Fred Corcoran - PGA Tournament Manager, Agent

PGA Tournament Manager, Agent

In 1936, he became the PGA Tour's tournament manager and the business manager of Sam Snead. During the 1940s, he took golf from a minor curiosity to a major business. He later served as the PGA's Promotions Director.

Both idea man and publicist, with a pinch of hustler thrown in, Corcoran raised the awareness and business of golf through many avenues. In 1940, he put together a charity match between Gene Tunney, Babe Ruth, Gene Sarazen and Jimmy Demaret, where he brought the Fred Waring band and "Colonel" Stoopnagel, of radio fame, to follow the match with a sound truck, offering an absurd commentary. A year later, he arranged for a three-course match between Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth, which allowed them to settle their long-term rivalry on the golf course. He established golf's first Hall of Fame that year as well. He managed three United States Ryder Cup teams, and was official scorer at 34 USGA championships. During World War II, Corcoran worked for the Red Cross and USO, staging golf exhibitions with the help of Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, and bringing sports shows to the troops with Lefty Gomez and Jack Sharkey.