Joseph S. Iupe, Jr.
MGA Hall of Fame 2024
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.