Gary Christian

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Gary Christian
Personal information
Full nameGary John Christian
Born (1971-08-07) 7 August 1971 (age 53)
Carshalton, England
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight165 lb (75 kg; 11.8 st)
Sporting nationalityFlag of England.svg  England
Residence Chelsea, Alabama
Career
College Wallace State Community College
Auburn University
Turned professional1997
Former tour(s) PGA Tour
Web.com Tour
Gateway Tour
various mini-tours
Professional winsOver 30
Number of wins by tour
Korn Ferry Tour2
OtherOver 30

Gary John Christian (born 7 August 1971) is an English professional golfer who has played on the Web.com Tour and the PGA Tour.

Contents

Early life and amateur career

Christian was born in Carshalton, England. He is named after Gary Player. As a junior, he played golf at Addington Palace Golf Club, England.

Christian went to college in the United States, first on an academic scholarship to Wallace State Community College [1] in Alabama after being spotted by talent scouts at a trial. He was later offered a place at Auburn University, again on a scholarship. He spent two years at Auburn, graduating in 1995.

Professional career

In 1997, Christian turned professional and won four times in his first year on the TearDrop Tour. [2] He was a member of the Nationwide Tour in 1999 and for several seasons from 2006. Christian picked up his first win on tour at the 2009 Northeast Pennsylvania Classic, where he defeated Mathias Grönberg in a playoff that went to nine holes, equaling a Nationwide Tour record for longest playoff. [3]

At age 40, Christian finally graduated to the PGA Tour after finishing ninth on the Nationwide Tour's money list. [2] Christian had never played in a PGA Tour event until 2012. He played in 28 events in 2012, making 18 cuts and having a best finish of T-10 at the RBC Canadian Open.

Christian has played on several mini-tours during his career, winning over 30 events. The tours he has won on include the Gateway Tour, Dakotas Tour, Emerald Coast Tour, DP Tour, TearDrop Tour and the Tight Lies Tour. [4] He was the leading money winner on the Dakotas Tour in 2002 and 2005. [5] [6]

Christian appeared on the TV show The Weakest Link in 2001. After Christian's touring career ended, he became a commentator on The Golf Channel.

Professional wins

Nationwide Tour wins (2)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
130 Aug 2009 Northeast Pennsylvania Classic −15 (68-70-63-64=265)Playoff Flag of Sweden.svg Mathias Grönberg
24 Sep 2011 Mylan Classic −17 (68-63-69-67=267)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg John Mallinger

Nationwide Tour playoff record (1–0)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 2009 Northeast Pennsylvania Classic Flag of Sweden.svg Mathias Grönberg Won with birdie on ninth extra hole

Gateway Tour wins (4)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
111 Feb 2005 RTJT Series at Magnolia Grove−6 (71-70-70-71=282)2 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Dustin Bray
218 Feb 2005RTJT Series at Cambrian Ridge−20 (63-63-67-71=264)14 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Chip Deason
34 Mar 2005RTJT Series at Capital Hill (Legislator)−1 (73-71-72-71=287)3 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Daniel Ozley
429 Apr 2005RTJT Series at The Shoals−1 (72-72-68-75=287)Playoff Flag of the United States.svg Tommy Gainey

Tarheel Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
19 Jun 2005 Eagle Chase Classic−11 (68-70-67=205)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Rich Mudd

Other wins

See also

References

  1. ↑ Ferguson, Doug (11 January 2012). "A long road to tour for 40-year-old Englishman". The Washington Times. Associated Press. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  2. 1 2 Donegan, Lawrence (14 February 2012). "Gary Christian makes PGA Tour after selling knives and sleeping in van". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  3. ↑ Christian wins on record-equaling 9th playoff hole
  4. ↑ "Official Nationwide Tour Media Guide" (PDF). PGA Tour. 2008. p. 2-16. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  5. ↑ "Final 2002 Dakotas Tour Money List". Dakotas Tour. Archived from the original on 9 December 2002. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  6. ↑ "2005 Dakotas Tour Total Prize Money including Bonus Cash". Dakotas Tour. Archived from the original on 1 January 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  7. ↑ "PGA Nebraska: History of Nebraska Open". PGA Nebraska. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  8. ↑ Smith, Mark (28 June 2004). "Christian Conquers San Juan Course" . Albuquerque Journal. Albuquerque, New Mexico. pp. B1, B2. Retrieved 12 January 2024– via Newspapers.com.
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