PGA Tour Players who Served in the Military

We at Bloodline are grateful for all the veterans and active service members for their sacrifice and service. Here is a list of PGA tour players who served in the United States Armed Forces. Thank you for your service.

Three-time Masters Champion
Demaret served in the Navy during World War II and was stationed at Corpus Christi, Texas.

Jack Fleck
1955 U.S. Open Champion
Fleck served as a quartermaster in the U.S. Navy and helped during the D-Day invasion at Normandy.

Ben Hogan
Nine-Time Major Champion

Hogan served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force during World War II. He was drafted in 1943, initially starting as a physical trainer before becoming a flight instructor and utility pilot stationed in Fort Worth, Texas.

Billy Hurley III
2016 Quicken Loans National Winner
Hurley is a 2004 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and spent much of his time in service on the USS Gettysburg in the combat electrician division where he was a lieutenant. He also served on the USS Chung-Hoon in the Persian Gulf for two years and taught economics in Annapolis for two more.

Bobby Jones
Grand Slam Winner & 13 Major Wins in Seven Years
During WWII, at age 40, Bobby volunteered and was inducted into the U.S. Army as a captain. He served as an intelligence officer and landed on Normandy the day after D-Day, serving two months on the front lines where he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

Herman Keiser
1946 Masters Champion
Keiser served aboard the USS Cincinnati in World War II.

Lloyd Mangrum
36 PGA Tour Wins, Including the 1946 U.S. Open
Mangrum served in the Army during World War II, eventually attaining the rank of staff sergeant. He was among the hundreds of thousands of troops who stormed the beaches of Normandy in 1944. By war's end, Mangrum was a highly decorated soldier and two-time recipient of the Purple Heart.

Orville Moody
1969 U.S. Open Champion
Known as “Sarge,” Moody served in the U.S. Army for 14 years, overseeing the development and maintenance of military golf courses around the world, while also teaching fellow servicemen.

Larry Nelson
Three-time Major Champion
Nelson was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1966 as an 18-year-old during the Vietnam War. Two years later, he was deployed overseas where he spent less than three months on the ground before returning home.

Arnold Palmer
62 PGA Tour Wins, Including Seven Majors
Palmer served in the U.S. Coast Guard from 1951 to 1954, serving as a Yeoman for three years.

Horton Smith
1934 and 1936 Masters Champion
Smith enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942 during World War II and served as a Lieutenant. During his service he was assigned to the athletic branch where he organized the army’s athletic projects overseas.

Sam Snead
82 PGA Tour Wins, Including Seven Majors
Snead enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II, where he worked as an athletic specialist in San Diego. He was discharged in 1944 after suffering a back injury.

Lee Trevino
75 PGA Tour Wins, Including Six Majors
Trevino enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps at the age of 17. From 1956 to 1960, he served as a machine gunner in the 3rd Marine Division and was discharged as a corporal.