In Memorium

Scott Bess had a lot of things going for him as an outstanding golfer, but timing wasn’t always one of them. The Columbia, Mo. native happened to play much of his early career in the shadow of another notable player - Tom Watson. “It seems like I was always going up against Watson,” Scott told the Post-Dispatch in August, 1989. “If he would win, then the papers would make a big deal out of it. If I won, the story would be real small.” Scott died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday morning, June 4, 2020. He is survived by his wife, Mary; son, Christopher (Joy); stepdaughter, Cara (Dallas) Christenson; grandchildren, Anna, Brooke, Jack, Bailey and Abbey; and a large group of cousins and friends. While he never approached the notoriety Watson has enjoyed, Bess certainly established himself as one of the top amateurs and pros the state of Missouri ever has known. A 1968 graduate of Hickman High School, he won state golf titles in 1967, 68 and ’69. During the summer of ’69, Scott also won the Missouri Amateur, defeating Don Dupske 8-7 in the final match at Old Watson Country Club. Watson was the two time reigning champion and stroke-play medalist in that championship. But Bess defeated the Kansas City star 1-up in the quarterfinals. In subsequent years, he twice fell to Watson in semifinal matches, as Watson won the title four times in five years. A former Mizzou golfer and a long-time friend to Bess, Charlie Digges Jr. told the Columbia Missourian how much the ’69 state amateur championship meant to Scott. “It was a remarkable feat because Tom had won (two) state amateurs in a row. Nobody could beat him in the state and Scott ended up beating him on a very difficult course,” Diggs recalled. After high school, Scott attended the University of Missouri, where he twice received all-conference recognition. He led the team to second place in the Big Eight Championship in ’71 and ’72, and played in two NCAA Championships. Turning pro in ’73, Scott finished second at the Disney World Team event. He played on two winning U.S. PGA Cup teams (’86, ’88), accumulating a 7-1-1 individual record. He also played in 12 major championships, making the cut in the 1988 PGA Championship at Oak Tree as a club pro. Scott was the Senior Gateway PGA Player of the year five times and remains the only Gateway PGA member to win both the section championship and the senior section championship in the same season (2004). In 2015, he was unanimously inducted into the Missouri Golf Hall of Fame. In addition to his years of playing and teaching, Scott was a club designer and a tour representative for Cleveland, Odyssey and Callaway. When he wasn’t involved with golf, he was passionate about cars, including his red ’67 Camaro and “Old Blue,” his ’82 diesel Mercedes. He will be missed by many.