Robert Morgan
MGA Hall of Fame 2024
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.