Morris Hatalsky was born on this day in 1951, in San Diego, California. He started in golf at age 10, when his older brother bought him a set of junior clubs. As an amateur, he won the 1968 Mexico National Junior Championship.
Hatalsky initially attended Arizona State University, where his teammates on the golf team included future PGA Tour and Champions Tour players Bob Gilder, Howard Twitty and Tom Purtzer. He transferred to US International University (now Alliant International University), where he was an NAIA All-American in 1972 and served as team captain.
Hatalsky turned professional in 1973. He qualified for the PGA Tour at the 1976 Qualifying School and won four times on Tour between 1981 and 1990. In 2002, he took Rookie of the Year honors in his first season on the Champions Tour, and he was won three events on at that level.