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Bert Yancey
Personal information
Full name	Albert Winsborough Yancey
Born	(1938-08-06)August 6, 1938 Chipley, Florida
Died	August 26, 1994(1994-08-26) (aged 56) Park City, Utah
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	190 lb (86 kg; 14 st)
Sporting nationality	United States
Career
College	U.S. Military Academy
Turned professional	1960
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour Senior PGA Tour
Professional wins	10
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	7
Other	3
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament	3rd: 1967, 1968
PGA Championship	T22: 1970, 1971
U.S. Open	3rd/T3: 1968, 1974
The Open Championship	5th: 1973

Albert Winsborough Yancey (August 6, 1938 – August 26, 1994) was an American professional golfer who won seven times on the PGA Tour and later played on the Senior PGA Tour.

Early life

Born in Chipley, Florida, Yancey lived much of his adult life in the Atlanta metro area. He attended the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, and was captain of the Cadet golf team.

He suffered from a debilitating illness known then as manic-depressive illness, but today it is more commonly called bipolar disorder. His illness first manifested itself during his senior year at West Point. He spent nine months in an Army psychiatric hospital before being discharged.

Professional career

Yancey's condition was largely in remission until 1974, which allowed him to participate in competitive golf. He won seven PGA Tour events in 13 seasons. He also had six top-5 finishes in major championships: 1967 Masters (3rd), 1968 Masters (3rd), 1968 U.S. Open (3rd), 1970 Masters (4th), 1973 British Open (5th), 1974 U.S. Open (T-3).

In 1974, Yancey's illness resurfaced and led him to be involved in a series of bizarre incidents, for which he was at various times arrested, incarcerated, and institutionalized. One such incident occurred at LaGuardia Airport in 1975. Yancey climbed up on a ladder in the terminal and ordered all white people to one side and all black people to the other, and then proceeded to preach on the evils of racism. During the same incident, he claimed to have all of Howard Hughes' money and stated that he was going to use it to cure cancer. Yancey credited Dr. Jane Parker of Payne Whitney Hospital for correctly diagnosing his condition and prescribing lithium. Lithium, however, caused him to have hand tremors, which forced him to retire from competitive golf. He was able to resume competitive play, however, when Tegretol became available.

Yancey was eventually able to return to life as a productive member of society. In 1984, he took a teaching pro job at three South Carolina clubs. He joined the Senior PGA Tour after reaching the age of 50 in August 1988. During the last five years of his life he became a devoted public speaker and advocate for those with mental illnesses. He formed Bogeys, Birdies & Bert, a group "for the education and support of depressive illnesses" in an effort to spread the message on manic depression and mental illness. He also put on seminars, golfing clinics, tournaments and other charitable events to raise money to treat illness and educate the public.

Death

Yancey suffered a fatal heart attack in 1994 at age 56 at the Franklin Quest Championship in Park City, Utah. While on the practice tee preparing for the first round, he experienced discomfort and made a second visit to the first aid tent; he went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at a local hospital a short time later. Yancey is interred at Oakland Cemetery in Tallahassee, Florida, not far from his boyhood home.

The Bert Yancey Mental Health Golf Tournament, based in Augusta, Georgia, is held annually to benefit local chapters of non-profit national organizations Mental Health America, National Alliance on Mental Illness, and the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance.

Personal life

Yancey was married early in his career. He had a daughter Tracy and three sons: Charles, Scott, and Jeffrey.

Late in life, Yancey re-married to Cheryl.

Professional wins (10)

PGA Tour wins (7)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Apr 17, 1966	Azalea Open Invitational	74-69-67-68=278	−10	1 stroke	Bob Johnson
2	Jun 5, 1966	Memphis Open Invitational	63-69-67-66=265	−15	5 strokes	Gene Littler
3	Sep 18, 1966	Portland Open Invitational	68-68-68-67=271	−17	3 strokes	Billy Casper
4	Apr 24, 1967	Dallas Open Invitational	68-69-67-71=274	−6	1 stroke	Roberto De Vicenzo, Kermit Zarley
5	May 25, 1969	Atlanta Classic	71-68-69-69=277	−11	Playoff	Bruce Devlin
6	Jan 25, 1970	Bing Crosby National Pro-Am	67-70-72-69=278	−10	1 stroke	Jack Nicklaus
7	Jul 23, 1972	American Golf Classic	69-68-67-72=276	−4	Playoff	Tom Ulozas

PGA Tour playoff record (2–2)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1969	Atlanta Classic	Bruce Devlin	Won with birdie on second extra hole
2	1970	Kaiser International Open Invitational	Ken Still, Lee Trevino	Still won with birdie on first extra hole
3	1971	Robinson Open Golf Classic	Labron Harris Jr.	Lost to birdie on third extra hole
4	1972	American Golf Classic	Tom Ulozas	Won with par on first extra hole

Other wins (3)

this list is probably incomplete

• 1962 South Carolina Open
• 1963 Pennsylvania Open Championship
• 1969 Argentine Masters

Playoff record

PGA of Japan Tour playoff record (0–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	1973	Taiheiyo Club Masters	Masashi Ozaki	Lost three-hole aggregate playoff; Ozaki: −1 (3-3-4=10), Yancey: +2 (4-5-4=13)

Results in major championships

WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

• Most consecutive cuts made – 14 (1971 U.S. Open – 1975 Masters)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1968 Masters – 1968 U.S. Open)

References

1. ^ Thomas, Robert McG. Jr (August 27, 1994). "Bert Yancey, 56, a pro golfer who fought manic depression". New York Times.
2. ^ "Golfer collapses at course, dies". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. August 27, 1994. p. 29.
3. ^ "Profile on USMA Class of 1961 webpage". Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2010.
4. Sorensen, Mike (August 27, 1994). "Yancey's death stuns golfers". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. D1.
5. "2014 Yancey Mental Health Golf Tournament". Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2014.

External links

• Bert Yancey at the PGA Tour official site
• Bert Yancey at Find a Grave

• American male golfers
• PGA Tour golfers
• PGA Tour Champions golfers
• Golfers from Florida
• Leon High School alumni
• United States Military Academy alumni
• People from Chipley, Florida
• People with bipolar disorder
• 1938 births
• 1994 deaths
• 20th-century American sportsmen