Vaughn Taylor (golfer)

Last updated
Vaughn Taylor
Personal information
Full nameVaughn Joseph Taylor
Born (1976-03-09) March 9, 1976 (age 49)
Roanoke, Virginia, U.S.
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight160 lb (73 kg; 11 st)
Sporting nationalityFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Residence Augusta, Georgia, U.S.
SpouseLeot Taylor, divorced
Children1
Career
College Augusta State University
Turned professional1999
Current tour(s) PGA Tour
Former tour(s) Web.com Tour
NGA Hooters Tour
Professional wins8
Highest ranking 37 (April 15, 2007) [1]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour3
Korn Ferry Tour1
Other4
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament T10: 2007
PGA Championship T28: 2005
U.S. Open CUT: 1998, 2007
The Open Championship T66: 2006

Vaughn Joseph Taylor (born March 9, 1976) is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and Web.com Tour.

Contents

Early life

Taylor was born in Roanoke, Virginia. He was raised in Augusta, Georgia from infancy. He attended Hephzibah High School. [2] Taylor played golf for Augusta State University where he was an honorable mention All-American his senior season.

Professional career

In 1999, Taylor turned professional. He played his early years on the Hooters and Nationwide Tours, getting valuable experience before playing his first full year with a PGA Tour card in 2004. He won four times on the NGA Hooters Tour, and once on the Nationwide Tour at the Knoxville Open. Taylor has three victories to his name on the PGA Tour; his first two victories coming in consecutive years at the Reno-Tahoe Open, an alternate event, in 2004 and 2005. His victory in 2004 was one of five wins by rookies that year and came after holing an 11-foot birdie on the first extra hole during a four-man sudden-death playoff. He had also previously had to sink a 14-foot birdie putt on the final hole of regulation play to make it into the playoff. In 2005, he led the event wire-to-wire and held a six-stroke advantage entering the final round, to claim a comfortable victory by three strokes from Jonathan Kaye.

After a year that included a career high six top-10s, Taylor qualified to play on the U.S. Ryder Cup team for the first time in 2006. He earned a half point for his team with a record of 0–1–1.

Taylor's highest world ranking was 37th in 2007 and career high in the FedEx Cup placing was 35th in 2010.

Taylor started the 2015–16 season playing on both the PGA Tour and Web.com Tour, having only past champion status on the PGA Tour after finishing 151st in the FedEx Cup, just a fraction of a point from conditional status. He made two starts on the PGA Tour before making two starts on the Web.com Tour, where he missed the cut in Panama and withdrew due to illness in Colombia. In February 2016, Taylor won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, his first PGA Tour win since August 2005. [3] He started the week as first alternate, only earning entry after Carl Pettersson withdrew, and had not been fully exempt since 2012. The win was also Taylor's first at a non-alternate event and moved him from 447th in the world to 100th. [4]

Personal life

Taylor lives in the Augusta, Georgia area with his wife, Leot.

Professional wins (8)

PGA Tour wins (3)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1Aug 22, 2004 Reno–Tahoe Open −10 (67-67-69-75=278)Playoff Flag of Australia (converted).svg Stephen Allan, Flag of the United States.svg Hunter Mahan,
Flag of the United States.svg Scott McCarron
2Aug 21, 2005 Reno–Tahoe Open (2)−21 (64-67-64-72=267)3 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Jonathan Kaye
3Feb 14, 2016 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am −17 (70-68-67-65=270)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Phil Mickelson

PGA Tour playoff record (1–2)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 2004 Reno–Tahoe Open Flag of Australia (converted).svg Stephen Allan, Flag of the United States.svg Hunter Mahan,
Flag of the United States.svg Scott McCarron
Won with birdie on first extra hole
2 2009 Turning Stone Resort Championship Flag of the United States.svg Matt Kuchar Lost to par on sixth extra hole
3 2010 Shell Houston Open Flag of the United States.svg Anthony Kim Lost to par on first extra hole

Nationwide Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner-up
1Jun 29, 2003 Knoxville Open −20 (68-69-67-64=268)Playoff Flag of the United States.svg Joe Ogilvie

Nationwide Tour playoff record (1–0)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 2003 Knoxville Open Flag of the United States.svg Joe Ogilvie Won with birdie on first extra hole

NGA Hooters Tour wins (4)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1Aug 8, 1999Hooters Classic (Echo Farms)−16 (68-66-66-72=272)2 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Jason Buha, Flag of the United States.svg John Kimbell
2Feb 18, 2001NGA Meadow Brook Golf Classic−21 (63-69-64-63=259)6 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Greg Gregory, Flag of the United States.svg Zoran Zorkic
3Apr 8, 2001Triad Classic−22 (66-65-65-66=262)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Eric Epperson
4Mar 16, 2003Southern Hills Classic−28 (67-68-62-63=260)6 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Joe Meade

Results in major championships

Tournament19981999
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship
Tournament2000200120022003200420052006200720082009
Masters Tournament CUTT10CUT
U.S. Open CUT
The Open Championship T66CUT
PGA Championship T28CUTCUTCUT
Tournament2010201120122013201420152016
Masters Tournament CUT
U.S. Open
The Open Championship
PGA Championship CUTT33
  Top 10
  Did not play

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

Summary

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament 00001141
U.S. Open 00000020
The Open Championship 00000021
PGA Championship 00000062
Totals000011144

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament20052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021
The Players Championship T32T8CUTCUTCUTCUTCUTCUTCUTCUTT41CCUT
  Top 10
  Did not play

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

Results not in chronological order prior to 2015.

Tournament200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016
Championship T32
Match Play
Invitational T18T61T27T38
Champions
  Did not play

"T" = tied
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

U.S. national team appearances

See also

References

  1. "Week 15 2007 Ending 15 Apr 2007" (pdf). OWGR . Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  2. "Vaughn Taylor profile". PGA Tour. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  3. "Vaughn Taylor wins Pebble Beach as Phil Mickelson lips out putt on 18". ESPN. Associated Press. February 15, 2016.
  4. "Schwartzel Strolls To Tshwane Victory". OWGR. February 15, 2016.