- Bert Yancey
Albert W. Yancey (
August 6 ,1938 –August 26 ,1994 ) was an Americanprofessional golfer who played on thePGA Tour and theSenior PGA Tour .Yancey was born in
Chipley, Florida , but lived much of his adult life in the Atlanta metro area . He attended college at theUnited States Military Academy inWest Point, New York , and was captain of thegolf team. Yancey suffered from a debilitating illness known then asmanic-depressive illness , but today it is more commonly calledbipolar disorder . His illness first manifested itself during his senior year at West Point. Yancey spent 9 months in an Army psychiatric hospital inValley Forge, Pennsylvania before being honorably dicharged.Yancey's condition was largely in remission until 1974 which allowed him to participate in competitive golf. He won 7 PGA Tour events in 13 seasons. He also had six top-5 finishes in major championships: 1967
The Masters (3rd), 1968 The Masters (3rd), 1968 U.S. Open (3rd), 1970 The Masters (4th), 1973 British Open (5th), 1974 U.S. Open (T-3).In 1974, Yancey's illness resurfaced and led him to be involved in a series of bizarre incidents for which he was at various times arrested, incarcerated, and institutionalized. [http://www.aog.usma.edu/CLASS/1961/Yancey.htm Profile on USMA webpage] (URL last accessed
August 2 ,2006 ) ] One such incident occurred atLaGuardia Airport in 1975. Yancey climbed up on a ladder in the terminal and ordered all white people to one side and all black people to the other, and then proceeded to preach on the evils of racism. During the same incident, he claimed to have all ofHoward Hughes ' money and stated that he was going to use it to curecancer . Yancey credited Dr. Jane Parker of Payne Whitney Hospital for correctly diagnosing his condition and prescribing Lithium. Lithium, however, caused him to have hand tremors which forced him to retire from competitive golf. He was able to resume competitive play, however, whenTegretol became available.Yancey was eventually able to return to life as a productive member of society. In 1984, he took a teaching pro job at three
South Carolina clubs. He joined theSenior PGA Tour after reaching the age of 50 in August 1988. During the last five years of his life he became a devoted public speaker and advocate for those with mental illnesses.Yancey suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 56 at the 1994 Franklin Quest Championship in
Park City, Utah . He went intocardiac arrest in the scorer's tent as he was preparing to go out on the course for the first round, and was pronounced dead at a local hospital a short time later. He is interred at Oakland Cemetery inTallahassee, Florida not far from his boyhood home.PGA Tour wins (7)
*1966 (3)
Azalea Open Invitational ,Memphis Open Invitational , Portland Open
*1967 (1)Dallas Open Invitational
*1969 (1)Atlanta Classic
*1970 (1)Bing Crosby National Pro-Am
*1972 (1)American Golf Classic Other wins
"this list is probably incomplete"
*1962South Carolina Open ee also
*
Golfers with most PGA Tour wins Notes and References
External links
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7092275 Bert Yancey] at
Findagrave.com
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