Steve Elkington

Last updated

Steve Elkington
Senior Open 2013 - Steve Elkington (9370956214) (cropped).jpg
Elkington in 2023
Personal information
Full nameStephen John Elkington
Born (1962-12-08) 8 December 1962 (age 61)
Inverell, New South Wales, Australia
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight190 lb (86 kg; 14 st)
Sporting nationalityFlag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Residence Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Houston, Texas, U.S.
SpouseLisa Elkington
Children2
Career
College University of Houston
Turned professional1985
Former tour(s) PGA Tour
PGA Tour Champions
Professional wins17
Highest ranking 3 (20 April 1997) [1]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour10
Asian Tour1
PGA Tour of Australasia1
Other5
Best results in major championships
(wins: 1)
Masters Tournament T3: 1993
PGA Championship Won: 1995
U.S. Open T21: 1989, 1990
The Open Championship T2: 2002
Achievements and awards
Vardon Trophy 1995

Stephen John Elkington (born 8 December 1962) is an Australian professional golfer on the PGA Tour Champions. Formerly on the PGA Tour, he spent more than fifty weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking from 1995 to 1998. [2] Elkington won a major title at the PGA Championship in 1995, [3] and is a two-time winner of The Players Championship. [4] [5]

Contents

Early years

Born in Inverell, New South Wales, [6] Elkington grew up in Wagga Wagga. [7] He moved to the United States to attend college in Texas at the University of Houston, [6] where he played on the Cougar golf team that won national titles in 1982, 1984, and 1985. [8] Elkington was the first prominent Australian to play college golf in the U.S., and turned professional in 1985. [6]

Professional career

Elkington in 2008 PlayersElkington.JPG
Elkington in 2008

Elkington was the runner-up at the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament in December 1986 to earn his tour card for 1987. [9] He had ten victories on the PGA Tour, all in the 1990s, and won four events twice. Elkington had ten top-10 finishes in major championships, with the best results at the PGA Championship; he won in 1995 at Riviera, [3] and a tied for second in 2005 at Baltusrol, behind winner Phil Mickelson, [10] [11] which moved him back into the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He is a two-time winner of The Players Championship, the PGA Tour's marquee event, with victories in 1991 and 1997. Of the five to win twice at TPC Sawgrass, his span of six years between wins is the shortest.

In addition to his PGA Tour success, Elkington won the 1992 Australian Open and 1996 Honda Invitational on the Asian Tour. [12]

Elkington was a participant in the first four editions of the Presidents Cup, on the International Team in 1994, 1996, 1998, and 2000. In 1995, he was awarded the Vardon Trophy; this award is given annually by the PGA of America to the tour player with the lowest scoring average.

In June 2006, playing in a sectional to qualify for the U.S. Open, Elkington tried to wear shoes with metal spikes. When his attempt was rebuffed, he left rather than change to soft-spiked shoes, and argued that since spiked shoes were allowed in the U.S. Open, the following week, that they should be allowed at sectional events. [13]

Elkington's career has been hampered by constant battles with allergies, notably to grass, which caused several absences from tournament play. He has had sinus surgeries, constant infections, and bouts with viral meningitis, as well as searing headaches. [3]

As of 2013, Elkington had sponsorship/endorsement deals with apparel brand Oxford Golf, Insperity, World Golf Tour, Grieve Family Winery, and Par West Custom Golf Shoes. [14]

He turned fifty in late 2012 and made his debut on the Champions Tour in June 2013. [15]

Television

In 2014, RFD-TV began airing The Rural Golfer, starring Elkington. [16] The production followed Elkington as he toured the United States, digging up golf stories. In 2015, CBS Sports Network began airing the second season of the show, retitled Secret Golf with Steve Elkington. [17]

Personal life

Elkington met his wife, Lisa, while at the University of Houston, and they have two children. [18] The family has residences in both Australia and the U.S., at Sydney and Houston. His son Sam played golf on his high school team in Houston, [19] and played on the golf team at the University of Houston from 2015 to 2020. [20] His daughter works as a ceramics teacher.

Professional wins (17)

PGA Tour wins (10)

Legend
Major championships (1)
Players Championships (2)
Other PGA Tour (7)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
122 Apr 1990 KMart Greater Greensboro Open 74-71-71-66=282−62 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Mike Reid, Flag of the United States.svg Jeff Sluman
231 Mar 1991 The Players Championship 66-70-72-68=276−121 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Fuzzy Zoeller
312 Jan 1992 Infiniti Tournament of Champions 69-71-67-72=279−9Playoff Flag of the United States.svg Brad Faxon
42 Oct 1994 Buick Southern Open 66-66-68=200*−165 strokes Flag of Australia (converted).svg Steve Rintoul
58 Jan 1995 Mercedes Championships (2)69-71-71-67=278−10Playoff Flag of the United States.svg Bruce Lietzke
613 Aug 1995 PGA Championship 68-67-68-64=267−17Playoff Flag of Scotland.svg Colin Montgomerie
79 Mar 1997 Doral-Ryder Open 70-66-70-69=275−132 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Larry Nelson, Flag of Zimbabwe.svg Nick Price
830 Mar 1997 The Players Championship (2)66-69-68-69=272−167 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Scott Hoch
94 Oct 1998 Buick Challenge (2)66-70-66-65=267−21Playoff Flag of the United States.svg Fred Funk
107 Mar 1999 Doral-Ryder Open (2)72-70-69-64=275−131 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Greg Kraft

*Note: The 1994 Buick Southern Open was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.

PGA Tour playoff record (4–4)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1992 Infiniti Tournament of Champions Flag of the United States.svg Brad Faxon Won with birdie on first extra hole
21992 Buick Open Flag of the United States.svg Brad Faxon, Flag of the United States.svg Dan Forsman Forsman won with par on second extra hole
Faxon eliminated by par on first hole
31992 H.E.B. Texas Open Flag of Zimbabwe.svg Nick Price Lost to par on second extra hole
4 1993 KMart Greater Greensboro Open Flag of the United States.svg Rocco Mediate Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole
5 1995 Mercedes Championships Flag of the United States.svg Bruce Lietzke Won with birdie on second extra hole
61995 PGA Championship Flag of Scotland.svg Colin Montgomerie Won with birdie on first extra hole
7 1998 Buick Challenge Flag of the United States.svg Fred Funk Won with par on first extra hole
8 2002 The Open Championship Flag of Australia (converted).svg Stuart Appleby, Flag of South Africa.svg Ernie Els,
Flag of France.svg Thomas Levet 		Els won with par on first extra hole after four-hole aggregate playoff;
Els: E (4-3-5-4=16),
Levet: E (4-2-5-5=16),
Appleby: +1 (4-3-5-5=17),
Elkington: +1 (5-3-4-5=17)

Asian PGA Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory		Runner-up
15 May 1996 Honda Invitational 71-73-68-69=281−71 stroke Flag of the Philippines (navy blue).svg Felix Casas

PGA Tour of Australasia wins (1)

Legend
Flagship events (1)
Other PGA Tour of Australasia (0)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory		Runners-up
129 Nov 1992 Australian Open 69-68-69-74=280−82 strokes Flag of Australia (converted).svg Peter McWhinney, Flag of the United States.svg Duffy Waldorf

Other wins (5)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory		Runners-up
124 Aug 1993 Fred Meyer Challenge
(with Flag of the United States.svg Tom Purtzer)		63-63=128−161 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Fred Couples and Flag of the United States.svg Davis Love III,
Flag of the United States.svg Brad Faxon and Flag of the United States.svg Rick Fehr,
Flag of the United States.svg Jim Gallagher Jr. and Flag of the United States.svg Bruce Lietzke
221 Nov 1993 Franklin Funds Shark Shootout
(with Flag of the United States.svg Raymond Floyd)		62-64-62=188−281 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Mark Calcavecchia and Flag of the United States.svg Brad Faxon,
Flag of the United States.svg Hale Irwin and Flag of the United States.svg Bruce Lietzke,
Flag of the United States.svg Tom Kite and Flag of the United States.svg Davis Love III,
Flag of the United States.svg Mark O'Meara and Flag of the United States.svg Curtis Strange
319 Nov 1995 Franklin Templeton Shootout (2)
(with Flag of the United States.svg Mark Calcavecchia)		64-61-59=184−321 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Chip Beck and Flag of the United States.svg Lee Janzen
414 Dec 1997 Diners Club Matches
(with Flag of the United States.svg Jeff Maggert)		2 and 1 Flag of the United States.svg Tom Lehman and Flag of the United States.svg Duffy Waldorf
515 Nov 1998 Franklin Templeton Shark Shootout (3)
(with Flag of Australia (converted).svg Greg Norman)		67-64-58=189−27Playoff Flag of the United States.svg John Cook and Flag of the United States.svg Peter Jacobsen

Other playoff record (1–0)

No.YearTournamentOpponentsResult
11998 Franklin Templeton Shark Shootout
(with Flag of Australia (converted).svg Greg Norman)		 Flag of the United States.svg John Cook and Flag of the United States.svg Peter Jacobsen Won with birdie on third extra hole

Major championships

Wins (1)

YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner-up
1995 PGA Championship 6 shot deficit−17 (68-67-68-64=267)Playoff1 Flag of Scotland.svg Colin Montgomerie

1Defeated Montgomerie with birdie on first extra hole.

Results timeline

Tournament198819891990199119921993199419951996199719981999
Masters Tournament T22T37T3CUTT5CUTT1230T11
U.S. Open T21T21T55CUTT33T36T40T24CUTT51
The Open Championship CUTT44T34T48T67T6CUTCUTWDCUT
PGA Championship T31T41CUTT32T18T14T71T3T453
Tournament200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011
Masters Tournament T52CUT
U.S. Open T33CUT
The Open Championship T60CUTT2WDCUT
PGA Championship WDT48T2CUTT39CUTT5CUT
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

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

Summary

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament 001225118
U.S. Open 000003129
The Open Championship 010122157
PGA Championship 1125681913
Totals123810185737

The Players Championship

Wins (2)

YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner-up
1991 The Players Championship 4 shot deficit−12 (66-70-72-68=276)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Fuzzy Zoeller
1997 The Players Championship (2)2 shot lead−16 (66-69-68-69=272)7 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Scott Hoch

Results timeline

Tournament1987198819891990199119921993199419951996199719981999
The Players Championship CUTT54CUTT161CUTT16T51WDT191T38
Tournament2000200120022003200420052006200720082009
The Players Championship T63CUTT26T6T12T32CUT
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

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

Results in World Golf Championships

Tournament19992000200120022003200420052006
Match Play R64R64R64
Championship T34NT1WD
Invitational 39T23T49

1Cancelled due to 9/11

  Did not play

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
WD = Withdrew
NT = No tournament

Results in senior major championships

Tournament20132014
The Tradition T19T9
Senior PGA Championship WD
Senior Players Championship T24
U.S. Senior Open T6T49
Senior British Open Championship T11
  Top 10
  Did not play

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

Team appearances

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colin Montgomerie</span> Scottish professional golfer

Colin Stuart Montgomerie, OBE is a Scottish professional golfer. He has won a record eight European Tour Order of Merit titles, including a streak of seven consecutive from 1993 to 1999. He has won 31 European Tour events, the most of any British player, placing him fourth on the all-time list of golfers with most European Tour victories.

Hal Evan Sutton is an American professional golfer, currently playing on the PGA Tour Champions, who achieved 14 victories on the PGA Tour, including the 1983 PGA Championship and the 1983 and 2000 Players Championships. Sutton was also the PGA Tour's leading money winner in 1983 and named Player of the Year.

Curtis Northrup Strange is an American professional golfer and TV color commentator. He is the winner of consecutive U.S. Open titles and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. He spent over 200 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking between their debut in 1986 and 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rich Beem</span> American professional golfer

Richard Michael Beem is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and is best known for his upset victory at the 2002 PGA Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Couples</span> American professional golfer

Frederick Steven Couples is an American professional golfer who has competed on the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions. A former World No. 1, he has won 64 professional tournaments, most notably the Masters Tournament in 1992, and the Players Championship in 1984 and 1996. Couples became the oldest person to make the cut in the Masters Tournament history during the 2023 Tournament at 63 years, six months, and five days.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark O'Meara</span> American professional golfer

Mark Francis O'Meara is an American retired professional golfer. He was a tournament winner on the PGA Tour and around the world from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s. He spent nearly 200 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking from their debut in 1986 to 2000. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Funk</span> American professional golfer

Frederick Funk is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He previously played on the PGA Tour, where he was an eight-time winner. Funk's signature win came at The Players Championship in 2005 when he prevailed in a four-way playoff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Bjørn</span> Danish professional golfer

Thomas Bjørn is a Danish professional golfer who plays on the European Tour. He is the most successful Danish golfer to have played the game having won fifteen tournaments worldwide on the European Tour. In 1997 he also became the first Dane to qualify for a European Ryder Cup team. He captained the winning European side at the 2018 Ryder Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocco Mediate</span> American professional golfer (born 1962)

Rocco Anthony Mediate is an American professional golfer who has won six times on the PGA Tour and three times on the PGA Tour Champions. In the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines South Course, he finished runner-up after losing the first sudden-death hole after an 18-hole playoff to Tiger Woods. In 2016, Mediate won the Senior PGA Championship, one of the five senior majors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Campbell</span> New Zealand golfer (born 1969)

Michael Shane Campbell is a New Zealand professional golfer who is best known for having won the 2005 U.S. Open and, at the time, the richest prize in golf, the £1,000,000 HSBC World Match Play Championship, in the same year. He played on the European Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia.

Peter Erling Jacobsen is an American professional golfer and commentator on Golf Channel and NBC. He has played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. He has won seven events on the PGA Tour and two events on the Champions Tour, both majors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loren Roberts</span> American professional golfer (born 1955)

Loren Lloyd Roberts is an American professional golfer, who has played on the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geoff Ogilvy</span> Australian professional golfer

Geoff Charles Ogilvy is an Australian professional golfer. He won the 2006 U.S. Open and has also won three World Golf Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirk Triplett</span> American professional golfer

Kirk Alan Triplett is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour, and PGA Tour Champions.

John Drayton Mahaffey Jr. is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments including 10 PGA Tour events.

Orville James Moody was an American professional golfer who won numerous tournaments in his career. He won the U.S. Open in 1969, the last champion in the 20th century to win through local and sectional qualifying.

Robert Edwin Wadkins is an American professional golfer. His older brother, Lanny, won 21 times on the PGA Tour, including the 1977 PGA Championship, and is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Jeffrey Allan Maggert is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour Champions.

Johnny Ray Huston is an American professional golfer who won seven PGA Tour events and currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions.

Kim Si-woo, also known as Si Woo Kim, is a South Korean professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He won the 2017 Players Championship to become the youngest ever winner of the event at age 21.

References

  1. ↑ "Week 16 1997 Ending 20 Apr 1997" (pdf). OWGR . Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  2. ↑ 69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking
  3. 1 2 3 Reilly, Rick (21 August 1995). "Nothing to sneeze at". Sports Illustrated. p. 34.
  4. ↑ Garrity, John (8 April 1991). "From shadows to glory". Sports Illustrated. p. 28.
  5. ↑ Reilly, Rick (7 April 1997). "Show of shows". Sports Illustrated. p. 70.
  6. 1 2 3 "Profile on PGA Tour's official site" . Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  7. ↑ "Steve Elkington profile". Sporting Hall of Fame. Museum of the Riverina . Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  8. ↑ Duarte, Joseph (25 May 2016). "University of Houston looks to return to golf glory". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  9. ↑ "PGA Qualifying". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. 9 December 1986. p. B4.
  10. ↑ "Biographical information from PGA Tour's official site" . Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  11. ↑ "Golf Major Championships" . Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  12. ↑ "Sports Shorts". Associated Press News. 6 May 1996. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  13. ↑ Campbell, Steve (6 June 2006). "Elkington's metal spikes raise clatter". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  14. ↑ Emmett, James (16 May 2013). "Golf veteran Elkington nails a new deal for a new era - Sports Personal Endorsement news -". SportsPro. SportsPro Media. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  15. ↑ Crenshaw Jr., Solomon (5 June 2013). "Rookie Steve Elkington says there's a lot of shot-making on the Champions Tour". al.com. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  16. ↑ Sherman, Ed (24 July 2014). "No handicaps for these players: Steve Elkington show finds true winners in golf". www.shermanreport.com. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  17. ↑ Bastable, Alan (23 July 2015). "Steve Elkington: The Golf Magazine Interview". Golf.com. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  18. ↑ Verdi, Bob (17 May 2004). "A Throwback from the Outback". ESPN. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  19. ↑ Stone, Peter (9 June 2012). "Son takes his turn with the master stroke". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  20. ↑ "Sam Elkington Bio – Men's Golf". University of Houston Official Athletic Site. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.