The first time Rives McBee made national headlines came in 1966 when, as a club pro playing out of Midland, Texas, he earned a spot in the U.S. Open. In the opening round, he shot a 6-over 76 at San Francisco’s Olympic Club then followed that with a 64 on day two to move into a tie for third, three strokes behind co-leaders Billy Casper and Arnold Palmer. One newspaper the next day blared the headline “McBee—Who He?—Shoots 64.” Over the final 36 holes, fans learned about the native Texan as McBee went on to tie for 13th in what turned out to be his best major championship performance.

A year after that U.S. Open, he joined the PGA TOUR and played the TOUR full time for four seasons, racking up four second-place finishes, at the 1967 500 Festival Open Invitational, and three additional times in 1970 — at the Florida Citrus Open, the Tallahassee Open and the Kiwanis Peninsula Open.

It took McBee turning 50 before he finally broke through at a PGA TOUR-affiliated tournament, winning three times on PGA TOUR Champions, claiming titles at the 1989 RJR Bank One Classic in Kentucky and the 1990 Showdown Classic in Park City, Utah. A year after his win in Lexington, he successfully defended his title for his third and final Tour win.

McBee, who passed away peacefully on Oct. 4 at the Faith Presbyterian Hospice in Dallas at age 84, eventually left the TOUR full time to become the head PGA professional at Las Colinas Country Club in Irving, Texas, not far from Denton, Texas, where he was born on Halloween day 1938. As a club pro, McBee kept his game in enough shape that he won the prestigious 1973 PGA Club Professional Championship at Pinehurst Resort, defeating Stan Brion by three strokes.

In his career, McBee played in 139 PGA TOUR tournaments and 264 more on PGA TOUR Champions, his last appearance coming in 1998. His three victories came amid 139 career PGA TOUR starts.

After his breakthrough 1989 PGA TOUR Champions season, McBee assessed his season and place on the Tour.

“I don’t claim to be Gary Player or Lee Trevino or Jack Nicklaus. But they know me on a first-name basis," he said. "That’s thrill enough for Rives McBee.”

McBee is survived by his wife of 62 years, Kay, and daughters Kayla Dyess (husband, Bobby) and Kathy Miller and three grandchildren. He is also survived by brothers Freddie (wife, Sara) and Ronnie.