Dave Marr, Jr.
Marr was born and raised in Houston, Texas, the son of a professional golfer. He attended St. Thomas High School, and while there was on the honor roll, captain of the golf team and member of the Letterman's Club. Following graduation, he attended Rice Institute and the University of Houston before turning pro at age 19.
Marr joined the elite in golf world in 1965 when he captured the coveted PGA Championship, was named to the Ryder Cup team and elected PGA Player of the Year.
Dave captained captain the 1981 Ryder Cup team, consisting of five additional Texas Golf Hall of Fame Members (Bruce Lietzke, Tom Kite, Ben Crenshaw, Bill Rogers, and Lee Trevino).
Dave is second cousin to Jack Burke, Jr. and Dave’s father was once an assistant pro under Burke’s father at River Oaks Country Club. Dave Marr Jr. took head pro jobs at Baytown Country Club and Beaumont Country Club before returning to River Oaks and serving under Sam Schniede.
Marr served as a golf analyst for ABC from 1972 until 1991 and was usually teamed with host Jim McKay and fellow PGA Championship winner, Bob Rosburg. He later worked for the BBC in Britain and NBC in the U.S.
Marr and long-time golfing partner (and fellow Texas Golf Hall of Fame member) Jay Riviere established a golf course architectural and design firm in 1981 and designed many Texas courses and one each in Louisiana and Arizona.
Marr was elected to the National Collegiate Hall of Fame in 1977 He was selected for the Gold Tee Award presented by the Met (N.Y.) Golf Writers in 1990.
Shell Oil Company created the Dave Marr Memorial Award the year after his death. It is awarded annually in conjunction with the Shell Houston Open. Marr's last assignment as a broadcaster had been to host Shell's Wonderful World of Golf from 1993–1997. Past winners of the award include Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus, Judy Rankin, Gary Player, Former President George H. W. Bush and Arnold Palmer.
Birthplace: Houston, Texas
Born: December 27, 1933
Died: October 5, 1997