John Harris

Who is John Harris?

John Richard Harris is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.

Harris was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and grew up in Roseau, Minnesota, near the Canadian border. He attended the University of Minnesota, where he distinguished himself in both golf and ice hockey. Harris was the second-leading scorer on the Gophers 1974 NCAA national championship team, and then two months later won the individual Big Ten championship in golf.

Harris played minor league hockey after college and then became a professional golfer in 1976. His best finish on the PGA Tour was a T-26 at the 1976 Hawaiian Open. He regained his amateur status in 1983 and soon became one of the dominant players on the amateur circuit in Minnesota. He won the Minnesota State Amateur four times, the Minnesota State Mid-Amateur five times, and the 1993 U.S. Amateur at the age of 41.

After turning 50 in June 2002, Harris began a second professional golf career. His first win came in his fifth Champions Tour season at the 2006 Commerce Bank Championship. Harris lives in the upscale Twin Cities suburb of Eden Prairie.

Harris took over as director of golf at the University of Minnesota in July 2010 after the departure of Brad James. In December 2010 the Minnesota Daily published a report that Harris kept associate women's head coach Katie Brenny from coaching, traveling with the team, or recruiting while letting his son-in-law and former caddy, Ernie Rose, perform those duties under a different title. Harris resigned as director of golf in June 2011.