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 ==