Inductees

He is proof that you can write a great second chapter in life, that you’re never too old to take up a sport and that – who knows? – you can surge to success.

The story goes that Springfield’s James “Jim” F. Morris was sitting in the balcony of Grace Methodist Church and not far away was Bill Stewart, a local golfer whose son, Payne, would go on to stardom on the PGA Tour. And, naturally, Stewart invited Morris, then in his 30s, to the golf course.

“I couldn’t break 100 but they tried running me out there,” Morris joked.

And yet Morris not only worked at improving his craft but emerged as one of the Ozarks’ notable names. And his success is why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is proud to induct Morris with the Class of 2020.

Known for a long-and-free swing that was almost rhythmic and kept his tee shots straight and true on the fairway, Morris won a pair of Missouri Senior Amateur championships in his 60s as well as an International Masters Seniors.

In 1993, just a couple of years after having returned to the game following a several-year sabbatical, he won the Pro-Am Pebble Beach tournament with Payne Stewart, who before passing away in 1999 won three majors – the 1989 PGA Championship and the 1991 and 1999 U.S. Opens. That event led to a round with a future President Trump.

Morris also was a U.S. representative against Mexico and also has been inducted into the Ozarks Golf Hall of Fame, with the Class of 2001.

And, at one point, Morris beat Payne Stewart for the Hickory Hills Championship in 36 holes. Plus, he won both the regular and senior events there and later turned in the winning card at the Senior Club Championship at The Palms in LaQuinta, California.

Additionally, he captured several invitational tournaments with Phil Cotton at the Twin Oaks Country Club. And because he loved the sport so much, Morris was the driving force of the construction of the Connie Morris Learning Center, the indoor-outdoor facility at Rivercut Golf Course in southwest Springfield.

In other words, what a golfer, one who had attended Greenwood Laboratory School and graduated from Central High School in 1949 before going on to attend both Drury University and Missouri State University.

“Golf was good to me – the people I met, well, the boys made me feel comfortable,” said Morris, who turns 89 on February 9, 2020.

Morris certainly had the physique and the lifestyle that would translate to the golf course. His tall and slender build was well-suited for a nice fluid swing off the tee box. He also played tennis, a favorite sport of his wife, Connie.

Yet, after taking up the sport at age 35, he stopped playing for awhile until about 1991. He quickly realized he had left his swing back in the 1980s.

“When I started back up – because I didn’t have a golf swing – my second go-round was pretty tough,” Morris said.

A turning point came when Payne Stewart invited him to play in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Like anyone would, Morris wasn’t about to head into such a prestigious event unprepared, and so he went to went to work on his swing and all parts of his game.

He and Payne put on a show.

“I hit a lot of big shots along the banks,” Morris said. “And, as we neared 18, I remember I started to pick up a coin and realized I still had to make three putts with 50,000 people watching.”

The victory also led to a round of golf with Donald Trump, the future President, at a nearby Arnold Palmer course.

“I played my best golf into my 60s,” Morris said. “That’s why I love the game. I wanted to be the best golfer at 80 years old.”

All of this played out as Morris enjoyed local tennis courts. He became friends with Springfield’s Gerald Perry, a nationally ranked player who also played professionally. Morris also served as a fishing guide on Table Rock and Bull Shoals lakes.

Still, the Morris legacy is assured of stretching beyond Jim’s golf bag. You see, the Connie Morris Learning Center at Rivercut Golf Course has provided thousands of youths an opportunity to refine their golf games.

That’s notable, considering the Ozarks’ deep love for the sport.

“I can’t complain about one thing in my life,” Morris said.

Jim is still competing, supported by his lovely wife, Lorna, his children Kim, James and Neal and his grandchildren.