Mizzou Men’s Golf Mourns Loss of Former Coach, Al Chandler
12/2/2019 4:23:00 PM | Men's Golf
Chandler led Mizzou’s Golf program from 1966-76
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Men's Golf mourns the loss of former head coach Al Chandler (1936-2019), who passed away Sunday. The program's thoughts are with Al's friends and family at this time.
Chandler coached Mizzou Golf from 1966-76, steering the Tigers to back-to-back Big Eight runner-up finishes and NCAA Tournament appearances in 1971 and 1972. The 1972 team placed 29th at the NCAA Championships.
As a player, Chandler won the 1953 Junior PGA Championship and helped capture three consecutive NAIA National Championships at Lamar in the 1950s.
Chandler was a professional golfer from 1962-84 at the Columbia Country Club. He qualified for 16 major championships in his illustrious playing career, including eight PGA Championships and eight U.S. Opens. He made the cut twice in both majors, most notably at the 1966 PGA Championship, where he carded a 71 in the third round while playing in the same group as Arnold Palmer.
Chandler eventually played in eight senior major championships. He was a six-time Gateway PGA Player of the Year.
Following his career, Chandler was inducted into the Columbia Golf Foundation Hall of Fame in 2011.
He spent some of the later of his life as an instructor after moving back to Columbia in October of 2008. Chandler lived in West Palm Beach, Fla., over the last four years, coaching PGA apprentices and helping them pass the PGA Playing Ability Test.
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