News

PEARL, Miss. — The Mississippi Golf Association is set to induct three new members into the Mississippi Golf Hall of Fame. 2024 marks the sixth class to be enshrined into Mississippi golf lore.

Harriet Cauthen (Clarksdale), Joe Iupe (Canton) and Robert Morgan (Hattiesburg) will be inducted into the Mississippi Golf Hall of Fame on February 15th, 2025 at the Country Club of Jackson. Sam Dunning (Cleveland) and V.J. Trolio (West Point) will also be honored for their contributions to golf in the state as they have been awarded the George Bryan Award and Robbie Webb Award, respectively, for 2024.

Harriet Cauthen

Born in Jackson, on April 7th, 1938, Harriet Cauthen began her amateur career at Clarksdale High School. She led her teams to four Big Eight conference titles while claiming three state championship medalist honors in the early 1950s.

Following high school, Cauthen attended Ole Miss. From there, she would continue her life-long dedication to the game of golf both on and off the course. Cauthen would win her first Mississippi Women’s Amateur title in 1962. She would go on to win four more throughout her career (1965, ‘66, ‘74 and ‘82) and was named the Mississippi Women’s Player of the Year by the Clarion-Ledger in 1982.

At the national level, Cauthen made four USGA championship fields over three age divisions. In 1979 she made her USGA championship debut at the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Memphis Country Club. In 1987 she made the field at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Am hosted by Southern Hills. Cauthen closed her USGA championship career with appearances in two U.S. Women’s Senior Amateurs (1997, Round of 36 & 2000).

She served as a board member for the Southern Golf Association, was an area representative for the Mississippi Women’s Golf Association and held prestigious positions at her respective clubs. Her influence and advocacy for women’s golf, not only in Mississippi but across the South has led to her induction into both the Coahoma County Hall of Fame and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.

With nearly 100 team and individual wins across six decades and countless lives touched, the Mississippi Golf Association welcomes Harriet Cauthen into the Mississippi Golf Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2024.

Joseph S. Iupe, Jr.

A Canton native, Joe Iupe was born July 8th, 1956. While at Canton High School, Iupe was a 3-time individual state cha

mpion (1970, ‘71, ‘74) and two team titles. As a junior, Iupe qualified for the 1971 USGA Jr. Amateur and the 1974 Mississippi Insurance Classic and Gulf States Junior. Upon graduation, Iupe went to Mississippi State where he captained the Bulldogs for three years.

During his time in Starkville, Iupe never missed a competitive round and earned co-medalist honors at the Mississippi Intercollegiate in 1977. In 1978, Iupe remained on staff upon graduation as a graduate assistant from 1978-79.

In 1978, Iupe won his first of a record-setting 5 wins at the MPGA Invitational (1978, 1981, ‘82, ‘83, ‘86). In 1979, he claimed the Mississippi State Amateur championship. In 1983, Iupe garnered Player of the Year honors from the Clarion Ledger —an honor bestowed upon him five times— thanks largely to his ‘Grand Slam’, winning the Mississippi State Amateur, the Mississippi Open, the Colonial Invitational and the Greenwood Invitational that year.

Despite his long and illustrious list of playing accolades, Iupe’s biggest impact on the game comes as an administrator. In 1986, Iupe helped organize and host the first USGA event in Mississippi — the U.S. Mid-Am hosted by Annandale Golf Club. 

Since 1982, Iupe has been a member of the USGA Sectional Affairs Committee, a title he still holds today. In 1989, he was inducted into the MSU Athletic Hall of Fame and was enshrined by the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. With over 200 individual and team wins throughout his career and forever changing the game of golf in Mississippi, the MGA proudly inducts Joe Iupe into the Mississippi Golf Hall of Fame, Class of 2024.

Robert Morgan

Robert Morgan was born on January 11, 1931 in Hattiesburg. Upon graduating from Hattiesburg High School in 1949, Morgan stayed close to home, attending Southern Miss from 1949-53.

After his time at USM, Morgan volunteered for the United States Marine Corps in 1953 during the Korean War. He entered as a commissioned officer, 2nd Lieutenant and was honorably discharged in 1955 as a 1st Lieutenant. 

In 1968, while president of Hattiesburg Country Club, Morgan began the first PGA Tour event in Mississippi, the Magnolia Classic. Played opposite of The Masters and eventually the British Open, the Magnolia Classic (now the Sanderson Farms Championship) was a Hattiesburg mainstay until the event moved to the Jackson metro in 1994. Through sponsorship and name changes, course and date changes too, the one constant was Robert Morgan.

In 1997, he was elected to the Board of Directors of the PGA Tour Tournament Association, which he served on until 2000. He was presented the Distinguished Service Award by the PGATTA in 2001 as a tribute to his dedication.

Serving as a PGA Tour tournament director from 1968 to 2007, Morgan became the longest-serving tournament director in Tour history. He also became the only tournament director to serve under all three PGA Tour commissioners upon his retirement.

In 2009, Morgan was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.

Mr. Robert Morgan passed away at the age of 86 in 2017. He will be posthumously inducted into the Mississippi Golf Hall of Fame.

Sam Dunning — George Bryan Award for Service

The George Bryan Award for Service is given to individuals who have had a significant impact on the game of golf in Mississippi through years of service and dedication to growing the game. The Mississippi Golf Association is pleased to announce that the 2024 George Bryan Award for Service recipient is Sam Dunning.

Dunning has been instrumental in growing and giving back to the game since beginning his career back in the 70s. After tutelage from Mississippi legend, Robbie Webb at the Country Club of Canton (1972-75), Dunning went on to make a name for himself in the Delta at Cleveland Country Club. Since 1977, Dunning has hosted countless charity events, helping raise over $1M for various causes. He has served as a PGA Class A professional since 1977 and was a Gulf States PGA Section officer from 1981-94 including a stint as Section President from 1990-92.

From 1989 to 20015, Dunning served as head coach of the Delta State men’s golf team. During his tenure, the Statesmen had two national championship appearances, a Gulf South conference championship, 35 team wins, 17 individual titles, 15 NCAA Academic All-Americans and six NCAA DII All-Americans. 

Thanks to his legendary service to the game, the Mississippi Golf Association is proud to honor Sam Dunning as the 2024 George Bryan Award for Service recipient.

V.J. Trolio — Robbie Webb Award

The Robbie Webb Award is given each year to an outstanding contributor to junior golf in Mississippi. Robbie Webb, the longtime head golf professional at the Country Club of Canton, played an integral part in the foundation of junior golf in Mississippi and personally taught over 1,000 golfers. The recipient of this award is someone who not only shares Webb’s enthusiasm for junior golf but continues to go above and beyond the call to ensure the continued success of junior golf within the state.

The Mississippi Golf Association is excited to announce V.J. Trolio as the 2024 recipient. Trolio is a teaching professional at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point and has been listed on Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Instructors list since 2015. His work with juniors from across the state has elevated the level of golf within Mississippi and has given our state national recognition through his players. Trolio not only works with elite players but also grows the game from a fundamental level with those new to the game. The Mississippi Golf Association is honored to award Mr.Trolio with the 2024 Robbie Webb Award.

Tickets and table prices for the Hall of Fame Dinner go on sale January 6th atmissgolf.org.

For a full list of past Hall of Fame classes and award winners, please visitmissgolf.org.

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