Jim McLean said mentoring junior golfers has been one of the most important parts of his life. Darren Carroll, PGA of America
Perhaps the most surprising thing about Jim McLean being inducted into the PGA of America Hall of Fame this past Wednesday is how unsurprising it was. In fact, many people thought the 75-year-old native of the Pacific Northwest was already a member of that august shrine. And that makes sense when one considers all that McLean has accomplished in golf.
Start with a playing career in which he won multiple tournaments as a junior and then earned a full golf scholarship in 1968 to the University of Houston, where his teammates included Fuzzy Zoeller, John Mahaffey, Bruce Lietzke and Bill Rogers. Blonde and blue-eyed, McLean won three college tournaments as a Cougar and was an All-American in 1972. He also qualified for four U.S. Amateurs and a pair of U.S. Opens and competed in the 1972 Masters, making the cut and finishing tied for 43rd.
By the time he received his degree from Houston, having studied economics and...