Sammy Rachels

Sammy Rachels
Sammy Rachels
Personal information
Full name	Sammy Tindol Rachels III
Born	September 23, 1950 (age 74); DeFuniak Springs, Florida, U.S.
Sporting nationality	United States
Residence	DeFuniak Springs, Florida, U.S.
Career
College	Columbus College
Turned professional	1972
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour ; Champions Tour
Professional wins	4
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour Champions	3
Other	1
Best results in major championships;
Masters Tournament	DNP
PGA Championship	T45: 1990
U.S. Open	T6: 1981
The Open Championship	DNP

Last updated August 02, 2025

Sammy Tindol Rachels III (born September 23, 1950) is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour, but found his greatest level of success on the Champions Tour.

Early life

Rachels was born in DeFuniak Springs, Florida. He has lived in the town his entire life. He attended Columbus College and won the 1971 NAIA Championship.

Professional career

In 1972, Rachels turned professional. Rachels played on the PGA Tour from 1975 to ;1985, and had 11 top-10 finishes in 123 career events. Although he never won, he recorded runner-up finishes at the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic and Bank of Boston Classic in 1983. He also had a runner-up finish in the unofficial Magnolia State Classic that year. His best finish in a major championship was T6 at the 1981 U.S. Open.^[1] Four back operations forced him to leave the Tour and take a club pro job near his home in the Florida Panhandle.

Rachels joined the Nationwide Tour in his forties to prepare for the Champions Tour, which he joined after reaching the age of 50 in September 2000. He won three events in his first two years on the Champions Tour.

Professional wins (4)

Regular career wins (1)

1994 PGA Club Professional Championship

Senior PGA Tour wins (3)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Jun 3, 2001	BellSouth Senior Classic	−17 ( 66-70-63=199)	4 strokes	Hale Irwin
2	Oct 14, 2001	The Transamerica	−14 (70-63-69=202)	1 stroke	Raymond Floyd, Doug Tewell
3	May 5, 2002	Bruno's Memorial Classic	−15 (70-64-67=201)	Playoff	Dana Quigley

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	2002	Bruno's Memorial Classic	Dana Quigley	Won with birdie on second extra hole

Results in major championships

Tournament	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993
U.S. Open	T6
PGA Championship									CUT	T45			CUT

Note: Rachels never played in the Masters Tournament or The Open Championship.

Top 10

Did not play

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

U.S. national team appearances

PGA Cup: 1990 (winners), 1996 (tie)

References

↑ "Sammy Rachels". Golf Major Championships. Retrieved January 21, 2008.

External links

Sammy Rachels at the PGA Tour official site

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[1] "Sammy Rachels". Golf Major Championships. Retrieved January 21, 2008.

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