Russ Cochran
Born: Oct. 31, 1958 in Paducah, Ky.
Residence: Paducah, Ky.
Joined PGA: 1979
PGA Tour Wins: (1) – 1991 Centel Western Open
Career Earnings (rank): $5,240,987 (97th)
Career Top Ten Finishes: 58
Career Low Round: 61 – 1991 Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic
Largest Career Paycheck: $216,000 – 2nd place at the 1991 Tour Championship
A native of Paduchah, Russ Cochran started playing golf as a child with women’s golf clubs because a men’s left-handed set was not available to the southpaw. Cochran turned professional in 1979 after a successful stint as a Wildcat. He earned his first tour victory with a win at the 1991 Centel Western Open after coming back from a five-stroke deficit to defeat Greg Norman. At the 1991 Tour Championship, Cochran entered the final round tied with Craig Stadler at 71. Stadler won the playoff with a birdie on the second extra hole at Pinehurst to claim the title. The second-place finish notched the larrgest payday of his career with $216,000 in prize money. Cochran, an avid UK basketball fan, still resides in Paducah with wife, Jackie, and his four children; Ryan, Reed, Case and Kelly Marie.
Steve Flesch
Born: May 23, 1967 in Cincinnati, Ohio
Residence: Union, Ky.
Turned Pro: 1990
PGA Tour Wins: (1) – 2003 HP Classic of New Orleans
BUY.COM Tour Wins: (1) – 1997 – Nike Tour Championship
Joined PGA Tour: 1998
Career PGA Top Ten Finishes: 41
Career Earnings: $7,536,885 (57th)
Career Low Round: 63 (2) – 2001 WorldCom Classic, 2000 National Car Rental Golf Classic Disney
Largest Career Paycheck: $900,000 – 2003 HP Classic of New Orleans
Steve Flesch turned pro in 1990 after an outstanding career at the University of Kentucky where he is one of three UK medalists in Johnny Owens Invitational history. Flesch, who began golfing right-handed before switching over to his natural left side, started his professional career in 1990 on the Nationwide Tour. In 1997 he won the Nike Tour Championship earning him exept status on the PGA Tour in 1998. In 2001, Flesch ranked second behind Tiger Woods in Top-10 finishes with 13. Flesch recorded his best PGA Tour finish in 2003 winning the HP Classic of New Orleans. In 1999, the left-hander finished in a tie for second place at the COMPAQ Classic of New Orleans. Currently in 2003, the UK graduate has won $1,781,680 in prize money pushing him over the $1 million mark for the fourth consecutive year. Flesch resides in Union, Ky., with his wife, Lisa, and his son, Griffin McCarthy.
Gay Brewer
Born: March 19, 1932 in Middletown, Ohio
Residence: Mission Hills, Kan.
Joined PGA: 1956
PGA Tour Wins: 10
Senior PGA Wins: 1 – 1984 Citizens Union Seniors
Career PGA Earnings (rank): $800,914 (331st)
Senior PGA Earnings (rank): $1,957,242 (82nd)
Total Career Earnings (rank): $2,758,156 (170th)
Career Low Round: 61 – 1967 Pensacola Open Invitational
Largest Career Paycheck: $30,000 – 1972 Canadian Open Champion
Arguably the best golfer to ever walk the halls of the University of Kentucky was Gay Robert Brewer, Jr. The 1949 U.S. Junior Champion attended UK from 1952-54 and went on to a distinguished career on the PGA Tour which was highlighted by a victory at the 1967 Masters. Brewer received the Ben Hogan Award after the 1972 season for his “courage in the face of trying circumstances” after surviving a near-fatal ulcer attack the night before the ’72 Masters. A 10-time champion on the PGA Tour, the Middletown, Ohio native has been a member of the Senior PGA Tour since 1982 with his lone victory coming at the 1984 Citizens Union Seniors held in Kentucky. He was also a member of the 1967 and 1971 United States Ryder Cup Teams. In his 43-year career as a professional golfer, Brewer has earned nearly $3 million in prize money and made his 37th Masters appearance in April 2001.
Grover Justice
Born: February 6, 1974 in Pikeville, Ky.
Residence: Lexington, Ky.
Turned Pro: 1997
Joined Nationwide Tour: 2002
Career Earnings (rank): $30,812 (105th)
Best Finishe: T5 – 2002 Fort Smith Classic
Grover Justice came to the University of Kentucky in the fall of 1993 after finishing an All-State career at Pikeville High School. A five-year letterman, Justice was named captain of the golf team his senior year at Pikeville and won the 1993 Kentukcy Invitational Tournament and Regional Tournament. While at UK, he won five collegiate tournaments, including the 1995 Johnny Owens Invitational, becoming the first Wildcat to do so since Steve Flesch in 1987. After college, Justice worked as an assistant professional at Champion Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Ky. He was named the 1999 PGA Assistant Player of the Year in Kentucky and joined the Nationwide Tour in 2002.
