Class of 2016

Blaine McCallister

Professional Player

Biography

Five-time PGA Tour winner and University of Houston All-American golfer Blaine McCallister was inducted into the Texas Golf Hall of Fame in 2016.

McCallister turned professional in 1981 and joined the PGA Tour the following year. He won five PGA Tour events in his career with his first title coming at the 1988 Hardee's Golf Classic. His most memorable win came in a playoff at the 1991 Texas Open at Oak Hills Country Club.

McCallister also secured victories at the 1989 Honda Classic, where he bested runner-up Payne Stewart by four shots, the 1989 Bank of Boston Classic and the 1993 B.C. Open. For his career, he collected more than $5.2 million in earnings. He played in 23 majors, registering a pair of top-20 finishes at the PGA Championship as well as one at the 1993 U.S. Open. The native of Stockton, Texas, also won the 1986 Texas State Open.

As he entered his 40s, McCallister began splitting his playing time between the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour. His four-round tournament record 265 at the 2003 Northeast Pennsylvania Classic gave him his lone win on the Nationwide Tour. In 2008, he began playing on the Champions Tour.

McCallister was a four-year letterwinner for the Cougars (1978-81) and earned Honorable Mention All-American honors in 1979 and 1981. He competed in three straight NCAA Championships (1979-81), leading UH to top-10 team finishes each season. During his time as a collegian, McCallister also reached the second round of match play at the 1978 U.S. Amateur.

McCallister continues to rank among the Cougars’ top-20 career leaders in strokes and rounds played. His college roommates were future fellow professional golfer Fred Couples and future CBS Sports golf host Jim Nantz.

Outside of the world of golf, McCallister is dedicated to working with eyesight organizations, as his wife Claudia suffers from a rare eye disease called pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE). He currently lives in Jacksonville, Fla.

Legacy Video

Career Highlights

5 PGA Tour titles including the 1991 Texas Open.
Has competed on PGA Tour, Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour Champions
Four-year letter winner at the University of Houston
Honorable Mention All-American honors in 1979 and 1981
Competed in three consecutive NCAA Championships (1979-81)

Left Proved to Be Right

Blaine is naturally left-handed in everything he does, but plays golf mix-handed. From tee to green, he strikes the ball righty and then putts lefty. Blaine didn’t begin putting as a southpaw until 1986, five years after turning pro. Each of his five PGA Tournament victories came after making the switch. Texas Golf Hall of Famer teacher Charlie Epps, the head pro at Houston Country Club and his swing coach, suggested the change after Blaine felt he saw too much break in the putts when he stood over the ball righthanded. And of course, Blaine has always signed his scorecards with his left hand.

“Hello, Friends”

Blaine, who won five career PGA Tournaments, had two college roommates at the University of Houston who went on to achieve incredible professional success in their careers as well. Fred Couples went on to become World No. 1 and authored 64 professional tournament victories, highlighted by a triumph at the 1992 Masters. Meanwhile, Jim Nantz became a CBS Sports broadcasting great who has anchored the Masters coverage since 1989 among his many duties calling PGA Tour golf, NFL football, NCAA basketball and football, tennis and the Olympics. Together, the trio established the Three Amigos Celebrity Golf Tournament, which has endowed a Cougar golf scholarship as part of its charitable contributions.

A Major Win in Texas

Blaine McCallister started to play golf at age 14 in Fort Stockton, Texas, with a couple of friends at a 9-hole Desert Pines Golf Course with no bunkers and two “water traps” that may or may not have water in them depending on the weather. Blaine went on to win the 1977 Texas High School state championship and received his scholarship offer to attend powerhouse Houston. His mother considered any tournament in Texas a major, so when he won the 1991 Texas Open, she said “You’ve finally won your first major championship, but you still have majors to win in Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston.”

Finding a Cure

Outside of the world of golf McCallister is dedicated to working with eyesight organizations, as his wife Claudia suffers from a rare eye disease called pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE).