Don Cherry was an accomplished amateur golfer in the 1950s and then a pro golfer who played PGA Tour events from the 1960s into the 1980s. But he might have been more famous in his day for his other vocation: singer. Cherry had multiple hit records in the 1950s, appeared on many 1960s television shows, and, decades later, made several albums with Willie Nelson.

Don Cherry played in 17 major championships. Nine of those appearances were in The Masters, and eight were in the U.S. Open. He made the cut in nine majors.

All of Cherry's wins were in amateur tournaments, and these four were his biggest:

• 1951 West Texas Amateur
• 1952 West Texas Amateur
• 1953 Canadian Amateur Championship
• 1954 Sunnehanna Amateur

The Sunnehanna Amateur is still today one of the biggest stroke-play amateur tournaments for men. The one that Cherry won was the inaugural tournament.

As a child, Cherry pursued both of his lifelong loves: He got his first golf clubs at age eight and also caddied at the local club while honing his game; and he delivered singing telegrams for Western Union.

His competitive golf career started after he returned home from the Army Air Forces, in which he served during World War II. He won numerous local and regional tournaments in Texas, culminating in his West Texas Amateur wins of 1951-52.

Cherry's best year was 1953. That's the year of his Canadian Amateur win, and he reached the semifinals of the Southern Amateur. He also made his Walker Cup debut that year. In 1954, Cherry made it to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur before falling to eventual champion Arnold Palmer, 1-down.

In addition to the 1953 Walker Cup, Cherry also played on Team USA in the 1955 Walker Cup and 1961 Walker Cup. He won every Walker Cup match in which he appeared. His singles wins were 9-and-7 over Norman Drew, 5-and-4 over Joe Carr and 5-and-4 over David Blair.

Also in 1955, attempting to defend his Sunnehanna championship, Cherry was runner-up by one stroke to Hillman Robbins Jr.

In 1962, Cherry decided to turn pro. He was never a full-time PGA Tour player, but eventually made 115 career starts (first in 1948, last in 1983) and had three career Top 10 finishes.

Don claimed 30 career holes-in-ones.

Birthplace: Wichita Falls, Texas

Born: January 11, 1924

Died: April 4, 2018