Magee was born in Paris, France, where his father, a Texas oil man, was working at the time. He grew up in Dallas, Texas. Magee attended the University of Oklahoma from 1981–1984. While there he was a distinguished member of the golf team, winning All-American honors three times. He turned pro in 1984 and joined the PGA Tour in 1985.
Magee won four PGA Tour events. His first win came in 1988 at the Pensacola Open. In 1991, he won two Tour events and was awarded ''Golf Digest'''s ''Most Improved Golfer Award''. His most recent win was at the 1994 Northern Telecom Open. His best finish in a major was T5 at the 1992 British Open. He has featured in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings.
Magee is the only person in PGA Tour history to hit a hole in one on a par 4 hole during a PGA Tour event. He did this with a driver at the 332-yard 17th hole of the 2001 Phoenix Open. The ball caromed off Tom Byrum's putter on its way to the bottom of the cup. Byrum, in the group ahead, was squatting down looking over a putt.
In February 2006, Magee underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his left kidney at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. The operation was deemed successful and he was back playing on the Tour in April.
In January 2007, Magee signed on with The Golf Channel as an analyst for its new show ''The Approach with Callaway Golf'' and for the ''Sprint Pre-Game'' and ''Sprint Post-Game'' shows. Magee was also the host of the Golf Channel's 2008 season of The Big Break, which was set in Hawaii.
Magee resides in Paradise Valley, Arizona. His last PGA Tour cut was the 2006 Southern Farm Bureau Classic. Prior to age 50, the last cut he made on a professional tour was at the Nationwide Tour's 2009 BMW Charity Pro-Am. Since reaching age 50, Magee has played in a limited number of events on the Champions Tour.
