Hale Irwin
| Hale Irwin | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Hale S. Irwin |
| Born | June 3, 1945 Joplin, Missouri |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Career | |
| College | University of Colorado at Boulder |
| Turned professional | 1968 |
| Current tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions Tour |
| Professional wins | 87 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 20 |
| Japan Golf Tour | 1 |
| Champions Tour | 45 (1st all time) |
| Other | 9 (regular) 12 (senior) |
| Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 3) |
|
| Masters Tournament | T4: 1974, 1975 |
| U.S. Open | Won: 1974, 1979, 1990 |
| The Open Championship | T2: 1983 |
| PGA Championship | T5: 1975 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| World Golf Hall of Fame | 1992 (member page) |
| Champions Tour leading money winner |
1997, 1998, 2002 |
| Champions Tour Player of the Year |
1997, 1998, 2002 |
| Champions Tour Rookie of the Year |
1995 |
| Byron Nelson Award (Champions Tour) |
1996, 1997, 1998, 2002 |
Hale S. Irwin (born June 3, 1945) is an American professional golfer. He is one of the few players in history to have won three U.S. Opens and was one of the world's leading golfers for much of the 1970s and 1980s. He has also developed a career as a golf course architect.
Irwin was born in Joplin, Missouri, but was raised in Baxter Springs, Kansas. He graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1967, where he was a two-time All-Big Eight defensive back, as well as an academic All-American in football. He won the individual NCAA Division I Championship in golf in 1967 and turned professional the following year.
Irwin had 20 victories on the PGA Tour beginning with the 1971 Sea Pines Heritage Classic and finishing with the 1994 MCI Heritage Golf Classic, and won prize money of just under six million dollars. His 1994 Heritage win at the age of nearly 49 made him one of the oldest winners in Tour history. He also won two Piccadilly World Match Play Championships at Wentworth in the 1970s. His successes kept him ranked high among his peers - he was ranked among the top five in McCormack's World Golf Rankings in every year from 1975 to 1979, inclusive. He ranked in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for a few weeks in 1991.[1]
Irwin played on five Ryder Cup teams: 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, and 1991.
Irwin's first U.S. Open triumph came at Winged Foot in 1974, and he added a second in 1979. The next month, he came to the final round of The Open Championship with a two-shot lead, but was thwarted in his attempt at an historic double by the incredible recovery play of Seve Ballesteros. In 1983, Irwin had another close tilt at the Open, but lost by a shot, after whiffing on a very short putt during the third round of play. He was rarely on leaderboards from then for most of the rest of the 1980s, but enjoyed an incredible swansong in 1990, capped by his third U.S. Open victory, which came in a playoff against Mike Donald which Irwin had only joined after holing an improbable 45-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole.
Irwin qualified to play on the over-50 Champions Tour (formerly the Senior PGA Tour) in 1995 and has enjoyed even greater success at this level than he did on the PGA Tour. He has won 45 Champions Tour titles and tops the all-time Champions Tour money list with earnings of over USD $23 million. He was the winner of the U.S. Senior Open in 1998 and 2000.
Irwin was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1992.
In 2000, Irwin was ranked as the 19th greatest golfer of all time by Golf Digest magazine.[2]
Irwin is the uncle of Heath Irwin.
Contents |
[edit] Amateur wins (1)
[edit] Professional wins (87)
[edit] PGA Tour wins (20)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 28, 1971 | Sea Pines Heritage Classic | -5 (68-73-68-70=279) | 1 stroke | Bob Lunn |
| 2 | Sep 16, 1973 | Sea Pines Heritage Classic | -12 (69-66-65-72=272) | 5 strokes | Jerry Heard, Grier Jones |
| 3 | Jun 16, 1974 | U.S. Open | +7 (73-70-71-73=287) | 2 strokes | Forrest Fezler |
| 4 | Jun. 1, 1975 | Atlanta Classic | -17 (66-69-68-68=271) | 4 strokes | Tom Watson |
| 5 | Jun 29, 1975 | Western Open | -1 (71-68-71-73=283) | 1 stroke |  Bobby Cole |
| 6 | Feb 22, 1976 | Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open | -12 (69-69-66-68=272) | 2 strokes | Tom Watson |
| 7 | Mar 7, 1976 | Florida Citrus Open | -18 (74-66-64-66=270) | Playoff | Kermit Zarley |
| 8 | May 29, 1977 | Atlanta Classic | -15 (70-70-66-67=273) | 1 stroke | Steve Veriato |
| 9 | Aug 28, 1977 | Colgate Hall of Fame Golf Classic | -20 (65-62-69-68=264) | 5 strokes | Leonard Thompson |
| 10 | Oct 16, 1977 | San Antonio Texas Open | -14 (68-67-64-67=266) | 2 strokes | Miller Barber |
| 11 | Jun 17, 1979 | U.S. Open | Even (74-68-67-75=284) | 2 strokes | Jerry Pate, Gary Player |
| 12 | Feb 14, 1981 | Hawaiian Open | -23 (68-66-62-69=265) | 6 strokes | Don January |
| 13 | Aug 23, 1981 | Buick Open | -11 (65-73-67-72=277) | Playoff | Bobby Clampett, Peter Jacobsen, Gil Morgan |
| 14 | Mar 14, 1982 | Honda Inverrary Classic | -19 (65-71-67-66=269) | 1 stroke | George Burns, Tom Kite |
| 15 | May 29, 1983 | Memorial Tournament | -7 (71-71-70-69=281) | 1 stroke | Ben Crenshaw,  David Graham |
| 16 | Feb 5, 1984 | Bing Crosby National Pro-Am | -10 (69-69-68-72=278) | Playoff |  Jim Nelford |
| 17 | May 26, 1985 | Memorial Tournament | -14 (72-67-68-67=274) | 1 stroke | Lanny Wadkins |
| 18 | Jun 18, 1990 | U.S. Open | -8 (69-70-74-67=280) | Playoff | Mike Donald |
| 19 | Jun 24, 1990 | Buick Classic | -15 (66-69-68-66=269) | 2 strokes | Paul Azinger |
| 20 | Apr 17, 1994 | MCI Heritage Golf Classic | -18 (68-65-65-68=266) | 1 stroke | Greg Norman |
[edit] Japan Golf Tour wins (1)
- 1981 Bridgestone Open
[edit] Other wins (9)
- 1974 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship
- 1975 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship
- 1978 Australian PGA Championship, South African PGA Championship
- 1979 World Cup (team - with John Mahaffey and individual)
- 1982 Brazil Open
- 1986 Bahamas Classic
- 1987 Fila Classic
[edit] Champions Tour wins (45)
- 1995 (2) Ameritech Senior Open, Vantage Championship
- 1996 (2) American Express Invitational, PGA Seniors' Championship
- 1997 (9) MasterCard Championship, LG Championship, PGA Seniors' Championship, Las Vegas Senior Classic, Burnet Senior Classic, BankBoston Classic, Boone Valley Classic, Vantage Championship, Hyatt Regency Maui Kaanapali Classic
- 1998 (7) Toshiba Senior Classic, PGA Seniors' Championship, Las Vegas Senior Classic, Ameritech Senior Open, U.S. Senior Open, BankBoston Classic, Energizer Senior Tour Championship
- 1999 (5) Nationwide Championship, Boone Valley Classic, Ford Senior Players Championship, Ameritech Senior Open, Coldwell Banker Burnet Classic
- 2000 (4) Nationwide Championship, BellSouth Senior Classic at Opryland, U.S. Senior Open, EMC Kaanapali Classic
- 2001 (3) Siebel Classic in Silicon Valley, Bruno's Memorial Classic, Turtle Bay Championship
- 2002 (4) ACE Group Classic, Toshiba Senior Classic, 3M Championship, Turtle Bay Championship
- 2003 (2) Kinko's Classic of Austin, Turtle Bay Championship
- 2004 (2) Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, Senior PGA Championship
- 2005 (4) Turtle Bay Championship, Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am, Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, SAS Championship
- 2007 (1) MasterCard Championship at Hualalai
Senior majors are shown in bold.
[edit] Other senior wins (12)
- 1995 Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (with Raymond Floyd and Jack Nicklaus)
- 1996 Lexus Challenge (with Sean Connery)
- 1997 Senior Slam at Los Cabos
- 1998 Senior Match Play Challenge, Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (with Gil Morgan and Larry Nelson)
- 1999 Senior Skins Game, Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (with Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson)
- 2000 Our Lucaya Senior Slam
- 2001 Senior Skins Game
- 2002 Senior Skins Game
- 2003 Office Depot Father/Son Challenge (with son Steve)
- 2005 Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (with Jay Haas and Craig Stadler)
[edit] Major championships
[edit] Wins (3)
| Year | Championship | 54 Holes | Winning Score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | U.S. Open | 1 shot deficit | +7 (73-70-71-73=287) | 2 strokes | Forrest Fezler |
| 1979 | U.S. Open (2) | 3 shot lead | E (74-68-67-75=284) | 2 strokes | Jerry Pate,  Gary Player |
| 1990 | U.S. Open (3) | 4 shot deficit | -8 (69-70-74-67-74=280) | Playoff1 | Mike Donald |
1Defeated Mike Donald with a birdie on the 19th hole after they were tied at 74 (+2) after an 18-hole playoff.
[edit] Results timeline
| Tournament | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | T61 | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | T13 | CUT | DNP | T4 | T4 | T5 | 5 | 8 | T23 |
| U.S. Open | DNP | T19 | T36 | T20 | 1 | T3 | T26 | T41 | T4 | 1 |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T24 | T9 | T32 | T46 | T24 | 6 |
| PGA Championship | T31 | T22 | T11 | T9 | DNP | T5 | T34 | T44 | T12 | CUT |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | CUT | T25 | CUT | T6 | T21 | T36 | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | T8 | T58 | T39 | T39 | 6 | 14 | CUT | CUT | T17 | T54 |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | T2 | T14 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | T30 | T16 | T42 | T14 | T25 | T32 | T26 | DNP | T38 | DNP |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | T10 | T47 | T27 | T18 | T14 | T29 | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | 1 | T11 | T51 | T62 | T18 | CUT | T50 | T52 | CUT | WD |
| The Open Championship | T53 | T57 | T19 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | T12 | T73 | T66 | T6 | T39 | T54 | DNP | T29 | DNP | T41 |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | T27 | T52 | CUT | WD | DNP |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT |
DNP = did not play
WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
[edit] Champions Tour major championships
[edit] Wins (7)
| Year | Championship | Winning Score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | PGA Seniors' Championship | −8 (66−74−69−71=280) | 2 strokes |  Isao Aoki |
| 1997 | PGA Seniors' Championship (2) | −14 (69−65−72−68=274) | 12 strokes | Dale Douglass, Jack Nicklaus |
| 1998 | PGA Seniors' Championship (3) | −13 (68−68−69−70=275) | 7 strokes | Larry Nelson |
| 1998 | U.S. Senior Open | +1 (77−68−71−69=285) | 1 stroke |  Vicente Fernández |
| 1999 | Ford Senior Players Championship | −21 (67−71−64−65=267) | 7 strokes | Graham Marsh |
| 2000 | U.S. Senior Open (2) | −17 (66−71−65−65=267) | 3 strokes | Bruce Fleisher |
| 2004 | Senior PGA Championship (4) | −8 (67−69−69−71=276) | 1 stroke | Jay Haas |
[edit] Results timeline
Results not in chronological order before 2011.
| Tournament | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Tradition | DNP | 2 | T13 | 4 | T20 | T37 | 3 | 6 |
| Senior PGA Championship | DNP | 1 | 1 | 1 | T11 | T2 | T5 | T2 |
| U.S. Senior Open | T5 | 2 | T5 | 1 | T3 | 1 | T11 | T11 |
| Senior Players Championship | T10 | 2 | T19 | 2 | 1 | T4 | 3 | T6 |
| Tournament | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Tradition | T10 | 13 | T42 | T32 | T52 | T41 | T38 | T50 | T45 |
| Senior PGA Championship | T15 | 1 | T46 | T23 | T42 | CUT | T59 | T65 | 4 |
| Senior British Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | T13 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Senior Open | DNP | 2 | 25 | T32 | CUT | T40 | T32 | CUT | T4 |
| Senior Players Championship | T12 | T9 | 2 | DNP | T7 | T27 | T15 | T41 | T45 |
The Senior British Open was not a Champions Tour major until 2003.
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
[edit] United States national team appearances
This list may be incomplete.
Professional
- Ryder Cup: 1975 (winners), 1977 (winners), 1979 (winners), 1981 (winners), 1991 (winners)
- Presidents Cup: 1994 (winners)
[edit] See also
- Golfers with most PGA Tour wins
- Golfers with most Champions Tour wins
- Golfers with most Champions Tour major championship wins
[edit] References
- ^ 69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking
- ^ Yocom, Guy (July 2000). "50 Greatest Golfers of All Time: And What They Taught Us". Golf Digest. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HFI/is_7_51/ai_63015233. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
[edit] External links
- Hale Irwin at the PGA Tour official site
- Hale Irwin at the Japan Golf Tour official site
- Hale Irwin on about.com
- University of Colorado - Athletics Hall of Fame - Hale Irwin
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- American male golfers
- PGA Tour golfers
- Champions Tour golfers
- Winners of men's major golf championships
- Winners of senior major golf championships
- World Golf Hall of Fame inductees
- Golf course architects
- Golfers from Missouri
- Golfers from Kansas
- Colorado Buffaloes football players
- Colorado Buffaloes men's golfers
- People from Joplin, Missouri
- People from Cherokee County, Kansas
- 1945 births
- Living people
