Jim Laver Carter (born June 24, 1961) is an American professional golfer who plays on the Champions Tour. He has also played on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour.
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Early life and amateur career
Carter was born in Spring Lake, North Carolina. As a high school senior, he led Mesa High's boys golf team to an Arizona state championship in 1979.
Carter attended Arizona State University in Tempe and was a distinguished member of the golf team – a two-time first-team All-American and an All-Pac-10 conference selection, as well as the 1983 NCAA Champion (Arizona State University's first individual champion in men's golf). He also represented the U.S. Collegians at the USA vs. Japan Matches at Pebble Beach and was named Ambassador. He won the 1981 and 1984 Arizona State Amateur Championship, and the 1983 and 1984 Southwest Amateur Championship. He was three times named Arizona's amateur golfer of the year. He was honored with the Arizona State University Athlete of the Year award in 1984. He was also awarded the conference PAC-10 Medal, the highest honor a student athlete can receive. In 1984, Carter earned a Business degree from Arizona State.
Professional career
In 1985, Carter turned pro. In contrast to his college career, Carter's level of success as a tour professional has been very modest. He won once on the Nationwide Tour in 1994, and once on the PGA Tour in 2000. Qualifying for the PGA Tour has been a constant struggle; however, he managed to qualify for the elite tour in 15 of the 19 years between 1987 and 2005. His best finish in a major championship was T-24 at the 2002 U.S. Open.
In 2011, Carter played in The Senior Open Championship (missed cut) and U.S. Senior Open (finished tied for 50th), his first two career Champions Tour events. He finished 6th at the 2011 Champions Tour Q School, just missing out on earning a Champions Tour card, but earned automatic entry as Q School medalist Jeff Freeman did not turn 50 until April 2012.
Personal life
Carter is a resident of Scottsdale, Arizona.
Awards and honors
In 1984, he earned the Arizona State University Athlete of the Year award
In 1995, he was inducted into the Arizona State University Athletic Hall of Fame
In 2007 he was inducted into the Mesa City Sports Hall of Fame
Amateur wins
1979 Arizona state high school (Mesa High) team championship, Mesa City Amateur
1981 Arizona State Amateur
1983 Southwestern Amateur, NCAA Championship
1984 Arizona State Amateur, Southwestern Amateur
Professional wins (13)
Nike Tour wins (1)
Nike Tour playoff record (0–2)
Other wins (11)
1986 Kingman Open
1987 Scottsdale Healthcare Classic
1989 Arizona Open
1992 Wigwam Classic
1996 Arizona Open
2004 Tommy Bahama Desert Marlin
2013 Arizona Senior Open
2014 Arizona Senior Open
2020 Arizona Senior Open, Lone Star NGL Texas Senior Open
2026 Arizona Senior Open
Results in major championships
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" = tied
Note: Carter never played in the Masters Tournament.