Golf hall of famer Hoard dies

Ed Hoard, a hall of fame golfer and a respected expert on PGA tournament rules, died Monday night of a heart attack.

Hoard, 63, the husband of Athens-Clarke Commissioner Kathy Hoard, had been the golf instructor at the University of Georgia Golf Course since July 2008, but probably was best known in Athens as the golf professional at Athens Country Club, where he worked for 26 years.

A jogger found Hoard lying in a yard on Mell Street shortly after 10 p.m. Monday, Clarke County Coroner Sonny Wilson said. Hoard had been out walking his dog, which remained at his side.

"(Hoard) was walking on the sidewalk and just had a massive coronary and fell over in the grass," Wilson said. "He still had the (dog's) leash in his hand, and the dog just sat down beside him."

A native of Atlanta, Edgar Paul Hoard began working as the golf pro at Athens Country Club in May 1980, eventually becoming director of golf and director of instruction before leaving in 2006.

He worked for nearly two years as the golf pro at Long Shadow Golf Club in Morgan County before joining the UGA Golf Course as its instructor last year.

Hoard was inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in 1999 and the PGA Golf Professional Hall of Fame in 2005.

As a college student, Hoard played on the University of Florida golf team that won the 1968 SEC and NCAA team championships.

Hoard chaired t

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