Brian Gay

Last updated

Brian Gay
Personal information
Full nameJoseph Brian Gay
Born (1971-12-14) December 14, 1971 (age 52)
Fort Worth, Texas
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight165 lb (75 kg; 11.8 st)
Sporting nationalityFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Residence Windermere, Florida
SpouseKimberly
Children2
Career
College University of Florida
Turned professional1994
Current tour(s) PGA Tour Champions
Former tour(s) PGA Tour
Asian Tour
Hooters Tour
Golden Bear Tour
Professional wins15
Highest ranking 35 (June 14, 2009) [1]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour5
Other10
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament T38: 2013
PGA Championship T20: 2008
U.S. Open T20: 2018
The Open Championship CUT: 2001, 2009, 2010, 2016

Joseph Brian Gay (born December 14, 1971) is an American professional golfer. During his career, he won five times on the PGA Tour. After turning 50, he played on the PGA Tour Champions.

Contents

Early years

A military brat, Gay was born in Fort Worth, Texas, but was raised primarily at Fort Rucker, Alabama, where his father was a U.S. Army non-commissioned officer involved in flight operations. His father was also a member of the All-Army golf team in his spare time. As an only child, Gay spent much of his youth at the Fort Rucker golf course, first at the practice area, then on the course. Encouraged by a group of military retirees he often played with, he dominated the local tournament scene as a tween.

College career

Gay's success as a teenager led to his receiving an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida, where he played for coach Buddy Alexander's Florida Gators men's golf team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 1991 to 1994. [2] During his time as a Gator golfer, the team won four consecutive Southeastern Conference (SEC) championships (1991–1994), and the 1993 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships. [3] As a collegian, he was the SEC Freshman of the Year (1991), a five-time individual medalist, two-time SEC individual champion (1992, 1994), three-time first-team All-SEC selection (1992–1994), and two-time All-American (1992, 1993). [2] [4] Gay was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2010. [5] [6]

Professional career

Gay turned pro in 1994 and mostly competed on mini-tours in the United States, winning several tournaments, before qualifying for the PGA Tour in 1999. He picked up his first win on the tour at the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun in 2008 after 293 starts, with his second win coming at the Verizon Heritage in 2009. [7] He won the event by ten strokes, finishing at 20-under par. The ten stroke victory is one of the biggest wins in the PGA Tour's history. His best position on the year-end money list was 13th in 2009. He has featured in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking, ranking as high as 35th in 2009. [8]

Gay was not exempt to play in the 2009 U.S. Open heading into the St. Jude Classic. He was one of seven golfers who could earn the last spot in the U.S. Open by winning the St. Jude Classic, using the "Winners of multiple PGA Tour events since the last Open" exemption. [9] Gay went on to win by five strokes over David Toms and Bryce Molder for his second wire-to-wire win of the season. [10]

In 2013, Gay won for the first time in four years at the Humana Challenge, the fourth victory of his PGA Tour career. He defeated Charles Howell III on the second hole of a three-man sudden-death playoff when he made birdie. Earlier, David Lingmerth had been eliminated on the first extra hole. [11] This performance helped Gay earn the PGA Tour Player of the Month award for January.

Gay did not play during the 2014–15 season after back surgery and played the next two seasons on a Major Medical Extension. A T6 at the 2017 Valero Texas Open secured his return to the PGA Tour.

In November 2020, Gay won his fifth PGA Tour event (and first in seven years) at the Bermuda Championship when he defeated Wyndham Clark in a playoff. [12]

Personal life

Gay was mentioned frequently in Bud, Sweat and Tees: A Walk on the Wild Side of the PGA Tour by Alan Shipnuck, which profiled Rich Beem's rookie year on the PGA Tour. Steve Duplantis, who became Gay's caddy following a split with Beem, was chronicled as well in Shipnuck's book.

Professional wins (15)

PGA Tour wins (5)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1Feb 24, 2008 Mayakoba Golf Classic −16 (66-67-62-69=264)2 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Steve Marino
2Apr 19, 2009 Verizon Heritage −20 (67-66-67-64=264)10 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Briny Baird, Flag of England.svg Luke Donald
3Jun 14, 2009 St. Jude Classic −18 (64-66-66-66=262)5 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Bryce Molder, Flag of the United States.svg David Toms
4Jan 21, 2013 Humana Challenge −25 (67-66-67-63=263)Playoff Flag of the United States.svg Charles Howell III, Flag of Sweden.svg David Lingmerth
5Nov 1, 2020 Bermuda Championship −15 (70-68-67-64=269)Playoff Flag of the United States.svg Wyndham Clark

PGA Tour playoff record (2–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 2008 Viking Classic Flag of the United States.svg Will MacKenzie, Flag of the United States.svg Marc Turnesa MacKenzie won with birdie on second extra hole
Gay eliminated by birdie on first hole
2 2013 Humana Challenge Flag of the United States.svg Charles Howell III, Flag of Sweden.svg David Lingmerth Won with birdie on second extra hole
Lingmerth eliminated by birdie on first hole
3 2020 Bermuda Championship Flag of the United States.svg Wyndham Clark Won with birdie on first extra hole

Hooters Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner-up
1Mar 12, 1995Hooters Auburn Classic−10 (69-69-69-71=278)5 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Rob McKelvey

Golden Bear Tour wins (3)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1Jun 21, 1996 Golf Capital Magazine Tournament−11 (69-66-70=205)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Adam Armagost, Flag of the United States.svg Gary Nicklaus
2Sep 27, 1996Golden Bear Tour Championship−14 (67-69-70-68=274)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Ed Humenik
3Jul 18, 1997Canon Computer Systems Invitational−10 (69-65-72=206)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Graham Davidson, Flag of the United States.svg Michael McNerney,
Flag of the United States.svg Rick Price

Other mini-tour wins (5)

Other wins (1)

Results in major championships

Results not in chronological order in 2020.

Tournament19951996199719981999
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship
Tournament2000200120022003200420052006200720082009
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open CUTCUTCUTCUTCUT
The Open Championship CUTCUT
PGA Championship T22T53T51T20CUT
Tournament201020112012201320142015201620172018
Masters Tournament CUTT38
U.S. Open CUTT63T20
The Open Championship CUTCUT
PGA Championship T65CUTCUT79
Tournament201920202021
Masters Tournament CUT
PGA Championship WD81
U.S. Open
The Open Championship NT
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" = tied
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

Summary

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament 00000031
PGA Championship 000002117
U.S. Open 00000192
The Open Championship 00000040
Totals0000032710

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament200120022003200420052006200720082009
The Players Championship T40T63CUTT75CUTCUTT32WD
Tournament2010201120122013201420152016201720182019
The Players Championship CUTT12T46CUTCUTCUTT72T56
Tournament202020212022
The Players Championship CCUTCUT
  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
C = Canceled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Results in World Golf Championships

Tournament20092010201120122013
Match Play R16
Championship T30T35
Invitational 79T63
Champions T25T46
  Top 10
  Did not play

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

See also

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References

  1. "Week 24 2009 Ending 14 Jun 2009" (pdf). OWGR . Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Florida Men's Golf 2011 Media Supplement" (PDF). Gainesville, Florida: University Athletic Association. 2010. pp. 34, 37, 39, 41. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  3. Shipnuck, Alan (May 4, 2009). "Family Guy". Sports Illustrated . Archived from the original on May 10, 2009. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  4. "2008–09 Florida Gators Men's Golf Media Guide" (PDF). Gainesville, Florida: University Athletic Association. 2008. p. 36. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 22, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  5. "Gator Greats". F Club, Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  6. "Eight Former Letterwinners Announced to be Hall of Fame Inductees". GatorZone.com. October 15, 2009. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  7. "Gay triumphs in Heritage Classic". BBC Sport . April 19, 2009. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  8. "Brian Gay". Official World Golf Ranking. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  9. "Round 1: St. Jude Classic presented by FedEx – What's at Stake". PGA Tour. June 11, 2009. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  10. "Gay strolls to victory in St Jude". BBC Sport. June 15, 2009. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  11. "Brian Gay wins 4th tour title". ESPN. Associated Press. January 20, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  12. "Brian Gay rallies to win Bermuda Championship in playoff". Golf.com. November 1, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.