Stephen Ames

Last updated

Stephen Ames
2009 US Open - Stephen Ames (3649426504) (cropped).jpg
Ames at the 2009 US Open
Personal information
Full nameStephen Michael Ames
Born (1964-04-28) April 28, 1964 (age 60)
San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
Sporting nationalityFlag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg  Trinidad and Tobago (until Sep 2005)
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada (since Oct 2005)
Residence Vancouver, British Columbia [1]
Spouse
Jodi Ames
​
​
(m. 1991;div. 2016)​
[1]
Kelly Norcott
​
(m. 2018)​
[2]
Children2 [1]
Career
College College of Boca Raton
Turned professional1987
Current tour(s) PGA Tour Champions
Former tour(s) PGA Tour
European Tour
Professional wins20
Highest ranking 17 (4 July 2004) [3]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour4
European Tour2
Korn Ferry Tour1
PGA Tour Champions9
Other4
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament T11: 2006
PGA Championship T9: 2004
U.S. Open T9: 2004
The Open Championship T5: 1997
Achievements and awards
Chaconia Medal (Gold)2004
Canadian Golf
Hall of Fame 		2014

Stephen Michael Ames (born April 28, 1964) is a professional golfer formerly of the PGA Tour, who now plays on the PGA Tour Champions. The biggest win of his career was at The Players Championship in 2006. He holds dual citizenship of Trinidad and Tobago and Canada.

Contents

Early life

Ames was born in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago and is of English and Portuguese descent, [4] and much of his family resides in the Caribbean nation. His grandmother was Trinidad and Tobago Champion twice. Ames grew up on the Petrotrin employee compound (Then known as Trintoc) in Pointe-à-Pierre. He learned to play golf at Petrotrin's staff club, Pointe-à-Pierre Golf Club.

Ames' golfing talent developed early in life, assisted by support and discipline from his father, Michael. In his Hoerman Cup debut at the age of 16 in 1980, he set the course record at Sandy Lane, Barbados with a six-under-par total of 66.

Professional career

Ames won a golf scholarship at the College of Boca Raton in Florida in the United States and turned professional in 1987, but failed to win a PGA Tour card over the following few years, partly due to a neck injury. He won his first professional tournament in the United States (the Ben Hogan Pensacola Open) in 1991 on what was then the Ben Hogan Tour.

In 1992, Ames tried his luck at European Tour Qualifying School and was successful. He spent five seasons on the European Tour and performed consistently, making the top 80 on the Order of Merit each time, with a best of 13th in 1996. He won the 1994 Open V33 Grand Lyon in France and the 1996 Benson & Hedges International Open in England.

In 1997, Ames finished third at the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament to earn exempt status for the 1998 season. Due to visa difficulties, Ames was unable to play the PGA Tour in 1999 for nearly six months. [5]

In his first six seasons he didn't break into the top 40 of the money list. He highest finish was runner-up to Craig Perks at the 2002 The Players Championship. In 2004 Ames won for the first time on the PGA Tour at the Cialis Western Open among a field that included many of the best professionals in the world, including Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Davis Love III. Later that year, he reached the top 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

In 2005, Ames initiated an international Ryder Cup style competition entitled the Stephen Ames Cup. The event pits CJGA Team Canada against Team Trinidad & Tobago. He co-hosts, with MP Jim Prentice, an annual charity golf tournament for kids [6] and owns a steakhouse in Calgary called the Vintage Chophouse.

In February 2006, after provoking world No. 1 Tiger Woods with the comment: "Anything can happen, especially where [Tiger's] hitting the ball," Ames was soundly defeated by Woods at the 2006 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship at La Costa, losing 9 and 8; the largest amount a player can possibly lose by in an eighteen-hole match play event is 10 and 8. However, on March 26, Ames overcame the record defeat by taking The Players Championship at the TPC at Sawgrass. Playing against 48 of the top 50 golfers in the world (including Woods), Ames emerged victorious, with a record-equaling six stroke margin over World No. 3 Retief Goosen, becoming the second-oldest champion in championship history. With the win, Ames surpassed the US$10 million career earnings barrier and climbed 37 places to 27th in the Official World Golf Ranking.

At the 2007 PGA Championship, Ames was in the final pairing with Tiger Woods in the final round but put himself out of contention after shooting a 76, finishing T-12. In November 2007, he picked up his third PGA Tour victory at the Children's Miracle Network Classic. He has featured in the top 25 of the Official World Golf Rankings. [7]

Ames won for the fourth time on the PGA Tour in 2009, again at the Children's Miracle Network Classic, shooting a final round -8 64. He won in a three-way playoff over George McNeill and Justin Leonard.

Ames was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in August 2014. [8]

On April 16, 2017, Ames secured his first PGA Tour Champions victory, in his 49th start, at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic. He shot a 66 in the final round to finish four strokes ahead of Bernhard Langer. He is the third Canadian to win on the tour and the 11th golfer to win on the three main tours run by the PGA Tour: PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions, and Web.com Tour. [9]

Ames at the 2023 U.S. Senior Open Stephen Ames at 2023 U.S. Senior Open.jpg
Ames at the 2023 U.S. Senior Open

In June 2021, Ames came from behind and won his second PGA Tour Champions event at the Principal Charity Classic. [10] As of August 2023, he had won four events on that season's PGA Tour Champions. [11] [12]

Personal life

He was awarded the Chaconia Medal (Gold), Trinidad & Tobago's second highest honour, in 2004. In 2003, his Canadian wife was a former air hostess and he took Canadian citizenship. [13] [14] They have two sons.

In 2006 Ames was awarded the Trinidad and Tobago First Citizens Sports Foundation Sportsman of the Year Award. [15]

Ames moved from Calgary to Vancouver in 2014 after separating from his wife. [1]

Professional wins (20)

PGA Tour wins (4)

Legend
Players Championships (1)
Other PGA Tour (3)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
1Jul 4, 2004 Cialis Western Open −10 (67-73-64-70=274)2 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Steve Lowery
2Mar 26, 2006 The Players Championship −14 (71-66-70-67=274)6 strokes Flag of South Africa.svg Retief Goosen
3Nov 4, 2007 Children's Miracle Network Classic −17 (70-63-70-68=271)1 stroke Flag of South Africa.svg Tim Clark
4Nov 15, 2009 Children's Miracle Network Classic (2)−18 (69-70-71-64=270)Playoff Flag of the United States.svg Justin Leonard, Flag of the United States.svg George McNeill

PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

No.YearTournamentOpponentsResult
1 2009 Children's Miracle Network Classic Flag of the United States.svg Justin Leonard, Flag of the United States.svg George McNeill Won with par on second extra hole
Leonard eliminated by par on first hole

European Tour wins (2)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
1Apr 4, 1994 Open V33 Grand Lyon −6 (70-67-71-74=282)2 strokes Flag of Sweden.svg Gabriel Hjertstedt, Flag of Spain.svg Pedro Linhart
2May 19, 1996 Benson & Hedges International Open −5 (73-71-67-72=283)1 stroke Flag of England.svg Jon Robson

Ben Hogan Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
1Apr 21, 1991 Ben Hogan Pensacola Open −12 (69-68-67=204)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Jerry Foltz

Other wins (4)

PGA Tour Champions wins (9)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
1Apr 16, 2017 Mitsubishi Electric Classic −15 (67-68-66=201)4 strokes Flag of Germany.svg Bernhard Langer
2Jun 5, 2021 Principal Charity Classic −15 (68-69-67=204)1 stroke Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Mike Weir
3Feb 11, 2023 Trophy Hassan II −9 (67-70-73=210)5 strokes Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mark Hensby
4May 7, 2023 Mitsubishi Electric Classic (2)−19 (65-64-68=197)4 strokes Flag of Spain.svg Miguel Ángel Jiménez
5Jun 4, 2023 Principal Charity Classic (2)−17 (66-66-67=199)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Jerry Kelly, Flag of the United States.svg Steve Stricker
6Aug 13, 2023 Boeing Classic −19 (67-67-63=197)7 strokes Flag of Spain.svg Miguel Ángel Jiménez
7Feb 18, 2024 Chubb Classic −13 (67-64=131)*3 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Rocco Mediate
8Apr 28, 2024 Mitsubishi Electric Classic (3)−14 (71-64-67=202)4 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Doug Barron, Flag of England.svg Paul Broadhurst
9Aug 11, 2024 Boeing Classic (2)−11 (71-67-67=205)1 stroke Flag of New Zealand.svg Steven Alker, Flag of South Africa.svg Ernie Els,
Flag of Sweden.svg Robert Karlsson

*Note: The 2024 Chubb Classic was shortened to 36 holes due to weather.

Results in major championships

Tournament1993199419951996199719981999
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open T68
The Open Championship T51T56T5T24
PGA Championship
Tournament2000200120022003200420052006200720082009
Masters Tournament T45T11T24T25T20
U.S. Open CUTT9T71CUTT10T58T10
The Open Championship T69CUTCUTT41CUTT7CUT
PGA Championship T30WDCUTT9T72T55T12CUTT24
Tournament201020112012
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open CUTT68
The Open Championship CUT
PGA Championship CUT
  Top 10
  Did not play

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

Summary

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament 00000455
U.S. Open 000033107
The Open Championship 000123127
PGA Championship 000013106
Totals00016133725

The Players Championship

Wins (1)

YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner-up
2006 The Players Championship 1 shot lead−14 (71-66-70-67=274)6 strokes Flag of South Africa.svg Retief Goosen

Results timeline

Tournament19981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011
The Players Championship CUTT42CUT2T17T13CUT1CUT5T49T58CUT
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

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

Results in World Golf Championships

Tournament2004200520062007200820092010
Match Play R64R64QFR64R32R64
Championship T3610WDT28T15T40
Invitational T22T36T18T22T48
Champions
  Top 10
  Did not play

WD = withdrew
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

Results in senior major championships

Results not in chronological order before 2022.

Tournament20142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
The Tradition T35T17T34T22NTT10T45T1113
Senior PGA Championship T15T44T21T38T35NTT342T15T29
U.S. Senior Open T38T24T7T31T6NTT8CUTT51T8
Senior Players Championship T9T32T39T48T20T5T16T26
Senior British Open Championship T22T18T3T29NTT204
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
NT = no tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

PGA Tour career summary

SeasonWinsEarnings ($)Rank
19980357,86983
19990460,76084
20000747,31263
20010574,45189
200201,278,03746
200301,005,95972
200413,303,20519
20050959,66551
200612,395,15543
200712,103,42633
200802,285,70727
200912,131,53837
20100916,527107
20110547,589139
20120193,686187
20130188,987185
20140141,143194
20150 7,613 253
Career*4 19,718,160 55

Summary of PGA Tour performances

* Complete through the 2014–15 season.

Team appearances

Amateur

Professional

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Thompson, Robert (August 6, 2015). "Shaw Charity Classic no longer a home game for Stephen Ames". Global News.
  2. ↑ Weeks, Bob (November 5, 2018). "Ames on a roll heading to season finale". The Sports Network.
  3. ↑ "Week 27 2004 Ending 4 Jul 2004" (pdf). OWGR . Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Distinguished Americans & Canadians of Portuguese Descent". Archived from the original on November 8, 2006. Retrieved January 9, 2008.
  5. ↑ After clearing customs, Ames takes aim at Buick
  6. ↑ Jim Prentice - Stephen Ames Charity Golf Tournament For Kids [ permanent dead link ]
  7. ↑ Official World Golf Ranking, Week 19, 11 May 2008
  8. ↑ Gilbertson, Wes (August 26, 2014). "Meet Stephen Ames: Canada's newest member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame". Calgary Sun. Archived from the original on August 29, 2014.
  9. ↑ Mullen, Bryan (April 16, 2017). "Ames victorious at Mitsubishi Electric Classic". PGA Tour . Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Stephen Ames wins Champions Tour event, Mike Weir comes 2nd". CBC.ca. Associated Press. June 6, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Canada's Ames wins Boeing Classic for 4th victory of season, ties tournament record". CBC Sports. The Associated Press. August 13, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Canada's Stephen Ames secures Principal Charity Classic title for 3rd win of season". CBC Sports. Field Level Media. June 4, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  13. ↑ Stephen Ames to become a Canadian citizen Archived 2011-07-14 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ↑ "Trinidadian Stephen Ames named to Cda's Golf Hall of Fame". Share News. September 3, 2014. Archived from the original on June 25, 2016.
  15. ↑ Stephen Ames named Sportsman of the Year 2006 Archived 2011-10-05 at the Wayback Machine
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