‘Lost a Gentleman’: PGA Tour in Mourning as Golf Industry Legend Breathes His Last

The PGA Tour faces yet another void that cannot be filled. Tom Place, a treasured figure in the golf world known for his vast knowledge of the PGA Tour and his charismatic presence that enriched media coverage for over 20 years, passed away peacefully on Christmas Day. He was 97 years old and spent his final moments at his Ponte Vedra Beach home, lovingly accompanied by his wife, Jean Place.

Tom Place was born in Gairloch Scotland. But his family moved to Pennsylvania when he was just a child. He went to the Grover City College and became the college’s newspaper’s sports editor. Soon after he completed his graduation, he started as a sports editor at the Oil City Derrick in 1949. He then shifted to being a sports staff at the Cleveland News and Cleveland Plain Dealer. This was where he started covering golf for the first time. And we’re sure every member of the fraternity is glad he did! 

Tom Place’s beautiful journey with the PGA Tour

Tom Place started Tour’s Director of Information from 1971 to 1992, and well, he was one of a kind. He did not use anything technical that would assist his job. Instead made sure that everything was done all by himself. In fact, in some of the tournament sites, he also took charge of everything, all alone. Place was so efficient that he would often run the media centers at 40 events a year.

Before the rise of personal agents and communications representatives for players, Tom Place served as a crucial bridge between athletes and the media. His connections were equally strong on both sides, fostering trust and collaboration between players and journalists alike.

“I just loved the man,” said former Tour player Steve Melnyk. “He was so gracious, so courteous, and had to do his job without a lot of the resources they have now.” 

Mark McCumber, the 1988 PLAYERS winner, admitted that his family took advantage of Place’s pleasant nature. “My wife, my brothers, my kids were always calling the media center to ask Tom how I was playing,” McCumber said. “He’d tell them, ‘Mark just parred the first hole … call me back in a few minutes about the next hole.’ He never made them feel as if they were bothering him. He was a very kind man. The Tour has lost a gentleman, a true curator of the game.”

Jeff Adams, who worked in media relations for the LPGA and PGA Tour, said, “We looked up to Tom as a mentor. He was very approachable and was a huge help when I was at the LPGA, which carried over to the PGA Tour. He understood and appreciated the media’s job and respected their needs.”

Tom Place had a rather down-to-earth attitude, and that got him to create connections wherever he worked. His relationship expanded beyond the PGA Tour.

Place’s former employees praise him

Transcripts of interviews with Tour players were often derived from Tom Place’s detailed handwritten notes, which he distributed promptly within minutes of a press conference concluding. Through his efforts, the stories were told, and Place played a pivotal role in helping the media bring them to life.

“He was always willing to help the media, get an answer for any question, and most of the time he did it all by himself,” said former Florida Times-Union sports editor Fred Seely.

He even added how Tom Place had everything stored in his head, and no machine could beat the power of his memory. Being so involved with everyone, Tom Place knew what his colleagues needed and what problems they faced. He was practically a team player. Even the former sports director of News4Jax, Sam Kouvaris, praised how Tom Place was an absolute professional, with just the right amount of empathy. “Tom did everything he could on whatever stories we were working on to get us the information and the tools we needed to get it done,” he said.

Kouvaris even called him special, setting the standard for the people who knew him on the Tour. He was someone who helped in making everyone’s job a cakewalk. He even reminisced about the time when he helped him meet all the legendary players. During his first Masters Tournament in 1979, when Tom Place personally guided him through the media center and introduced him to the legendary sportswriters he had admired for years.

Tom Place was indeed a rather kind person, and there is no denying that. May the departed soul rest in peace.