SNOQUALMIE — You probably haven't heard of John Harris.

His name is recognizable to only the very knowledgeable golf fan. But Harris, and others like him, are as much a part of the Champions Tour as Arnold Palmer and Gary Player.

They are the second-chance players, and Harris, 53, made the most of his opportunity at the Boeing Greater Seattle Classic. He finished tied for third with a 13-under 203, his best finish since joining the Champions Tour in 2002.

Harris' story may not be well known, but it's a tale worth telling.

He was a two-sport athlete at the University of Minnesota, playing golf and hockey. He was the first captain at Minnesota for coach Herb Brooks, who later coached the U.S. "Miracle on Ice" team in the 1980 Olympics. Harris was the second-leading scorer on the 1974 NCAA championship hockey team and was a first-team All-American in golf that same year.

"That was a different life for me," Harris said. "Golf and hockey are different games with a different set of skills. But maybe some of the competitiveness from hockey rubs off on golf."

Harris became a golf professional in 1976 but was not successful.

"I lost my confidence, and I wasn't experienced enough," he said.

Harris went into the insurance business, regained his amateur status and became one of the country's top amateur players. He played on four U.S. Walker Cup teams and won the U.S. Amateur in 1993 at age 41.

"Winning the U.S. Amateur was absolutely the highlight of my career," he said.

"This was pretty timely because we are getting toward the end of the year and I had not been playing very well," Harris said.

Harris entered the week ranked No. 47 on the earnings list. Only the top 30 on the money list will receive full exemptions for next season.

So a lot was riding on the par-5 18th hole. Harris was tied for third with playing partner Brad Bryant, four shots behind David Eger and one behind Tom Kite, who was through at 14 under.

Harris hit his tee shot into the bunker and it looked like things might unravel. It got worse when he advanced his second shot only about 20 yards, leaving him 220 yards to the hole.

"I was disappointed I hit my tee shot in the bunker, but it was the third straight day I did that," Harris said. "I got too greedy on the bunker shot and I hit the lip. I was lucky it hit the lip."

The 2-iron he hit next was probably the biggest shot he has hit in his Champions Tour career. It finished on the fringe, then he two-putted for a huge par.

"That was a pretty big 2-iron, especially considering how poor the first two shots were," Harris said.

But he didn't know exactly what was at stake.

"I never looked at the leaderboard once," he said. "There was no reason to. Nothing I would see there would affect what I was going to do."

Harris said his performance this week will give him more confidence, along with the biggest check of his career, $105,000. That enabled him to move to 34th on the season earnings list. But even in the down times, Harris knows there is no place he would rather be.

"This is a dream come true, playing out here and competing with these guys," Harris said. "I am doing something everyone else would like to be doing."

Scott Hanson: 206-464-2943 or shanson@seattletimes.com