72)
7	1971	Houston Champions International	Hubert Green	Lost to birdie on first extra hole
8	1975	San Antonio Texas Open	Larry Hinson	Won with birdie on second extra hole

Source:^[9]

Other wins (2)

[edit]

This list may be incomplete

1956 Apple Valley Clambake^[10]
1959Valencia Open Invitational^[10]

Senior PGA Tour wins (22)

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Legend
Senior major championships (1)
Other Senior PGA Tour (21)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Jun 22,1980	Atlantic City Senior International	−5 (68-71-69=208)	2 strokes	Mike Souchak
2	Apr 5,1981	Michelob-Egypt Temple Senior Classic	−8 (71-70-72-67=280)	Playoff	Doug Ford
3	Jun 7, 1981	Eureka Federal Savings Classic	−5 (71-69-68=208)	2 strokes	Bob Goalby
4	Apr 4,1982	Michelob Senior Classic (2)	−10 (73-69-67-69=278)	3 strokes	Dow Finsterwald
5	Dec 5, 1982	PGA Seniors' Championship	E (74-75-69-70=288)	1 stroke	Julius Boros
6	Jun 5,1983	Gatlin Brothers Seniors Golf Classic	−8 (71-67-68=208)	Playoff	Billy Casper
7	Jun 26, 1983	Peter Jackson Champions	−10 (68-67-71-68=274)	2 strokes	Miller Barber
8	Jul 3, 1983	Marlboro Classic	−11 (69-72-68-64=273)	3 strokes	Miller Barber,Gay Brewer
9	Aug 21, 1983	Denver Post Champions of Golf	−17 (70-65-67-69=271)	4 strokes	Billy Casper,Doug Sanders
10	Sep 4, 1983	Citizens Union Senior Golf Classic	−19 (67-67-65-70=269)	3 strokes	Bob Stone
11	Oct 16, 1983	Suntree Classic	−14 (69-66-68-71=274)	3 strokes	Arnold Palmer
12	Mar 25,1984	Vintage Invitational	−8 (70-72-72-66=280)	4 strokes	Miller Barber
13	Aug 12, 1984	du Maurier Champions (2)	−19 (65-63-66=194)	5 strokes	Miller Barber,Lee Elder
14	Sep 23, 1984	Digital Middlesex Classic (2)	−7 (70-70-69=209)	4 strokes	Orville Moody
15	Mar 24,1985	Senior PGA Tour Roundup	−18 (65-69-64=198)	3 strokes	Gene Littler
16	May 12, 1985	Dominion Seniors	−10 (69-70-67=206)	2 strokes	Gay Brewer
17	May 19, 1985	United Hospitals Senior Golf Championship	−5 (69-66=135)^[a]	5 strokes	Al Balding
18	Jul 7, 1985	The Greenbrier American Express Championship	−16 (70-64-66=200)	2 strokes	Lee Elder
19	Jun 8,1986	Senior Players Reunion Pro-Am	−13 (66-68-69=203)	2 strokes	Chi-Chi Rodríguez
20	Jul 13, 1986	The Greenbrier American Express Championship (2)	−9 (70-66-71-207)	Playoff	Jim Ferree
21	Nov 2, 1986	Seiko-Tucson Senior Match Play Championship	E (70)	1 stroke	Bob Charles
22	Jan 10,1987	MONY Senior Tournament of Champions	−1 (67-72-73-75=287)	Playoff	Butch Baird

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (4–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1981	Michelob-Egypt Temple Senior Classic	Doug Ford	Won with birdie on first extra hole
2	1983	Gatlin Brothers Seniors Golf Classic	Billy Casper	Won with par on fifth extra hole
3	1985	Digital Seniors Classic	Jerry Barber,Lee Elder	Elder won with birdie on first extra hole
4	1986	The Greenbrier American Express Championship	Jim Ferree	Won with par on first extra hole
5	1987	MONY Senior Tournament of Champions	Butch Baird	Won with birdie on fourth extra hole

Other senior wins (12)

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1979PGA Seniors' Championship
1980 Australian Seniors Championship^[11]
1982Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (withSam Snead)
1984Shootout at Jeremy Ranch (withMike Sullivan)
1985Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (withGene Littler), Mazda Champions (withAlice Miller)
1986Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (withGene Littler)
1993Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf – Legendary Division
1994Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf – Legendary Division (withGene Littler)
1997Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf – Legendary Division (withGene Littler)
2001Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf – Demaret Division (withGene Littler)
2004Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf – Demaret Division (withGene Littler)

Major championships

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Wins (1)

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Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runner-up
1967	PGA Championship	4 shot deficit	−7 (71-72-70-68=281)	Playoff¹	Don Massengale

¹Defeated Massengale in an 18-hole playoff, 69 to 71.

Results timeline

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Tournament	1952	1956	1958	1959
Masters Tournament				36
U.S. Open	CUT	CUT	T7	T19
PGA Championship				T49

Tournament	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969
Masters Tournament	T20	T4	T20	T9	T18	CUT	T6	T26	T14	T5
U.S. Open		CUT	CUT	11	T11	CUT	T17	3	T24	WD
PGA Championship	5	2	T27	T40	CUT		T12	1	T51	T15

Tournament	1970	1971	1972	1973	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979
Masters Tournament	T12	T4	CUT	T10		T33	T8	T11	CUT
U.S. Open		T27	T11		T29	T14
PGA Championship	T12	CUT	CUT		T10	T2	T6	T19	T7

Tournament	1980	1981	1982
Masters Tournament	CUT
U.S. Open
PGA Championship	CUT	T19	CUT

Note: January never played inThe Open Championship.

Win

Top 10

Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut (3rd round cut in 1964 PGA Championship)
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

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Tournament	Wins	2nd	3rd	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	0	0	0	3	7	13	20	16
U.S. Open	0	0	1	1	2	9	17	11
The Open Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
PGA Championship	1	2	0	4	7	12	21	16
Totals	1	2	1	8	16	34	58	43

Most consecutive cuts made – 10 (twice)
Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1976 PGA – 1977 PGA)

Champions Tour major championships

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Wins (1)

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Year	Championship	Winning score	Margin	Runner-up
1982	Senior PGA Championship	E (74-75-69-70=288)	1 stroke	Julius Boros

U.S. national team appearances

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Professional

Ryder Cup:1965 (winners),1977 (winners)

Notes

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^Shortened to 36 holes due to weather.

References

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^Hulstrand, Randena."On par for success".North Texas Mean Green. RetrievedMay 8, 2023.
^"Player cools heels 7 minutes; Misses putt, miffed at January".Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. February 15, 1963. p. 4, part 2.
^Zullo, Allan (2001).Astonishing but True Golf Facts. Forest Fairview, North Carolina: Andrew McMeels Publishing.ISBN 0-7407-1426-0.
^"Golfer profile: Don January".Las Vegas Review-Journal. April 21, 1998. Archived fromthe original on June 25, 2003.
^Bingham, Walter (February 16, 1998)."Built To Last".Sports Illustrated. Archived fromthe original on November 3, 2012. RetrievedFebruary 5, 2011.
^"To Tell The Truth".You Tube. CBS Television.Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. RetrievedAugust 19, 2019.
^"Don January, Who Won the 1967 P.G.A. Title, Is Dead at 93".The New York Times. May 7, 2023. RetrievedMay 8, 2023.
^"Major champion Don January dies at 93". PGA Tour. May 7, 2023. RetrievedMay 7, 2023.
^"Don January". PGA Tour. RetrievedSeptember 13, 2025.
^^a ^b"Don January".Chicago Tribune. August 4, 1988. RetrievedMay 7, 2020.
^"Golf: Champions warn opponents".The Canberra Times. June 18, 1981. p. 27. RetrievedMarch 3, 2020.

External links

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Don January at thePGA Tour official site

v t e PGA Championship champions
Match play era	1916Jim Barnes 1919Jim Barnes 1920Jock Hutchison 1921Walter Hagen 1922Gene Sarazen 1923Gene Sarazen 1924Walter Hagen 1925Walter Hagen 1926Walter Hagen 1927Walter Hagen 1928Leo Diegel 1929Leo Diegel 1930Tommy Armour 1931Tom Creavy 1932Olin Dutra 1933Gene Sarazen 1934Paul Runyan 1935Johnny Revolta 1936Denny Shute 1937Denny Shute 1938Paul Runyan 1939Henry Picard 1940Byron Nelson 1941Vic Ghezzi 1942Sam Snead 1944Bob Hamilton 1945Byron Nelson 1946Ben Hogan 1947Jim Ferrier 1948Ben Hogan 1949Sam Snead 1950Chandler Harper 1951Sam Snead 1952Jim Turnesa 1953Walter Burkemo 1954Chick Harbert 1955Doug Ford 1956Jack Burke Jr. 1957Lionel Hebert
Stroke play era	1958Dow Finsterwald 1959Bob Rosburg 1960Jay Hebert 1961Jerry Barber† 1962Gary Player 1963Jack Nicklaus 1964‡Bobby Nichols 1965Dave Marr 1966Al Geiberger 1967Don January† 1968Julius Boros 1969‡Raymond Floyd 1970Dave Stockton 1971Jack Nicklaus 1972Gary Player 1973Jack Nicklaus 1974Lee Trevino 1975Jack Nicklaus 1976Dave Stockton 1977Lanny Wadkins† 1978John Mahaffey† 1979David Graham† 1980Jack Nicklaus 1981Larry Nelson 1982‡Raymond Floyd 1983‡Hal Sutton 1984Lee Trevino 1985Hubert Green 1986Bob Tway 1987Larry Nelson† 1988Jeff Sluman 1989Payne Stewart 1990Wayne Grady 1991John Daly 1992Nick Price 1993Paul Azinger† 1994Nick Price 1995Steve Elkington† 1996Mark Brooks† 1997Davis Love III 1998Vijay Singh 1999Tiger Woods 2000‡Tiger Woods† 2001David Toms 2002Rich Beem 2003Shaun Micheel 2004Vijay Singh† 2005Phil Mickelson 2006Tiger Woods 2007Tiger Woods 2008Pádraig Harrington 2009Y. E. Yang 2010Martin Kaymer† 2011Keegan Bradley† 2012Rory McIlroy 2013Jason Dufner 2014Rory McIlroy 2015Jason Day 2016Jimmy Walker 2017Justin Thomas 2018Brooks Koepka 2019Brooks Koepka 2020Collin Morikawa 2021Phil Mickelson 2022Justin Thomas† 2023Brooks Koepka 2024‡Xander Schauffele 2025Scottie Scheffler
† indicates the event was won in a playoff; ‡ indicates the event was won wire-to-wire; 1943cancelled due toWorld War II

v t e Senior PGA Championship champions
1980Arnold Palmer† 1981Miller Barber 1982Don January 1983 Not held 1984 (Jan)Arnold Palmer 1984 (Dec)Peter Thomson 1985 Not held 1986Gary Player 1987Chi-Chi Rodríguez 1988Gary Player 1989Larry Mowry 1990Gary Player 1991Jack Nicklaus 1992Lee Trevino 1993Tom Wargo† 1994Lee Trevino 1995Raymond Floyd 1996Hale Irwin 1997Hale Irwin 1998Hale Irwin 1999Allen Doyle 2000Doug Tewell 2001Tom Watson 2002Fuzzy Zoeller 2003John Jacobs 2004Hale Irwin 2005Mike Reid† 2006Jay Haas† 2007Denis Watson 2008Jay Haas 2009Michael Allen 2010Tom Lehman† 2011Tom Watson† 2012Roger Chapman 2013Kōki Idoki 2014Colin Montgomerie 2015Colin Montgomerie 2016Rocco Mediate 2017Bernhard Langer 2018Paul Broadhurst 2019Ken Tanigawa 2020 Not held 2021Alex Čejka 2022Steven Alker 2023Steve Stricker† 2024Richard Bland 2025Ángel Cabrera
† indicates the event was won in a playoff

Senior PGA Championship champions

† indicates the event was won in a playoff

Don January in theRyder Cup

v t e United States Ryder Cup team –1965
Julius Boros Billy Casper Tommy Jacobs Don January Tony Lema Gene Littler Dave Marr Arnold Palmer Ken Venturi Byron Nelson (non-playing captain)
Won: 19.5 – 12.5 Johnny Pott: Made the team, but did not participate in the event due to a back injury.

v t e United States Ryder Cup team –1977
Raymond Floyd Lou Graham Hubert Green Dave Hill Hale Irwin Don January Jerry McGee Jack Nicklaus Ed Sneed Dave Stockton Lanny Wadkins Tom Watson Dow Finsterwald (non-playing captain)
Won: 12.5 – 7.5