28 THE MET GOLFER • DECEMBER 2007/JANUARY 2008 WWW.MGAGOLF.ORG THE MET GOLFER • DECEMBER 2007/JANUARY 2008 29

He’s the MGA Player of the Year yet

again, and success for George Zahringer III comes off the course

as well. He seems to be enjoying it more

than ever beforeBY KEN BARON

PHOTOGRAPH BY JEFF WEINER

He’s the MGA Player of the Year yet

again, and success for George Zahringer IIIcomes off the course

as well. He seems to be enjoying it more

than ever beforeBY KEN BARON

PHOTOGRAPH BY JEFF WEINER

cove

r st

ory

Not long ago local golf legendGeorge Zahringer III was askedwhat it would mean to him towin the MGA Jerry Courville Sr.Player of the Year Award in2007. “It would mean,” the 54-year-old New York City nativesaid with a smile, “that you canput a fork in me. I’m done!” Theproblem with this heartfelt com-

ment is that Zahringer has been pro-nounced “done” before and declared pasthis prime frequently, only to re-emerge asPlayer of the Year — he won his first in1979 and this year marks his 10th suchhonor, five more than any golfer in MGAhistory — that the silver drawer is darnnear out of forks.

Not long ago local golf legendGeorge Zahringer III was askedwhat it would mean to him towin the MGA Jerry Courville Sr.Player of the Year Award in2007. “It would mean,” the 54-year-old New York City nativesaid with a smile, “that you canput a fork in me. I’m done!” Theproblem with this heartfelt com-

ment is that Zahringer has been pro-nounced “done” before and declared pasthis prime frequently, only to re-emerge asPlayer of the Year — he won his first in1979 and this year marks his 10th suchhonor, five more than any golfer in MGAhistory — that the silver drawer is darnnear out of forks.

be “George.” Sure, other names will vie forconsideration — “Jerry” (Courville Sr.) and,earlier, “Walter” (Travis), come to mind —but a strong case can and has been made thatGeorge Zahringer III is the best amateur everto come out of this area (see sidebar, below).You certainly wouldn’t start a bar fight withthat comment.

Yet while much is known about the manas a golfer, his private side has remained some-thing of a secret, with many folks gleaning lit-tle more than what is typically detailed in aone-line bio: “Zahringer is an investmentbroker at Bear, Stearns & Company, and playsout of Deepdale Golf Club in Manhasset,N.Y., and National Golf Links in Southamp-ton, N.Y.” Some people, for example, maythink that Zahringer’s day job is merely theaccepted lot of a guy who didn’t have thegame or the guts to turn pro. On the contrary,the Wall Street world is a true passion forZahringer, on par with golf. Sure, he is happyto talk about his on-course success — “theWalker Cup was very special for me. I was 50,by far the oldest player on the team, and theexperience representing your country was justtremendous” — but ask him a business ques-tion and his eyes light up.

“This [2008] is an election year,” he says,“and it’s going to be a cautious period withcontinued uncertainty. Plus, we’re not donewith the credit crunch just yet,” he adds, andthen launches into a treatise about sub-primeissues and institutional lending practices. Infact, even when he explains why he hasn’t yetbought a weekend house outside the city (heand second wife, Anne, and their two youngchildren live on the Upper East Side), theinvestment banker in him takes centerstage. “I’ve been a little bit negative-ly biased on real estate prices,” hesays, “and so we’ve rented the lastseveral summers on Long Island.”

Incredibly, Zahringer is almost asmuch an imposing figure on WallStreet as he is on the first tee. He is aa senior managing director at BearStearns, and his midtown office, with acommanding view, is populated with a juniorpartner and two supporting staff members. Italso is chockablock with golf memorabilia,including one of his seven(!) USGA medals;a picture of him with his Walker Cup team-mates, Casey Wittenberg, Hunter Mahan,Ryan Moore, and Bill Haas among them; aMasters flag and photo of him with former

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Zahringer’s player of the year titles havenothing to do with being popular or respect-ed by his peers, though he is. The award isnot voted upon, but rather is a merit-basedpoint system that encompasses some 70 tour-naments. Zahringer has won it so oftenbecause, quite frankly, he’s been beating allcomers since the 1970s. Jon Doppelt, a long-time Met Area competitor and four-timeMGA International team member, sums upZahringer’s dominance this way: “Georgewould consistently shoot in the 60s at tour-naments when no one else was breaking 75.”

Zahringer’s record could give a statisticianheart palpitations. Locally, he has won some35 Met Area events, including 11 MGA majortitles (five Ike Championships, five Met Ama-teurs, and one Met Open — more than any-one in MGA history. That’s enough hardware

to strain even the sturdiest mantel. In 1985,he was the first player ever to win the MetAmateur and Met Open in the same year.

On a national scale, he became the oldestU.S. Mid-Amateur champion ever with hiswin at age 49 at The Stanwich Club in 2002.That victory earned him a trip to the 2003Masters, where he holds the record as the old-est first-time invitee. He was a member of the2003 U.S. Walker Cup Team. He has twicebeen low amateur in the U.S. Senior Open(2007 & ‘05) and made an impressive run tothe Round of 16 at the 2007 U.S. Amateur,losing to eventual champion Colt Knost.

Zahringer’s success calls to mind DavidFeherty’s comment that, in the future, golf’srecord book will be just one word: “Tiger.”When it comes to the Met Area amateurs, theone word in our record book could very well

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So is George Zahringer III thebest amateur to ever come outof the Met Area? That’s kind of

like trying to debate the sluggingprowess of Alex Rodriguez and BabeRuth — meaning, it’s a very trickyproposition to compare the statistics ofathletes from different eras. In golf,changes in course conditioning andequipment make our sport among themost difficult to compare. However, thatdoesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.

Here’s a look at the major careerwins, along with Walker Cup appearances,of Zahringer and other top players whowould be included in any discussion ofthe best amateurs in Met Area history:

ZAHRINGER

Met Amateur (5): 1982, 1984–’87Ike (5): 1989, ‘93, 2001, ‘04, ‘07

Met Open: 1985U.S. Mid-Am: 2002Walker Cup: 2003

WALTER TRAVIS

Met Amateur (4): 1900, ‘02, ‘09, ‘15U.S. Amateur (3): 1900–’01, ‘03

British Amateur: 1904

JERRY TRAVERS

Met Amateur (5): 1906–’07, ‘11–’13U.S. Open: 1915

U.S. Amateur (4): 1907–’08, ‘12–’13

JESS SWEETSER

Met Amateur (2): 1922, ‘25U.S. Amateur: 1922

British Amateur: 1926Walker Cup (8): 1922, ‘23, ‘24, ‘26, ‘28, ‘32, plus

captain in ‘67 and ‘73

WILLIE TURNESA

Met Amateur: 1937Ike (2): 1957–’58

U.S. Amateur (2): 1938, ‘48British Amateur: 1947

Walker Cup (3): 1947, ‘49, plus captain in ‘51

DICK SIDEROWF

Met Amateur (5): 1968–’70, ‘74, ‘89British Amateur (2): 1973, ‘76

Walker Cup (4): 1973, ‘75, ‘77, plus captain in ‘79

JERRY COURVILLE SR.

Met Amateur (2): 1973, ‘79Met Open: 1967

Ike (6): 1961, ‘64–’65, ‘67, ‘69–’70

JERRY COURVILLE JR.

Met Amateur (3): 1995, ‘97–’98Ike (3): 1990–’91, ‘97

U.S. Mid-Amateur: 1995Walker Cup (2): 1995, ‘97

JEFF THOMAS

Ike: 1996U.S. Mid-Amateur: 1993

N.J. Amateur (8): 1981, ’83, ’85, ’87-’88, ’90-’91, ‘94

JOHNSON WAGNER

Met Amateur (2): 2001, ‘02Ike: 2002

Met Open (2); 2001, ‘02

Despite having won fewer national titlesthan players such as Travis, Travers andTurnesa, Zahringer’s record stacks upwell. He plays against stronger, deeperfields on tougher courses. Longevity isalso a factor — no one has ever been sodominant for so long. That’s the mark ofgreatness.

Tale of the Tape: Is Zahringer the Best?

Zahringer is all smileswhile being interviewedby the local media after his1985 Met Open triumph.

Siderowf Travers

you sense immediately that money is not thedriving force in his life. The real questionabout whether to turn pro or not, he says,never had anything to do with income, butrather with competition, or what he calls“ego-driven issues.” His competitive desires,he explains, have been amply satisfied by thequality of the competition he faces in MGAand USGA events, and the challenge of thecourses he regularly plays.

“We’ve had five U.S. Mid-Amateur cham-pions come from the Metropolitan Area, byfar the most of any area,” he says. “We’ve hadme, Jerry Courville Jr., Ken Bakst, Jeff Thomas,and Austin Eaton, who is in New Hampshirenow. The quality of the golf is the best in thecountry, and I hear that from guys in otherparts of the country. They recognize andunderstand how fortunate Met Area golfers areto have the courses we compete on. We playfast, firm greens and difficult courses all thetime for MGA championships. So I think thecomfort level of our top players, when they playnationally or internationally, is a little higherthan golfers coming from elsewhere.”

In fact, Zahringer has often said that theMGA runs the best championships anywhere,and that competition helped fuel his success.MGA Tournament Director Gene Westmore-land says, “MGA championships are greatbecause of our history, our sensational ven-ues and high-quality fields that include play-ers like George Zahringer. George may be thebest competitor we’ve ever seen.”

Golf and business are important toZahringer, but they are only two legs of whathe calls “a three-legged stool,” with the thirdleg being family. His wife Anne seconds hiscommitment to home life, “George does a lotof educational things with the kids,” referringto seven-year-old Alexander and five-year-oldChristina. “He takes the kids every day —when’s he’s not in Scotland or Ireland, thatis,” she adds with a laugh. She then reveals a

fact that his fellow competitors may use to ribhim. “George sings at home,” she says. “Hehas a good voice and he sings with the kids.”

George Zahringer, musical? Here’s a littletrivia that could win you a drink: Name theonly person to attend Woodstock and play inthe Masters? You wouldn’t know it to look athim, but the button-downed, Rolex-wearingZahringer not only flopped around in themud for three days at Woodstock, but he stillcites the Allman Brothers, Cream, Eric Clap-ton, and Blue Oyster Cult among his favoritebands. “And Led Zeppelin,” adds Anne. SaysZahringer of his Woodstock adventure: “In1969, I was 16 years old, and I went there forall three days. I saw Hendrix, everybody.There was a lot of mud. It stank. In fact, The[2003] Masters kind of reminded me ofWoodstock because the grass was wet, andwhen people walked on the wet grass, it gotmuddy and stank in that same way.”

Today Zahringer’s non-golf adventures aremuch more sedate and almost entirely family-oriented. “With Alexander and Christina,

WWW.MGAGOLF.ORG THE MET GOLFER • DECEMBER 2007/JANUARY 2008 33

Augusta National chairman Hootie Johnson;and a framed note from former teacher JimMcLean with swing thoughts such as “pace,”“focus,” “relax,” “enjoy,” “finish the race,”and “think this shot all day long.” Zahringerhas done so well at his job that he respondsto the “turning pro” issue, a question he’sbeen asked “a zillion” times, with an answerthat is as honest and intimidating as the manhimself: “I didn’t want to take a pay cut.”

A liberal arts graduate from Stonehill, asmall Massachusetts college (“I played moresoccer than I did golf”), Zahringer says his on-course success has been an asset to his busi-ness life. “It has definitely helped,” he says,“providing me with a certain exposure andname recognition over the years that has gonea long way to establishing and developingrelationships.” One of those relationships is

with comedian Bill Murray, who is not only aclient (many of Zahringer’s clients are high-net worth individuals), but a friend and occa-sional golf partner.

“I remember a couple of years ago I wasplaying Deepdale with Bill,” he says. “It wasa fairly warm summer day and Bill took a hatout of his golf bag with a fan attached to itthat blew air onto his face. The club presidenthappened to drive up a few holes later to say

hello, and Bill was unaware that he had on thisreally goofy hat. It was kind of a lightmoment. Another time Bill and I were goingout to dinner to some trendy place on theLower East Side, and a panhandler outside therestaurant says to Bill, ‘I know you — you’reDan Akroyd!’ Bill just howled.”

High-net-worth individuals and work talkaside, if you spend some time with Zahringer

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Here’s a look at GeorgeZahringer’s local,national and

international tournamenthighlights since he cameonto the scene as a26-year-old in 1979. MGAevents are in bold. Years inbold and green indicate whenZahringer was the MGAPlayer of the Year.

1979 Runner-up, Met AmateurWinner, Westchester AmateurWinner, Richardson Invitational

1980 Winner, Long Island AmateurWinner, Richardson Invitational

1982 Winner, Met AmateurWinner, Long Island Amateur Winner, Richardson Invitational

1983 Winner, Travis Memorial

1984 Winner, Met AmateurWinner, New York StateAmateurWinner, Travis Memorial Winner, Nassau Invitational

1985 Winner, Met Amateur Winner, Met Open**first ever to win Met Am and MetOpen in same year

1986 Winner, Met AmateurQuarterfinalist, U.S. Mid-Amateur

1987 Winner, Met AmateurWinner, Hochster MemorialQuarterfinalist, U.S. Mid-Amateur

1988 Winner, Hochster Memorial

1989 Winner, Ike ChampionshipWinner, Hochster MemorialWinner, Richardson Invitational

1990 Winner, Hochster Memorial

1991 Winner, Hochster MemorialQuarterfinalist, 1991 BritishAmateur

1992 Winner, Westchester AmateurWinner, New York City AmateurQuarterfinalist, U.S. Amateur

1993 Winner, Ike Championship

1999 Winner, Havemeyer MemorialWinner, Nassau Invitational

2000 Winner, Havemeyer Memorial

2001 Winner, Ike ChampionshipWinner, Hochster MemorialWinner, Nassau InvitationalWinner, Boff InvitationalRunner-up, U.S. Mid-Amateur

2002 Winner, U.S. Mid-Amateur**Oldest champion in history

2003 Competed in Masters*Semifinalist, U.S. Mid-AmateurQuarterfinalist, U.S. AmateurMember, U.S. Walker Cup team*Oldest first-time invitee

2004 Winner, Ike Championship

2005 Tied for low amateur, U.S.Senior Open

2007 Winner, Ike ChampionshipTied for low amateur, U.S.Senior OpenRound of 16, U.S. Amateur

Three Decades of Success

Zahringer’s intensityserves him just as well athis Bear Stearns office as itdoes on the golf course.

In the 1979 Met Amateur atMountain Ridge, Zahringerwas runner-up to JerryCourville but made hispresence felt.

JEFF

WE

INE

R

1985 2002

Anne and I tend to go down to Boca Grande,Florida. It’s on the west coast, one of the bar-rier islands, and a great family spot. We alsogo to Lyford Cay Club [a private gated com-munity located on New Providence Island inthe Bahamas], where we are members.” Dothese trips include golf? “Perhaps, but I tendto put the clubs away in the winter.” He doeshave a few favorite golf resorts, which he calls“the usual suspects,” though most are ones

he’s played during tournaments. Theseinclude Pebble Beach, Casa de Campo,Whistling Straits, and Bandon Dunes, whichhe describes as “sensational!” So does he everhave to ask his wife for permission to play withhis buddies? “That’s an easy one,” says Anne.“He doesn’t play golf with his buddies. Onlycompetitions.”

Zahringer’s journey from a longhair freespirit at Woodstock to a suit-wearing golferliving in Manhattan might surprise those who

consider the city a poor choice for someonewith world-class golf abilities. “If you live inManhattan, as I do,” he says, “you are notgoing to walk out of your house or office anddrive five minutes to hit balls. So it has somedrawbacks as it relates to competitive golf. ButI accept that because I think New York Cityis the greatest city in the world. It’s a wonder-ful place to work and raise a young family. I grew up in Rye, but I’ve lived here for thebetter part of the last 30 years. My wife andI are involved with charitable institutions ...the Boys Club of New York, the Museum ofNatural History, the Metropolitan Museum,and the New York City Ballet.”

Zahringer’s charitable endeavors extendto the game he plays so well. He serves on theboard of the MGA Foundation and also chairsthe annual MGA Day of Golf, which raisesfunds for the GOLFWORKS program. Hehas generously supported the local caddiescholarship funds, which actually relates backto Zahringer’s own experience as a teenager,when he attended a summer caddie camp atSankaty Head Golf Club on Nantucket.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that chari-ties to which Zahringer devotes time and

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Instructor Jim McLean,longtime friend and coachto Zahringer, helps himcelebrate his 1986 Met Amvictory at Quaker Ridge.

Zahringer’s playing recordcould give a statistician

heart palpitations.

the Crow’s Nest because I wanted to experi-ence that. The Crow’s Nest is the stuff of leg-end. It’s really a dorm. There’s one bathroom,and it has three singles and a double with sim-ple louvered doors separating the sleepingareas from the common living room. I was inthe double with Ricky Barnes. There wasmaybe a foot-and-a-half space between ourbeds. It was like being in a fraternity. I com-plimented Ricky on being a good sleeper. I’dwake up in the morning and he’d be in theexact same position as when he went to bedthe night before. It was fun, a great experi-ence. These were great kids.” Barnes remem-bers his roomie well. “George was great to BSwith in the Crow’s Nest, and was also funny,”he says, “and he also said the course wasgoing to be a bear for him because of the rainand soft conditions we had that year.”

Though Zahringer had played at Augustabefore as a guest, this was his first and — todate — only Masters. He fondly recalls thatthere was ample opportunity to interact withthe professionals. “I had breakfast with PhilMickelson,” he says. “I played practice roundswith Jay Haas, Raymond Floyd, Ben Cren-shaw, Sergio Garcia, Nick Faldo, and JohnRollins. In the Par Three tournament, Iplayed with Adam Scott and Niclas Fasth. Itwas a little bit intimidating, sure, but actuallyit’s beneficial because it helps get some of thebutterflies out of the system. You get a dressrehearsal for the real thing.” So how did hedo? “It was 48 degrees when I teed off,” hesays. “I shot a couple of 80-somethings [82-85, actually]. But I was under par in the ParThree event, and the whole week was just atremendous experience.”

The most likely way for him to get back tothe Masters, Zahringer believes, is to winanother U.S. Mid-Amateur. “I’d have tobreak my own record by six years in terms ofage. I guess it’s possible, but unlikely.” Thefact that he says its even possible speaks to his

killer instinct, an attribute found in theworld’s best athletes. Eric Gleacher, a formerexecutive committee member of the USGA,agrees that Zahringer has that rare ability tobe merciless in competition. “What I likeabout Z,” says Gleacher, referring to a com-mon nickname for Zahringer, “is that he is agreat guy, but when he competes, he does hisbusiness on the course and it’s not a socialouting. He has that ability to throw that switchand turn it on. He can be as tough as anybody.That is an attractive asset. Some people don’tunderstand that.”

Doppelt has seen that switch thrown first-hand in the heat of competition withZahringer. “I was playing against him in thefinals of the Richardson — incredibly, I hadbeaten him a few times — and we were on the15th hole,” he recalls. “We both had 2 1 ⁄2-footers and I said, ‘Good good?’ and Georgesaid to me ‘I know I’m making mine, let’s seeabout yours.’ And I missed mine. It was all infun, but he went on to win. He’s a toughcompetitor, but always a gentleman.”

Perhaps Gleacher sums it up best whenasked to elaborate on the reasons forZahringer’s incredible success over the past30-odd years. “Whatever words you want touse to describe George don’t matter,” heexplains. “Just show a table with his recordon it and say, ‘Come on, guys, beat this.’ Butthey can’t. George’s record says it all.”

And so does his passion for the game andfor the courses and competition in the MetArea. “There’s nothing George wouldn’t dofor golf,” says Anne. “He’s dedicated hisentire life to it. Our whole house is just filledwith trophies and golf memorabilia.”

Chances are that more trophies are on theway. If someone tells you that GeorgeZahringer is done — even George himself —don’t you bet on it. ■

Ken Baron, formerly of Golf Connoisseur, writesfrom his home in New York City

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money are slanted towardchildren. Zahringer raisedthree children from a priormarriage in Manhattan,including now 24-year-oldGeorge Zahringer IV, who

also plays out of Deepdale and works for Cer-berus Capital Management. The business andgolf parallels between father and son are there,but whether George IV will achieve GeorgeIII’s success remains to be seen. “He workshard at this game,” says Zahringer of his son.“He is not competitively on my level right now,but I would say that he has the wherewithal tobe a zero, one, two, or three handicap.”

Working hard is clearly what keepsZahringer a top player. His diligence startedsome 30 years ago when, as a five handicap,he asked Jim McLean to help him raise hisgame to the next level. At the time, McLeanwas the instructor at Westchester CountryClub and Zahringer was a member. Today,Zahringer regularly hits the weights at a gymup the street from his office, and he does sowith a precise methodology befitting a suc-cessful stockbroker. “I mentally formulate agame plan for fall, winter, and spring as far asworking out,” he says. When asked if he is still“long-hitting George Zahringer,” which thismagazine labeled him in a 1985 cover story,he responds, “I just know I don’t want to beshort-hitting George Zahringer!” To keepthat from happening and to assure his gamestays sharp, he is quick to credit a large group

he refers to as “Team Zahringer.” This groupincludes two instructors — Kevin Sprecher atSleepy Hollow, and Darrell Kestner at Deep-dale — both of whom, he says “have knownmy swing for 15 years and been tremendousassets.” Other Team Zahringer membersinclude various athletic trainers, psycholo-gists, nutritionists, hypnotists, and golf equip-ment people (for the record, he playsTaylorMade clubs, and, yes, amateurs cannow receive free equipment). Fellow MetArea competitor Jon Doppelt believes thatZahringer’s hard workout sessions contributegreatly to his success. “I always say thatGeorge is slowing down,” says Doppelt, “butthen he has a year like he had in 2007. I thinka good part of his success is that he’s alwaysstayed in great shape.” Zahringer agrees, say-ing that he still feels much younger than heis, and then adds, “I’ll be 55 in April, and Ikid my pals that I’ll be able to go to the senior tees.” In fact, turning 55 makes him eligible for both the MGA and U.S. SeniorAmateurs, setting up yet another competitivethreshold for Zahringer to conquer.

Looking back five years, Zahringer certainlymust have felt like a man among boys at the2003 Masters. Just a year shy of 50, Zahringerbunked up in the Crow’s Nest with otheramateur invitees, including Hunter Mahan,Ryan Moore, and Ricky Barnes. “These kidsare all 20 or 21 years old,” he says of his Mas-ters roommates. “Though I rented a housefor me and my family, I spent two nights in

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The five amateurcompetitors at the 2003Masters were invited to adinner with then-AugustaNational chairman HootieJohnson (center). Zahringer(far left) is joined byHunter Mahan, AlejandroLarrazabal, Ryan Moore,and Ricky Barnes.

In the 1990 MetedeconkChallenge, Zahringer was akey member of the MGAteam that defeated theGolfing Union of Ireland,whose team includedPadraig Harrington.

At The Masters, Zahringerbunked in the Crow’s Nest

with the other amateurs.