Harold Varner III

Last updated

Harold Varner III
HaroldVarneriiigolfer.jpg
Personal information
Full nameHarold William Varner III
NicknameHV3
Born (1990-08-15) August 15, 1990 (age 34)
Akron, Ohio, U.S.
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight165 lb (75 kg; 11.8 st)
Sporting nationalityFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Residence Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Career
College East Carolina University
Turned professional2012
Current tour(s) Asian Tour
LIV Golf
Former tour(s) PGA Tour
European Tour
Web.com Tour
eGolf Professional Tour
Professional wins3
Highest ranking 35 (June 12, 2022) [1]
(as of November 24, 2024)
Number of wins by tour
European Tour1
Asian Tour1
PGA Tour of Australasia1
LIV Golf1
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament T23: 2022
PGA Championship T29: 2020, 2023
U.S. Open CUT: 2013, 2018, 2022
The Open Championship T28: 2022

Harold William Varner III (born August 15, 1990) is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and currently plays in the LIV Golf League. He won the Australian PGA Championship in December 2016 and the PIF Saudi International in February 2022.

Contents

Amateur career

Varner was born in Akron, Ohio, but raised in Gastonia, North Carolina where he played golf at Forestview High School. He played his collegiate golf at East Carolina University and was the first player in school history to be named Conference USA player of the year. [2] He also competed in the 2010 U.S. Amateur at Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington.

Professional career

Varner turned professional in 2012, missing the cut at the Chiquita Classic. Prior to playing on the Web.com Tour, he played on the eGolf Professional Tour and Florida Tour. He qualified for the 2013 U.S. Open, but missed the cut.

Varner started playing on the Web.com Tour in 2014, making 13 cuts in 21 tournaments with two top-10 finishes. His best finish was T-2 at the Rex Hospital Open. He finished 30th on the money list in his first full season. He also played in two PGA Tour events, the Northern Trust Open (T70) and Wells Fargo Championship (missed cut).

In 2015, he had five top-25 finishes and a runner-up finish at the Panama Claro Championship. He finished 25th on the Web.com Tour regular season money list, the last guaranteed spot, to earn a PGA Tour card for the 2015–16 season. Varner is the first African-American golfer to advance to the PGA Tour via the Web.com Tour.

In December 2016, Varner earned his first professional golf victory by winning the Australian PGA Championship, a tournament co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia and the European Tour. [3] He is only the second American to win the Australian PGA Championship and the first since Hale Irwin won it in 1978. [4] He also became the third black man to win on the European Tour after Vincent Tshabalala of South Africa and Tiger Woods.

In May 2019, Varner was tied for second heading into the final round of the PGA Championship on Bethpage Black outside of New York City. He played in the final group with eventual champion Brooks Koepka but shot 81 to finish tied for 36th.

In April 2021, Varner recorded his best finish to date on the PGA Tour. A tied-second place at the RBC Heritage; four shots behind Stewart Cink. [5]

In February 2022, Varner won the PIF Saudi International on the Asian Tour. He eagled the final hole with a 92-foot putt to beat Bubba Watson by one shot. [6]

In April 2022, Varner held his first solo 54-hole PGA Tour lead at the RBC Heritage. He finished tied for third, one shot behind winner Jordan Spieth. He moved to a career high 36th in the world rankings. [7] In May 2022 at the Charles Schwab Challenge, Varner was tied for the lead after the 11th hole in the final round. He finished the round 9 shots back of the eventual winner after closing at +10 over the final seven holes. [8] In August 2022, it was announced that Varner had joined LIV Golf. [9]

Personal life

In December 2023, Varner was arrested for driving while impaired. He registered a .16 BAC during a breathalyzer test, twice the legal driving limit. [10]

Professional wins (3)

European Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
1Dec 4, 2016
(2017 season)		 Australian PGA Championship 1−19 (65-72-67-65=269)2 strokes Flag of Australia (converted).svg Andrew Dodt

1Co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia

European Tour playoff record (0–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentsResult
1 2015 Australian PGA Championship Flag of South Africa.svg Dylan Frittelli, Flag of Australia (converted).svg Nathan Holman Holman won with par on first extra hole

Asian Tour wins (1)

Legend
Flagship events (1)
Other Asian Tour (0)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
1Feb 6, 2022 PIF Saudi International −13 (64-66-68-69=267)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Bubba Watson

LIV Golf League wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
1May 28, 2023 LIV Golf Washington, D.C.1−12 (64-72-68=204)1 stroke Flag of South Africa.svg Branden Grace

1Co-sanctioned by the MENA Tour

Results in major championships

Results not in chronological order in 2020.

Tournament201320142015201620172018
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open CUTCUT
The Open Championship T66
PGA Championship CUT
Tournament20192020202120222023
Masters Tournament T23T29
PGA Championship T36T29T49T48T29
U.S. Open CUT
The Open Championship NTCUTT28
  Did not play

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

Summary

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament 00000122
PGA Championship 00000065
U.S. Open 00000030
The Open Championship 00000032
Totals000001149

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament2016201720182019202020212022
The Players Championship T57T35T7CUTCT61T6
  Top 10

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

Results in World Golf Championships

Tournament201720182019202020212022
Championship
Match Play NT1T18
Invitational T50
Champions NT1NT1NT1

1Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic

  Did not play

"T" = Tied
NT = No tournament
Note that the Championship and Invitational were discontinued from 2022.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Week 24 2022 Ending 12 Jun 2022" (pdf). OWGR . Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Harold Varner Bio". ECU Pirates. Archived from the original on September 12, 2015. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  3. ↑ "American Harold Varner III wins Australian PGA Championship". ESPN. Australian Associated Press. December 4, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Past Champions". Australian PGA Championship. Archived from the original on February 28, 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Gastonia Native, Forestview product Harold Varner III posts best finish on PGA Tour". Gaston Gazette. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Saudi International: Harold Varner III eagles final hole to snatch victory over Bubba Watson". Sky Sports. February 6, 2022.
  7. ↑ DiMeglio, Steve (April 16, 2022). "'I'm getting closer every time': Harold Varner III in contention once again, takes lead at RBC Heritage after third-round 63". Golfweek.
  8. ↑ Craddock, Matt (May 29, 2022). "How one PGA Tour player lost over $1 million at The Charles Schwab Challenge". Golf Monthly.
  9. ↑ Schlabach, Mark (August 30, 2022). "Open champion Cameron Smith, five others leave PGA Tour for LIV Golf". ESPN. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Pro golfer Harold Varner III arrested for DWI in south Charlotte". WBTV. December 29, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
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