Don Pooley

Last updated

Don Pooley
Personal information
Full nameSheldon George Pooley Jr.
NicknameDon
Born (1951-08-27) August 27, 1951 (age 72)
Phoenix, Arizona
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight195 lb (88 kg; 13.9 st)
Sporting nationalityFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Residence Tucson, Arizona
Career
College University of Arizona
Turned professional1973
Current tour(s) Champions Tour
Former tour(s) PGA Tour
Professional wins7
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour2
PGA Tour Champions2
Other3
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament T5: 1988
PGA Championship T5: 1987
U.S. Open T15: 1985
The Open Championship T16: 1988
Achievements and awards
Byron Nelson Award 1985
Vardon Trophy 1985
Champions Tour
Comeback Player of the Year 		2003

Sheldon George "Don" Pooley Jr. (born August 27, 1951) is an American professional golfer. He has won tournaments on both the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.

Contents

Early life and amateur career

Pooley was born in Phoenix, Arizona. He grew up in Riverside, California. He attended the University of Arizona in Tucson, where he was a member of the golf team.

Professional career

Pooley turned pro in 1973. Despite winning the 1980 B.C. Open and the 1987 Memorial Tournament, Pooley is probably best remembered in his PGA Tour career for his dramatic million-dollar hole-in-one at the 1987 Bay Hill Classic. Pooley received $500,000 as did Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Women in Orlando, Florida because of this once-in-a-lifetime shot. [1] In 1985, he won the Vardon Trophy, awarded annually by the PGA to the Tour leader in scoring average. His best finish in a major was T-5 in consecutive major championships: the 1987 PGA Championship and the 1988 Masters Tournament. [2]

Late in his PGA Tour career, Pooley began to experience many debilitating ailments, and missed several years of playing time as a result; however, he enjoyed a resurgence in his career after turning 50 in August 2001 when he began play on the Champions Tour. The biggest win in his golf career was his first on the Champions Tour. In 2002, he won on the biggest stage in men's senior golf, the U.S. Senior Open. Pooley was inducted into the Pima County (Arizona) Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.

Professional wins (7)

PGA Tour wins (2)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
1Aug 31, 1980 B.C. Open −17 (68-69-66-68=271)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Peter Jacobsen
2May 31, 1987 Memorial Tournament −16 (70-67-65-70=272)3 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Curt Byrum

Other wins (3)

Champions Tour wins (2)

Legend
Senior major championships (1)
Other Champions Tour (1)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
1Jun 30, 2002 U.S. Senior Open −10 (71-70-63-70=274)Playoff Flag of the United States.svg Tom Watson
2Aug 24, 2003 Allianz Championship −13 (66-67-67=200)3 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Bruce Fleisher, Flag of the United States.svg Bruce Lietzke,
Flag of the United States.svg Jim Thorpe

Champions Tour playoff record (1–2)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 2002 U.S. Senior Open Flag of the United States.svg Tom Watson Won with birdie on fifth extra hole after three-hole aggregate playoff;
Pooley: E (4-4-4=12),
Watson: E (4-4-4=12)
2 2005 Boeing Classic Flag of Ireland.svg Mark McNulty, Flag of the United States.svg Tom Purtzer McNulty won with birdie on second extra hole
3 2009 AT&T Classic Flag of the United States.svg Dan Forsman Lost to birdie on first extra hole

Results in major championships

Tournament197719781979
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship CUT
Tournament1980198119821983198419851986198719881989
Masters Tournament T19CUT41T45T5T14
U.S. Open CUTCUTT15T24T24CUTT26
The Open Championship T16T19
PGA Championship T46T19T67T23T34T62T16T5T58T34
Tournament1990199119921993199419951996199719981999
Masters Tournament T42T46
U.S. Open CUTT44CUT
The Open Championship T39T101
PGA Championship T8T73CUTT29
Tournament2000200120022003
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open CUTCUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament 00011387
U.S. Open 000003135
The Open Championship 00000244
PGA Championship 0001251513
Totals00023134029

Champions Tour major championships

Wins (1)

YearChampionshipWinning scoreMarginRunner-up
2002 U.S. Senior Open −10 (71-70-63-70=274)Playoff1 Flag of the United States.svg Tom Watson

1 In the three-hole aggregate playoff, Pooley and Watson tied with three pars each.
  On the second sudden-death hole, Pooley won with a birdie to Watson's par. [3] [4]

Results timeline

Results not in chronological order before 2012.

Tournament200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013
Senior PGA Championship T18CUTT54T57WDT6T28T23
The Tradition T9T14T53T36T9T4046T8T29WDT66
Senior Players Championship T22T40T13T18T11T23T27T34T57
U.S. Senior Open 1T43T15T22T51T18T47T40T47
Senior British Open Championship –T27T5T13T8

The Senior British Open was not a Champions Tour major until 2003.

  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew from tournament
"T" indicates a tie for a place

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Profile from TheGoal.com
  2. ↑ "Golf Major Championships" . Retrieved January 3, 2008.
  3. ↑ Ginsburg, David (July 1, 2002). "Pooley takes a major step". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Associated Press. p. 10C.
  4. ↑ Hackenberg, Dave (July 1, 2002). "Pooley outlasts Watson". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Block News Alliance. p. C8.
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