On the Champions Tour: The Second Coming of John Harris

Being from Minnesota, I’ve always been a big fan of Champions Tour golfer John Harris who just won $121,000 with his 2nd place finish in the Toshiba Senior Classic a few weeks ago. He’s always been an excellent golfer, one of the top amateurs in Minnesota. He also played on a victorious Walker Cup team in the 1990’s.

What I find more amazing is not his talent, but his perseverance. He originally turned pro in 1976, but flamed out after a few years. Regaining his amateur status in 1983, he kept plugging away on the amateur circuit, dominating by winning four Minnesota titles, five mid-amateur titles and the 1993 U.S. Amateur at age 41. At the same time he also ran a very successful insurance agency. Yet, turning fifty in 2002, the call of the golf course brought him back to the Champions Tour to try it as a professional one more time. His hope was maybe, this time, he’d be able to realize his dream in professional golf.

Well, it appears that he is well on his way to doing just that. In his first year as a professional in 2002 his best finish was 28th, in 2003 it was 11th, in 2004 he had four finishes in the top 10, and in 2005 he had two top 5 finishes and earned over $480,000. This year, in just five tournaments, he already has two top 11 finishes and earned $176,250 for his troubles. At 54, it seems that Edina-resident John Harris is on his way to becoming Minnesota’s most successful Champions Tour player. He’s a testament to what hard work and perseverance can get you. As Yogi Berra said “it ain’t over til it’s over.”

Keep up the good work, John.