Lon Hinkle

Lon Hinkle
Lon Hinkle
Personal information
Full name	Lon Currey Hinkle
Born	July 17, 1949 (age 76); Flint, Michigan
Sporting nationality	United States
Career
College	San Diego State University
Turned professional	1972
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour ; Champions Tour
Professional wins	5
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	3
Korn Ferry Tour	1
Other	1
Best results in major championships;
Masters Tournament	T28: 1981
PGA Championship	T3: 1980
U.S. Open	T3: 1980
The Open Championship	T19: 1975

Last updated September 27, 2025

Lon Currey Hinkle (born July 17, 1949) is an American professional golfer. He played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.

Early life and amateur career

In 1949, Hinkle was born in Flint, Michigan. He attended Santana High School in Santee, California and graduated in 1967.

Hinkle attended nearby San Diego State University for college. He was a member of the golf team.

Professional career

In 1972, Hinkle turned professional. He joined the PGA Tour after his success at 1972 PGA Tour Qualifying School.

In the late 1970s, Hinkle won three tournaments on the PGA Tour. In 1979, he earned $247,693, finished 3rd on the money list, and won two tour events, including the World Series of Golf. That year in the first round of the U.S. Open at Inverness Club he took a shortcut, cutting the dogleg on the par-5 8th hole by hitting onto the 17th fairway. Overnight, USGA officials planted a tree (known ever afterwards as The Hinkle Tree) to block the shortcut.^[1] His best finish in a major was a T-3 at both the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship in 1980.^[2] During his career on the PGA Tour, he had more than 50 top-10 finishes. He also played on the European Tour occasionally. Though he never won he finished runner-up at the 1975 German Open and 1980 European Open.

In 1981, Hinkle won the World Long Drive Championship.

After turning 50 in 1999, Hinkle joined the Champions Tour. His best finish at that level is a T-12 in the 2000 Audi Senior Classic.

Personal life

Hinkle lives in Bigfork, Montana in the northwest corner of the state.

Professional wins (5)

PGA Tour wins (3)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runners-up
1	Apr 30, 1978	First NBC New Orleans Open	−17 (74-67-64-66=271)	1 stroke	Gibby Gilbert, Fuzzy Zoeller
2	Feb 4, 1979	Bing Crosby National Pro-Am	−4 (70-68-69-77=284)	Playoff	Andy Bean, Mark Hayes
3	Sep 30, 1979	World Series of Golf	−8 (67-67-71-67=272)	1 stroke	Larry Nelson, Bill Rogers, Lee Trevino

PGA Tour playoff record (1–2)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1977	Tallahassee Open	Ed Sneed	Lost to birdie on first extra hole
2	1979	Bing Crosby National Pro-Am	Andy Bean, Mark Hayes	Won with birdie on third extra hole Bean eliminated by par on second hole
3	1986	Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic	Raymond Floyd, Mike Sullivan	Floyd won with par on first extra hole

Source:^[3]

Ben Hogan Tour wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runners-up
1	Jun 2, 1991	Ben Hogan Quicksilver Open	−6 (70-68-72=210)	2 strokes	Andy Morse, Rick Pearson, Joey Rassett

Other wins (1)

1978 JCPenney Mixed Team Classic (with Pat Bradley)

Results in major championships

Tournament	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1987
Masters Tournament					CUT	WD	T28	CUT
U.S. Open		T38		CUT	T53	T3	T6	T45
The Open Championship	T19				CUT	CUT
PGA Championship			T31	63	T65	T3	T39	T9	T47	70	T51	73

Top 10

Did not play

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

Summary

Tournament	3rd	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	0	0	0	0	4	1
U.S. Open	1	1	2	2	6	5
The Open Championship	0	0	0	1	3	1
PGA Championship	1	1	2	2	10	10
Totals	2	2	4	5	23	17

Most consecutive cuts made – 6 (1982 U.S. Open – 1987 PGA)
Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (four times)

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990
The Players Championship	CUT	3	CUT	T39	CUT		T56	CUT	T7	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT