John Cook (golfer)
John Cook | |||
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![]() | |||
Personal information | |||
Full name | John Neuman Cook | ||
Nickname | Cookie | ||
Born | Toledo, Ohio, U.S. | October 2, 1957||
Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
Weight | 175 lb (79 kg; 12.5 st) | ||
Sporting nationality | ![]() | ||
Residence | Windermere, Florida, U.S. | ||
Spouse | Jan | ||
Children | 3 | ||
Career | |||
College | Ohio State University | ||
Turned professional | 1979 | ||
Current tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions | ||
Former tour(s) | PGA Tour | ||
Professional wins | 28 | ||
Highest ranking | 7 (October 11, 1992)[1] | ||
Number of wins by tour | |||
PGA Tour | 11 | ||
PGA Tour Champions | 10 | ||
Other | 7 | ||
Best results in major championships | |||
Masters Tournament | T21: 1981 | ||
PGA Championship | T2: 1992 | ||
U.S. Open | T4: 1981 | ||
The Open Championship | 2nd: 1992 | ||
Achievements and awards | |||
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John Neuman Cook (born October 2, 1957) is an American professional golfer, who won eleven times on the PGA Tour and was a member of the Ryder Cup team in 1993. He was ranked in the top ten of the Official World Golf Ranking for 45 weeks in 1992 and 1993.[2] Cook currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions and is a studio analyst on Golf Channel.
Early life
[edit]Born in Toledo, Ohio, Cook is the son of PGA Tour official Jim Cook and grew up in southern California.[3] He attended Miraleste High School in Rancho Palos Verdes and graduated in 1976.[4] In addition to golf, Cook was a promising but undersized quarterback in football through his sophomore year. He was advised by his high school golf coach (who also coached football) to concentrate on golf, which would give him his best opportunity for a collegiate scholarship. The coach, Wilbur Lucas, later said it was the only time he suggested an athlete drop a sport.[5] Cook was also coached by former PGA Tour star Ken Venturi.[6]
Amateur career
[edit]Cook was offered a scholarship to Ohio State University in Columbus, and was personally advised to accept by Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf. He was a member of the Buckeyes' 1979 NCAA Championship team, which also included Joey Sindelar.[3][7][8]
Cook won the U.S. Amateur in 1978 at age 20,[9] and nearly won it again in 1979, falling to Mark O'Meara in the finals.[10][11][12] He won the Sunnehanna Amateur in 1977 and 1979 and the California State Amateur in 1975. Cook won the Ohio Amateur in 1978 and 1979, and also won the 1978 and 1979 Northeast Amateur held at Wannamoisett Country Club. Following the 1979 U.S. Amateur in early September, Cook turned professional.
Professional career
[edit]Cook played his first PGA Tour event as a professional in September 1979. He played the Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic, the tour's annual event in Napa County, California on a sponsor's exemption. The Associated Press opened its report by stating, "A professional golfing career that will be watched closely, that of 1978 U.S. Amateur golf champion John Cook, began today in Napa's $300,000 PGA Tour event."[13]
Cook's first PGA Tour victory came in the 1981 storm-plagued Bing Crosby National Pro-Am. The event was shortened to 54 holes due to the weather conditions. Cook won the title on the third extra hole after a five-way sudden-death playoff that included Hale Irwin, Bobby Clampett, Ben Crenshaw, and Barney Thompson.[14] Irwin, the last of the four men that Cook eliminated in the playoff, was gracious in defeat: "John is a special young man. He deserved to win. He is one of the best new young players on the tour."[15]
Cook's second PGA Tour win came in 1983 at the Canadian Open. He won with a birdie putt on the sixth extra hole of a playoff against Johnny Miller, after both players parred the first five extra holes.[16]
At the 1990 Las Vegas Invitational, Cook lost a playoff to Bob Tway in memorable fashion. On the first hole of sudden-death, Cook hit a sand wedge shot into the hole from 95 yards for an apparent birdie only to see the ball bounce out of the hole and come to rest 15 feet (4.5 m) away and off the green.[17] Tway won the playoff with a routine par.
In 1992, Cook won three tour events, including a two-shot victory at the United Airlines Hawaiian Open after shooting two closing rounds of 65. He moved into the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time that year.
Cook has had seven top-10 finishes in major championships. The closest he came to winning a major during his career was when he led The Open Championship at Muirfield in 1992 by two shots late in the final round. Cook missed a two-foot (0.6 m) birdie putt on the 17th that would have given him a three-shot lead. He bogeyed the 18th and lost the Open by one stroke to Nick Faldo, who birdied two of the last four holes to overtake Cook. Afterward, Cook said, "I definitely let one slip away. I had a chance to win a major championship and I didn't."[18]
Cook had at least one PGA Tour win from 1996 through 1998. His victory in the FedEx St. Jude Classic in 1996 came after his opening three rounds (64-62-63) broke the lowest total in PGA Tour history for the first 54 holes at 189.[19] He appeared as himself in a non-speaking role in the 1996 film Tin Cup. The last of Cook's eleven PGA Tour wins came in the Reno-Tahoe Open in 2001 at age 43.
Senior career
[edit]In October 2007, Cook became eligible to play on the Champions Tour. In his second start, he won the AT&T Championship in San Antonio, nineteen days after his 50th birthday, two strokes ahead of Mark O'Meara and earned $240,000 for his first win in over six years.[20] A year later, at the same event, he captured his second Champions Tour win, coming from behind with a 65 in the final round to win by three strokes over Keith Fergus.
Cook won his third career title on the Champions Tour in 2009 at the Administaff Small Business Classic by two strokes over Bob Tway and Jay Haas. Two weeks later, Cook picked up his fourth Champions Tour win at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship by five strokes over Russ Cochran. Cook set a scoring record at the tournament, shooting 22-under-par, with a 10-under-par 62 in the second round. Cook successfully defended this title in the 2010 Charles Schwab Cup Championship, winning by two strokes over Michael Allen.
Cook has had some near-misses in senior majors. At the Senior British Open at Royal Troon in 2008, he lost a playoff to Bruce Vaughan. At The Tradition in 2009 at Crosswater in Sunriver, Oregon, Cook bogeyed the 72nd hole and lost a playoff to Mike Reid. In 2011, Fred Couples defeated Cook on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff in the Senior Players Championship at Westchester.[21]
Personal life
[edit]Cook currently resides in Windermere, Florida, with his wife Jan. He has three children.[22] His son, Jason, played golf for Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. He is a Republican, and was unwilling to meet Bill Clinton at the White House before the 1993 Ryder Cup due to Clinton's tax hikes.[23]
Cook has helped design a golf course in Ashville, Ohio, with help from his sister Cathy Cook, also a former standout player at nearby Ohio State. The course, formerly known as Cooks Creek Golf Club, has permanently closed.
Awards and honors
[edit]Cook was inducted into the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame in 1986.
Amateur wins
[edit]- 1975 California State Amateur
- 1977 Sunnehanna Amateur
- 1978 U.S. Amateur, Northeast Amateur, Ohio Amateur
- 1979 Sunnehanna Amateur, Northeast Amateur, Porter Cup, Ohio Amateur
Professional wins (28)
[edit]PGA Tour wins (11)
[edit]No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Feb 2, 1981 | Bing Crosby National Pro-Am | 66-71-72=209* | −7 | Playoff | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
2 | Jul 31, 1983 | Canadian Open | 68-71-70-68=277 | −7 | Playoff | ![]() |
3 | Aug 16, 1987 | The International | 11 pts (5-0-4-11=11) | 2 points | ![]() | |
4 | Jan 19, 1992 | Bob Hope Chrysler Classic | 65-73-63-69-66=336 | −24 | Playoff | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
5 | Feb 9, 1992 | United Airlines Hawaiian Open | 67-68-65-65=265 | −23 | 2 strokes | ![]() |
6 | Oct 11, 1992 | Las Vegas Invitational | 68-66-62-70-68=334 | −26 | 2 strokes | ![]() |
7 | Jun 23, 1996 | FedEx St. Jude Classic | 64-62-63-69=258 | −26 | 7 strokes | ![]() |
8 | Jul 28, 1996 | CVS Charity Classic | 65-67-67-69=268 | −16 | 3 strokes | ![]() |
9 | Jan 19, 1997 | Bob Hope Chrysler Classic (2) | 66-69-67-62-63=327 | −33 | 1 stroke | ![]() |
10 | May 17, 1998 | GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic | 66-68-66-65=265 | −15 | 3 strokes | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
11 | Aug 26, 2001 | Reno–Tahoe Open | 69-64-74-64=271 | −17 | 1 stroke | ![]() |
*Note: The 1981 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am was shortened to 54 holes due to weather.
PGA Tour playoff record (3–3)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1981 | Bing Crosby National Pro-Am | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Won with par on third extra hole Clampett, Crenshaw and Thompson eliminated by birdie on first hole |
2 | 1983 | Canadian Open | ![]() |
Won with birdie on sixth extra hole |
3 | 1986 | Bob Hope Chrysler Classic | ![]() |
Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
4 | 1990 | Federal Express St. Jude Classic | ![]() |
Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
5 | 1990 | Las Vegas Invitational | ![]() |
Lost to par on first extra hole |
6 | 1992 | Bob Hope Chrysler Classic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Won with eagle on fourth extra hole Fehr eliminated by birdie on second hole Kite and O'Meara eliminated by birdie on first hole |
Latin American wins (2)
[edit]- 1982 Smirnoff Open (Brazil)
- 1995 Mexican Open
Other wins (5)
[edit]No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runners-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Dec 11, 1983 | World Cup (with ![]() |
140-140-145-140=565 | −11 | 7 strokes | ![]() ![]() |
2 | Aug 23, 1994 | Fred Meyer Challenge (with ![]() |
63-62=125 | −17 | Playoff | ![]() ![]() |
3 | Aug 15, 1995 | Ernst Championship | 71-63=134 | −8 | 1 stroke | ![]() |
4 | Aug 8, 2000 | Fred Meyer Challenge (2) (with ![]() |
64-61=125 | −19 | Playoff | ![]() ![]() |
5 | Nov 20, 2010 | Gary Player Invitational (with ![]() |
66-66=132 | −14 | 1 stroke | ![]() ![]() |
Other playoff record (2–1)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1994 | Fred Meyer Challenge (with ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
Won with par on second extra hole |
2 | 1998 | Franklin Templeton Shark Shootout (with ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
Lost to birdie on third extra hole |
3 | 2000 | Fred Meyer Challenge (with ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
Champions Tour wins (10)
[edit]Legend |
---|
Tour Championships (2) |
Other Champions Tour (8) |
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Oct 21, 2007 | AT&T Championship | 65-68-65=198 | −15 | 2 strokes | ![]() |
2 | Oct 26, 2008 | AT&T Championship (2) | 69-63-65=197 | −16 | 3 strokes | ![]() |
3 | Oct 18, 2009 | Administaff Small Business Classic | 65-72-68=205 | −11 | 2 strokes | ![]() ![]() |
4 | Nov 1, 2009 | Charles Schwab Cup Championship | 68-62-67-69=266 | −22 | 5 strokes | ![]() |
5 | Nov 8, 2010 | Charles Schwab Cup Championship (2) | 64-69-67-67=267 | −17 | 2 strokes | ![]() |
6 | Jan 23, 2011 | Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai | 66-64-64=194 | −22 | 2 strokes | ![]() |
7 | Apr 17, 2011 | Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am | 66-65-73=204 | −9 | Playoff | ![]() |
8 | Jul 3, 2011 | Montreal Championship | 63-66-66=195 | −21 | 3 strokes | ![]() |
9 | Jan 20, 2013 | Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai (2) | 66-66-67=199 | −17 | Playoff | ![]() |
10 | Sep 28, 2014 | Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach | 67-68-69=204 | −11 | 1 stroke | ![]() |
Champions Tour playoff record (2–6)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2008 | The Senior Open Championship | ![]() |
Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
2 | 2009 | JELD-WEN Tradition | ![]() |
Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
3 | 2010 | Allianz Championship | ![]() |
Lost to eagle on first extra hole |
4 | 2010 | Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
Lost to par on second extra hole |
5 | 2011 | Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am | ![]() |
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
6 | 2011 | Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship | ![]() |
Lost to birdie on third extra hole |
7 | 2011 | Songdo IBD Championship | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Blake won with birdie on fifth extra hole O'Meara and Senior eliminated by par on third hole |
8 | 2013 | Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai | ![]() |
Won with birdie on second extra hole |
Results in major championships
[edit]Tournament | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 39 | ||
U.S. Open | CUT | T53 | |
The Open Championship | |||
PGA Championship |
Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T21 | CUT | CUT | T24 | CUT | |||||
U.S. Open | T53 | T4 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T35 | T36 | T50 | ||
The Open Championship | CUT | |||||||||
PGA Championship | T19 | T34 | T20 | CUT | T53 | T28 | T48 |
Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | CUT | T54 | T39 | T46 | CUT | CUT | 43 | CUT | ||
U.S. Open | T19 | T13 | T25 | 5 | T62 | T16 | T36 | CUT | T60 | |
The Open Championship | 2 | CUT | T55 | T40 | CUT | |||||
PGA Championship | CUT | T2 | T6 | T4 | CUT | T47 | T23 | 9 | CUT |
Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | CUT | ||||||
U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | T15 | T40 | |||
The Open Championship | CUT | ||||||
PGA Championship | CUT |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Summary
[edit]Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 7 |
U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 23 | 16 |
The Open Championship | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 |
PGA Championship | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 17 | 12 |
Totals | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 17 | 62 | 38 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 6 (1992 Masters – 1993 U.S. Open)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1992 Open Championship – 1992 PGA)
Results in The Players Championship
[edit]Tournament | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Players Championship | CUT | T41 | T3 | T44 | CUT | T7 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T3 | CUT | CUT | T23 | WD | CUT | T22 | T13 | T58 | CUT | T55 | CUT | WD |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Results in World Golf Championships
[edit]Tournament | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Match Play | R64 | R16 | R64 | ||
Championship | NT1 | T49 | |||
Invitational | T28 |
1Cancelled due to 9/11
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
NT = No tournament
Results in senior major championships
[edit]Results are not in chronological order prior to 2017.
Tournament | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Tradition | T14 | 2 | T6 | T25 | T38 | T6 | T29 | |||||
Senior PGA Championship | T16 | T17 | T36 | T13 | 2 | T21 | T66 | |||||
U.S. Senior Open | 5 | T19 | T3 | CUT | T6 | T35 | T24 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T44 | CUT |
Senior Players Championship | T7 | T5 | 65 | 2 | T20 | T36 | T12 | T47 | T54 | T54 | ||
Senior British Open Championship | 2 | CUT | T11 | 11 | T6 | T61 | T64 | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
U.S. national team appearances
[edit]Amateur
- Eisenhower Trophy: 1978 (winners)
Professional
- World Cup: 1983 (winners)
- Ryder Cup: 1993 (winners)
- UBS Warburg Cup: 2001 (winners)
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Week 41 1992 Ending 11 Oct 1992" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
- ^ "69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking". Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ^ a b "Cook follows Nicklaus pattern". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). June 9, 1979. p. 40.
- ^ 1976 Miraleste High School Yearbook Rancho Palos Verdes, California
- ^ Hanson, Scott (August 24, 2008). "Ben Crenshaw shoots a 67 to move up". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 26, 2008.
- ^ Golf Channel television broadcast of 2010 Charles Schwab Cup final round, November 7, 2010
- ^ "Deacons' Hallberg, Buckeyes triumph". Sunday Star News. (Wilmington, North Carolina). Associated Press. May 27, 1979. p. 3C.
- ^ "NCAA team scores, leaders". Sunday Star News. (Wilmington, North Carolina). May 27, 1979. p. 4C.
- ^ "Cook wins title over Scott Hoch". Wilmington Morning Star. (North Carolina). Associated Press. September 4, 1978. p. 3C.
- ^ "Ohio State's Cook makes Am finals". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. September 2, 1979. p. 5C.
- ^ "O'Meara dethrones Cook, easily wins U.S. Amateur". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. September 3, 1979. p. 32.
- ^ "U.S. Amateur Results: 1895 to Present". USGA. February 15, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ "Pro Debut For Cook At Napa". Carlsbad Current-Argus. September 20, 1979. p. B6. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
- ^ "Cook wins 5-way playoff". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. February 3, 1981. p. 1, part 2. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ^ Green, Bob (February 3, 1981). "Crosby winner Cook tops his example, Hale Irwin". Portsmouth Daily Times. (Ohio). Associated Press. p. 14.
- ^ "So many stories didn't spoil John Cook's pot". Evening Independent. (St. Petersburg, Florida). Associated Press. August 1, 1983. p. 3C.
- ^ "Cook's bad bounce lifts Tway in playoff". Milwaukee Sentinel. AP. October 15, 1990. p. 8, part 2. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Florence, Mal (July 20, 1992). "Cook's leftovers are Faldo feast: American folds late, gives Brit third Open". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ^ "Cook 24 Under After 3 Rounds, Setting Record". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. June 23, 1996. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ^ "In only second start, Cook wins his first Champions Tour title". PGA Tour. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ^ Gola, Hank (August 22, 2011). "Fred Couples defeats John Cook on third hole of sudden-death playoff at Senior Players Championship". Daily News. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
- ^ "US Open PGA Golf Tour Sunday, Character Profile: John Cook". USA Network. Archived from the original on January 9, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ^ "Golfers Don't Go Gaga Over White House Trip". Orlando Sentinel. June 19, 1993.
External links
[edit]- John Cook at the PGA Tour official site
- John Cook at the Official World Golf Ranking official site
- American male golfers
- Ohio State Buckeyes men's golfers
- PGA Tour golfers
- PGA Tour Champions golfers
- Ryder Cup competitors for the United States
- Golfers from Ohio
- Golfers from California
- Golfers from Florida
- Sportspeople from Toledo, Ohio
- People from Windermere, Florida
- Sportspeople from Orange County, Florida
- 1957 births
- Living people