Hale Irwin

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Hale Irwin
HaleIrwin1986.jpg
Irwin in 1986
Personal information
Full nameHale S. Irwin
Born (1945-06-03) June 3, 1945 (age 79)
Joplin, Missouri, U.S.
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Sporting nationalityFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
SpouseSally Irwin
Children2
Career
College University of Colorado
Turned professional1968
Former tour(s) PGA Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins83
Highest ranking 7 (May 19, 1991) [1]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour20
European Tour3
Japan Golf Tour1
Sunshine Tour1
PGA Tour of Australasia1
PGA Tour Champions45 (2nd all-time)
Other8 (regular)
7 (senior)
Best results in major championships
(wins: 3)
Masters Tournament T4: 1974, 1975
PGA Championship T5: 1975
U.S. Open Won: 1974, 1979, 1990
The Open Championship T2: 1983
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame 1992 (member page)
Senior PGA Tour
Rookie of the Year
1995
Senior PGA Tour
Byron Nelson Award
1996, 1997, 1998,
2002
Senior PGA Tour
money list winner
1997, 1998, 2002
Senior PGA Tour
Player of the Year
1997, 1998, 2002
Champions Tour
Charles Schwab Cup winner
2002, 2004
Payne Stewart Award 2019

Hale S. Irwin (born June 3, 1945) is an American professional golfer. He was one of the world's leading golfers from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. He is one of the few players in history to win three U.S. Opens, becoming the oldest ever U.S. Open champion in 1990 at the age of 45. As a senior golfer, Irwin ranks second all-time in PGA Tour Champions victories. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in Champions Tour history. He has also developed a career as a golf course architect.

Contents

Early life

Irwin was born in Joplin, Missouri, and raised in Baxter Springs, Kansas, and Boulder, Colorado. His father introduced him to the game of golf when he was four years old; he broke 70 for the first time at age fourteen. [2] Irwin was a star athlete in football, baseball, and golf at Boulder High School [3] and graduated in 1963.

Amateur career

Irwin then attended the University of Colorado in Boulder, played football for the Buffaloes under head coach Eddie Crowder, [4] was a two-time All-Big Eight defensive back (1965, 1966), [5] and academic All-American. He won the individual NCAA championship in golf in his senior year in 1967.

Professional career

In 1968, Irwin turned professional. Irwin's first PGA Tour victory was at the 1971 Sea Pines Heritage Classic.

Irwin's first U.S. Open triumph came at Winged Foot in 1974 at the age of 29. In what became known as "The Massacre at Winged Foot", Irwin won with a score of 7-over par, the second-highest winning score in relation to par of any U.S. Open since 1945. The course conditions at Winged Foot in 1974 were described as "brutal". [6] Johnny Miller and several other players suggested that the USGA had intentionally made the Winged Foot course setup particularly treacherous in response to Miller's record-breaking round of 63 at Oakmont the year before. [7] Irwin, however, said in 1974: "I've always enjoyed playing tough courses. It's much more of a challenge to me." [8] Irwin earned $35,000 for his victory at Winged Foot and said that he had a vivid dream three weeks earlier that he won the U.S. Open, which he only told his wife about. [9]

Irwin won the Piccadilly World Match Play Championship at Wentworth Club in 1974 and 1975. He missed out on a record-breaking third straight victory when he was beaten in the 1976 final by Australian David Graham on the second sudden-death playoff hole. [10]

Between January 1975 to the end of the 1978 season, Irwin made the cut in 86 consecutive PGA Tour events. To date, this is the fourth-longest streak of consecutive cuts made on the PGA Tour. [11]

In 1977, Irwin's three wins on the PGA Tour included a five-shot victory in the Colgate Hall of Fame Classic at Pinehurst Resort. Irwin shot a second round of 62 at Pinehurst for a 15-under par opening 36-hole total of 127, which was the best in any PGA Tour event for over a decade. [12]

Irwin's tournament victories kept him ranked high among his peers - he was ranked among the top five in McCormack's World Golf Rankings in every year from 1975 to 1979, inclusive. He ranked in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for a few weeks in 1991. [13]

Irwin added a second U.S. Open title in 1979 at Inverness Club. With its narrow fairways and heavy rough, [14] the Inverness course was a stern test for the players. Irwin's final round of 75 tied the post-World War II tournament record for the highest final round score by a U.S. Open champion. [15] The next month in The Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, Irwin came to the final round with a two-shot lead. He was bidding to become one of the few golfers in golf history to win the U.S. Open and British Open in the same year. [16] Irwin said in 1979: "I would dearly love to win the British Open. It is special." [17] However, he was thwarted in his attempt at an historic double by the incredible recovery play of Seve Ballesteros.

In 1983, Irwin had another close tilt at The Open Championship, but lost by a shot to Tom Watson at Royal Birkdale, after whiffing on a tiny putt of about an inch, during his third round of play. Irwin said that his mistake, which cost him the chance of a playoff with Watson, was "a mental lapse" and that he learned a lesson from it, later being very careful on short putts. [18]

Irwin later said that the greatest disappointment of his career was not at the British Open, but at the 1984 U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club. Irwin had led the tournament after the first three rounds but shot a final round of 79 to finish 6th. Reflecting on his final round collapse, Irwin said: "A number of factors were in play and it was very emotional. I thought it would be great to win 10 years later at the same venue and, more than anything else, my father was dying of cancer then and I thought it would be wonderful to give him a victory. I destroyed myself with the pressures I'd built up." [19]

After his victory in the 1985 Memorial Tournament, Irwin had occasional top-10 finishes in tournaments for the remainder of the decade but he did not have a further official PGA Tour win until an incredible year in 1990, which was capped by his third U.S. Open victory. In a remarkable tournament, Irwin holed an improbable 45-foot (14 m) birdie putt on the 72nd hole to join a playoff against fellow American Mike Donald. In the 18-hole Monday playoff, Donald was two shots ahead of Irwin with three holes to play. Donald missed a 15-foot par putt on the 18th which would have given him victory. Both men shot rounds of 74 in the playoff and Irwin won the title with a birdie on the first sudden-death playoff hole. After becoming the oldest ever U.S. Open champion at the age of 45, winning his first PGA Tour event for five years, Irwin was gracious in victory. He said of his playoff opponent Mike Donald: "God bless him. I almost wish he had won." [20] The following week, Irwin won the Buick Classic. [21]

During his career, Irwin won professional tournaments on all six continents on which golf is played: Africa, Australia, Asia, Europe, North America and South America. Irwin played on five Ryder Cup teams: 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, and 1991. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1992.

Irwin's final PGA Tour win was at the 1994 MCI Heritage Golf Classic. This win at the age of nearly 49 made him one of the oldest winners in Tour history. Overall, he won prize money of just under six million dollars in his career.

Former U.S. Open champion and television analyst Ken Venturi said of Irwin: "Aesthetically and technically, Hale stands at the ball as well as any player I've ever seen." [22]

Senior career

Irwin qualified to play on the over-50 Senior PGA Tour in 1995, and enjoyed even greater success at this level than he did on the PGA Tour. Through the 2021 season, he is the career leader in wins and earnings with 45 victories and over $26 million. [23] [24] Irwin won three consecutive PGA Seniors' Championships between 1996 and 1998, including a 12-stroke victory in the 1997 tournament, which was the largest ever margin of victory in a 72-hole Champions Tour event until Bernhard Langer's 13-stroke victory in the 2014 Senior Open Championship. [25] Irwin's nine victories in 1997 tied the Senior Tour record set by Peter Thomson in 1985. [19]

Irwin won the U.S. Senior Open in 1998 and 2000 for a career total of five USGA titles. He narrowly missed out on a third U.S. Senior Open title in 2004 when he finished one stroke behind Peter Jacobsen. [26]

Irwin is the oldest player to finish in the top five in a senior major, with a third-place finish at the 2012 Senior PGA Championship at the age of 66. [27] In the 2012 3M Championship, Irwin shot a score under his age for the first time in his career. His round of 65 included an eagle on the 9th hole and six consecutive birdies on the back nine. [28] Irwin has since gone on to shoot his age 44 times in official PGA Tour Champions events (as of August 11, 2020), well ahead of Gary Player's second-place 30. While he has continued to play PGA Tour Champions well into his seventies, he has significantly cut back his tournament schedule, competing in no more than eight tour events in any season since 2015. [29]

In 2000, Irwin was ranked as the 19th greatest golfer of all time by Golf Digest magazine. [30]

Personal life

Irwin is married to wife Sally and has two children. [31] Irwin's son Steve qualified for the 2011 U.S. Open. Steve Irwin said of his father: "I'm very proud of him. The U.S. Open is what truly defined his career. It's been my ultimate goal in golf to play in the U.S. Open since I began competing." [32]

For 25 years, Hale Irwin helped to raise money for the St. Louis Children's Hospital, which named a wing in his honor. Irwin also enjoys hunting and fishing and spending time with his grandchildren. He is the uncle of former CU lineman Heath Irwin. [33]

In 2019, in acknowledgement of his character, sportsmanship and commitment to charity, Irwin received the PGA Tour's Payne Stewart Award presented by Southern Company. [34]

Amateur wins

Professional wins (83)

PGA Tour wins (20)

Legend
Major championships (3)
Other PGA Tour (17)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1Nov 28, 1971 Sea Pines Heritage Classic 68-73-68-70=279−51 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Bob Lunn
2Sep 16, 1973 Sea Pines Heritage Classic (2)69-66-65-72=272−125 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Jerry Heard, Flag of the United States.svg Grier Jones
3Jun 16, 1974 U.S. Open 73-70-71-73=287+72 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Forrest Fezler
4Jun 1, 1975 Atlanta Classic 66-69-68-68=271−174 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Tom Watson
5Jun 30, 1975 Western Open 71-68-71-73=283−11 stroke Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Bobby Cole
6Feb 22, 1976 Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open 69-69-66-68=272−122 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Tom Watson
7Mar 7, 1976 Florida Citrus Open 74-66-64-66=270−18Playoff Flag of the United States.svg Kermit Zarley
8May 29, 1977 Atlanta Classic (2)70-70-66-67=273−151 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Steve Veriato
9Aug 28, 1977 Colgate Hall of Fame Golf Classic 65-62-69-68=264−205 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Leonard Thompson
10Oct 16, 1977 San Antonio Texas Open 68-67-64-67=266−142 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Miller Barber
11Jun 17, 1979 U.S. Open (2)74-68-67-75=284E2 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Jerry Pate, Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Gary Player
12Feb 14, 1981 Hawaiian Open 68-66-62-69=265−236 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Don January
13Aug 23, 1981 Buick Open 65-73-67-72=277−11Playoff Flag of the United States.svg Bobby Clampett, Flag of the United States.svg Peter Jacobsen,
Flag of the United States.svg Gil Morgan
14Mar 14, 1982 Honda Inverrary Classic 65-71-67-66=269−191 stroke Flag of the United States.svg George Burns, Flag of the United States.svg Tom Kite
15May 29, 1983 Memorial Tournament 71-71-70-69=281−71 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Ben Crenshaw, Flag of Australia (converted).svg David Graham
16Feb 5, 1984 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am 69-69-68-72=278−10Playoff Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Jim Nelford
17May 26, 1985 Memorial Tournament (2)68-68-73-72=281−71 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Lanny Wadkins
18Jun 18, 1990 U.S. Open (3)69-70-74-67=280−8Playoff Flag of the United States.svg Mike Donald
19Jun 24, 1990 Buick Classic 66-69-68-66=269−152 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Paul Azinger
20Apr 17, 1994 MCI Heritage Golf Classic (3)68-65-65-68=266−182 strokes Flag of Australia (converted).svg Greg Norman

PGA Tour playoff record (4–5)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1970 Los Angeles Open Flag of the United States.svg Billy Casper Lost to birdie on first extra hole
2 1972 Liggett & Myers Open Flag of Australia (converted).svg David Graham, Flag of the United States.svg Lou Graham,
Flag of the United States.svg Larry Ziegler
L. Graham won with birdie on third extra hole
D. Graham and Ziegler eliminated by par on first hole
3 1976 Florida Citrus Open Flag of the United States.svg Kermit Zarley Won with par on sixth extra hole
41976 Memorial Tournament Flag of the United States.svg Roger Maltbie Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole
5 1981 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am Flag of the United States.svg John Cook, Flag of the United States.svg Bobby Clampett,
Flag of the United States.svg Ben Crenshaw, Flag of the United States.svg Barney Thompson
Cook won with par on third extra hole
Clampett, Crenshaw and Thompson eliminated by birdie on first hole
61981 Buick Open Flag of the United States.svg Bobby Clampett, Flag of the United States.svg Peter Jacobsen,
Flag of the United States.svg Gil Morgan
Won with birdie on second extra hole
7 1984 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Jim Nelford Won with birdie on second extra hole
8 1990 U.S. Open Flag of the United States.svg Mike Donald Won with birdie on first extra hole after 18-hole playoff;
Irwin: +2 (74),
Donald: +2 (74)
9 1991 Memorial Tournament Flag of the United States.svg Kenny Perry Lost to birdie on first extra hole

PGA of Japan Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory
Runner-up
1Oct 25, 1981 Bridgestone Tournament 70-65-72-68=275−138 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Bill Rogers

Southern Africa Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory
Runners-up
1Dec 2, 1978 Lexington PGA Championship 70-69-67-69=275−91 stroke Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Hugh Baiocchi, Flag of Rhodesia (1968-1979).svg Mark McNulty,
Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Robbie Stewart

PGA Tour of Australasia wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory
Runner-up
1Nov 12, 1978 Mayne Nickless Australian PGA Championship 64-75-70-69=278−68 strokes Flag of Australia (converted).svg Graham Marsh

South American Golf Circuit wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory
Runners-up
1Nov 21, 1982 Brazil Open 67-67-66-65=265−72 strokes Flag of Spain.svg Manuel Calero, Flag of the United States.svg Curtis Strange

Other wins (7)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1Oct 12, 1974 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship 3 and 1 Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Gary Player
2Oct 11, 1975 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship (2)4 and 2 Flag of the United States.svg Al Geiberger
3Nov 11, 1979 World Cup
(with Flag of the United States.svg John Mahaffey)
141-141-152-141=575−15 strokesFlag of Scotland.svg  ScotlandKen Brown and Sandy Lyle
4Nov 11, 1979 World Cup Individual Trophy 74-70-72-69=285−32 strokes Flag of Germany.svg Bernhard Langer, Flag of Scotland.svg Sandy Lyle
5Jan 5, 1986 Bahamas Classic 70-68-64-67=269−196 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Donnie Hammond
6Jan 4, 1987 Fila Invitational 69-68-70=207−95 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Calvin Peete, Flag of the United States.svg Scott Verplank
7Dec 7, 2003 Office Depot Father/Son Challenge
(with son Steve Irwin)
62-61=123−211 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Jack Nicklaus and son Jack Nicklaus Jr.

Other playoff record (0–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentsResult
12002 Office Depot Father/Son Challenge
(with son Steve Irwin)
Flag of the United States.svg Craig Stadler and son Kevin Stadler Lost to birdie on first extra hole

Champions Tour wins (45)

Legend
Champions Tour major championships (7)
Tour Championships (1)
Other Champions Tour (37)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1Jul 30, 1995 Ameritech Senior Open −22 (66-63-66=195)8 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Kermit Zarley
2Oct 1, 1995 Vantage Championship −17 (66-68-65=199)4 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Dave Stockton
3Feb 25, 1996 American Express Invitational −19 (66-67-64=197)5 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Bob Murphy
4Apr 21, 1996 PGA Seniors' Championship −8 (66-74-69-71=280)2 strokes Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Isao Aoki
5Jan 19, 1997 MasterCard Championship −9 (71-67-69=207)2 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Gil Morgan
6Feb 9, 1997 LG Championship −15 (70-66-65=201)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Bob Murphy
7Apr 20, 1997 PGA Seniors' Championship (2)−14 (69-65-72-68=274)12 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Dale Douglass, Flag of the United States.svg Jack Nicklaus
8Apr 27, 1997 Las Vegas Senior Classic −6 (70-65-72=207)1 stroke Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Isao Aoki
9Jul 20, 1997 Burnet Senior Classic −17 (65-68-66=199)2 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Lee Trevino
10Aug 3, 1997 BankBoston Classic −13 (70-65-65=200)2 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Jerry McGee, Flag of the United States.svg Bob Wynn
11Sep 14, 1997 Boone Valley Classic −16 (70-65-65=200)2 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Gil Morgan
12Oct 5, 1997 Vantage Championship (2)−18 (64-62-69=195)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Dave Eichelberger
13Oct 19 1997 Hyatt Regency Maui Kaanapali Classic −13 (67-63-70=200)3 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Mike Hill, Flag of the United States.svg Bruce Summerhays
14Mar 15, 1998 Toshiba Senior Classic −13 (70-68-62=200)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Hubert Green
15Apr 19, 1998 PGA Seniors' Championship (3)−13 (68-68-69-70=275)6 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Larry Nelson
16Apr 26, 1998 Las Vegas Senior Classic (2)−7 (69-67-70-75=281)1 stroke Flag of Argentina.svg Vicente Fernández
17Jul 19, 1998 Ameritech Senior Open (2)−15 (62-66-73=201)3 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Larry Nelson
18Jul 26, 1998 U.S. Senior Open +1 (77-68-71-69=285)1 stroke Flag of Argentina.svg Vicente Fernández
19Aug 30, 1998 BankBoston Classic (2)−15 (69-64-68=201)2 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Jay Sigel
20Nov 8, 1998 Energizer Senior Tour Championship −14 (66-73-70-65=274)5 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Gil Morgan
21May 9, 1999 Nationwide Championship −10 (69-68-69=206)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Bob Murphy
22May 30, 1999 Boone Valley Classic (2)−13 (68-69-66=203)2 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Al Geiberger
23Jun 27, 1999 Ford Senior Players Championship −21 (67-71-64-65=267)7 strokes Flag of Australia (converted).svg Graham Marsh
24Jul 18, 1999 Ameritech Senior Open (3)−10 (73-66-67=206)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Bruce Fleisher, Flag of the United States.svg Raymond Floyd,
Flag of the United States.svg Gary McCord
25Jul 25, 1999 Coldwell Banker Burnet Classic (2)−15 (64-68-69=201)2 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Jim Dent, Flag of the United States.svg Dale Douglass
26May 14, 2000 Nationwide Championship (2)−9 (71-67-69=207)1 stroke Flag of Argentina.svg Vicente Fernández
27Jun 4, 2000 BellSouth Senior Classic −18 (68-65-65=198)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Gil Morgan
28Jul 2, 2000 U.S. Senior Open (2)−17 (66-71-65-65=267)3 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Bruce Fleisher
29Oct 22, 2000 EMC Kaanapali Classic (2)−18 (71-62-65=198)4 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Joe Inman
30Mar 18, 2001 Siebel Classic in Silicon Valley −10 (71-70-65=206)5 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Allen Doyle, Flag of the United States.svg Tom Watson
31Apr 28, 2001 Bruno's Memorial Classic −21 (65-65-65=195)4 strokes Flag of Australia (converted).svg Stewart Ginn
32Oct 7, 2001 Turtle Bay Championship (3)−11 (69-68-68=205)3 strokes Flag of the United States.svg John Jacobs
33Feb 10, 2002 ACE Group Classic (2)−16 (68-64-68=200)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Tom Watson
34Mar 10, 2002 Toshiba Senior Classic (2)−17 (67-64-65=196)5 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Allen Doyle
35Aug 11, 2002 3M Championship (3)−12 (66-70-68=204)3 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Hubert Green
36Oct 6, 2002 Turtle Bay Championship (4)−8 (69-69-70=208)Playoff Flag of the United States.svg Gary McCord
37May 19, 2003 Kinko's Classic of Austin −8 (69-66-73=208)Playoff Flag of the United States.svg Tom Watson
38Oct 12, 2003 Turtle Bay Championship (5)−8 (68-73-67=208)2 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Tom Kite
39Apr 25, 2004 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf −11 (66-68-71=205)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Gary Koch, Flag of the United States.svg Gil Morgan
40May 30, 2004 Senior PGA Championship (4)−8 (67-69-69-71=276)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Jay Haas
41Jan 30, 2005 Turtle Bay Championship (6)−16 (67-66-67=200)5 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Dana Quigley
42Feb 27, 2005 Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am −8 (72-69-68-67=276)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Morris Hatalsky, Flag of Ireland.svg Mark McNulty
43Sep 4, 2005 Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach −13 (66-69-68=203)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Morris Hatalsky, Flag of the United States.svg Gil Morgan,
Flag of the United States.svg Craig Stadler
44Oct 2, 2005 SAS Championship −13 (69-68-66=203)2 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Bob Gilder, Flag of the United States.svg Tom Jenkins
45Jan 21, 2007 MasterCard Championship (2)−23 (66-62-65=193)5 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Tom Kite

Champions Tour playoff record (2–6)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 1996 Boone Valley Classic Flag of the United States.svg Gibby Gilbert Lost to par on first extra hole
2 1999 BankBoston Classic Flag of the United States.svg Tom McGinnis Lost to birdie on second extra hole
31999 AT&T Canada Senior Open Championship Flag of the United States.svg Jim Ahern Lost to par on second extra hole
4 2002 SBC Senior Open Flag of the United States.svg Bob Gilder Lost to par on first extra hole
52002 Lightpath Long Island Classic Flag of the United States.svg Hubert Green Lost to birdie on seventh extra hole
62002 Turtle Bay Championship Flag of the United States.svg Gary McCord Won with birdie on first extra hole
7 2003 Kinko's Classic of Austin Flag of the United States.svg Tom Watson Won with birdie on second extra hole
8 2004 Administaff Small Business Classic Flag of the United States.svg Larry Nelson Lost to birdie on first extra hole

Other senior wins (7)

Major championships

Wins (3)

YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner(s)-up
1974 U.S. Open 1 shot deficit+7 (73-70-71-73=287)2 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Forrest Fezler
1979 U.S. Open (2)3 shot leadE (74-68-67-75=284)2 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Jerry Pate, Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Gary Player
1990 U.S. Open (3)4 shot deficit−8 (69-70-74-67=280)Playoff1 Flag of the United States.svg Mike Donald

1Defeated Mike Donald with a birdie on the 19th hole after they were tied at 74 (+2) in an 18-hole playoff.

Results timeline

Tournament1966196719681969
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open T61
The Open Championship
PGA Championship
Tournament1970197119721973197419751976197719781979
Masters Tournament T13CUTT4T4T558T23
U.S. Open T19T36T201T3T26T41T41
The Open Championship T249T32T46T246
PGA Championship T31T22T11T9T5T34T44T12CUT
Tournament1980198119821983198419851986198719881989
Masters Tournament CUTT25CUTT6T21T36CUT
U.S. Open T8T58T39T39614CUTCUTT17T54
The Open Championship T2T14
PGA Championship T30T16T42T14T25T32T26T38
Tournament1990199119921993199419951996199719981999
Masters Tournament T1047T27T18T14T29
U.S. Open 1T11T51T62T18CUTT50T52CUTWD
The Open Championship T53T57T19
PGA Championship T12T73T66T6T39T54T29T41
Tournament20002001200220032004
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open T27T52CUTWD
The Open Championship
PGA Championship CUT
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

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

Summary

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament 00047132117
U.S. Open 30157133427
The Open Championship 0101371111
PGA Championship 00013102624
Totals3111120439279

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament19741975197619771978197919801981198219831984198519861987198819891990199119921993199419951996
The Players Championship T347T17T3T42CUTT14T51T19T49T15T5CUTT24CUTCUTT5T27CUTCUT4T55T46
  Top 10

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Senior major championships

Wins (7)

YearChampionshipWinning scoreMarginRunner(s)-up
1996 PGA Seniors' Championship −8 (66-74-69-71=280)2 strokes Flag of Japan.svg Isao Aoki
1997 PGA Seniors' Championship (2)−14 (69-65-72-68=274)12 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Dale Douglass, Flag of the United States.svg Jack Nicklaus
1998 PGA Seniors' Championship (3)−13 (68-68-69-70=275)7 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Larry Nelson
1998 U.S. Senior Open +1 (77-68-71-69=285)1 stroke Flag of Argentina.svg Vicente Fernández
1999 Ford Senior Players Championship −21 (67-71-64-65=267)7 strokes Flag of Australia (converted).svg Graham Marsh
2000 U.S. Senior Open (2)−17 (66-71-65-65=267)3 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Bruce Fleisher
2004 Senior PGA Championship (4)−8 (67-69-69-71=276)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Jay Haas

Results timeline

Results not in chronological order before 2017.

Tournament19951996199719981999200020012002
The Tradition 2T134T20T3736
Senior PGA Championship 111T11T2T5T2
U.S. Senior Open T52T51T31T11T11
Senior Players Championship T102T1921T43T6
Tournament2003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018
The Tradition T1013T42T32T52T41T38T50T45T53T54T7280
Senior PGA Championship T151T46T23T42CUTT59T6543T56T67CUTCUT
U.S. Senior Open 225T32CUTT40T32CUTT4CUTT56CUT70CUTCUTCUT
Senior Players Championship T12T92T7T27T15T41T45T30T68T75T57T68
Senior Open Championship T13CUT

The Senior Open Championship was not a senior major until 2003.

  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

U.S. national team appearances

This list may be incomplete.
Professional

See also

Related Research Articles

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The 2020 United States Open Championship was the 120th U.S. Open, held September 17–20 over the West Course at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York, a suburb northeast of New York City. Originally scheduled for June 18–21, the championship was postponed three months due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was played without spectators. It was the first U.S. Open held in September in 107 years.

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