Former PGA Tour winner Ernie Gonzalez dies

1986 Pensacola Open champion had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, Tour reports

Died: Ernie Gonzalez, a former PGA Tour winner, died in a Chicago hospital, according to a report on PGATour.com. Gonzalez was 59 and had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. The left-handed Gonzalez, a San Diego native of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, won the 1986 Pensacola Open that was shortened to 36 holes because of heavy rain. He turned pro in 1983, qualified for the PGA Tour in 1985 and, after regarding his playing privileges at Q-School, won the next year. After 1988, he played sparingly on the PGA Tour and its top developmental tour, now known as the Korn Ferry Tour, relying on past-champion status.

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