Scott Verplank

Scott Verplank
Scott Verplank
Personal information
Full name	Scott Rachal Verplank
Born	July 9, 1964 (age 60); Dallas, Texas
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight	165 lb (75 kg; 11.8 st)
Sporting nationality	United States
Residence	Edmond, Oklahoma
Spouse	Kim Verplank
Children	1 son, 3 daughters
Career
College	Oklahoma State University
Turned professional	1986
Current tour(s)	PGA Tour Champions
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour
Professional wins	7
Highest ranking	11 (October 21, 2001)
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	5
Other	2
Best results in major championships;
Masters Tournament	T8: 2003
PGA Championship	T4: 2011
U.S. Open	T7: 2007
The Open Championship	T7: 2004
Achievements and awards
PGA Tour Comeback; Player of the Year
PGA Tour Comeback; Player of the Year	1998
Ben Hogan Award	2002
NCAA Silver; Anniversary Award	2011

Scott Rachal Verplank (born July 9, 1964) is an American professional golfer, who has played on the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions.

Early years and amateur career

Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Verplank was a leading member of the W.T. White High School golf team and a regular at Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas. He graduated from high school in 1982 and attended Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. At OSU, he was a member of the 1983 NCAA Championship team, finishing T3 alongside teammates Tommy Moore, Willie Wood, Andy Dillard, and Philip Walton. He went on later to win the 1984 U.S. Amateur at the Oak Tree Golf Club, and in 1986, win the NCAA individual title.

Prior to his senior year at Oklahoma State, Veplank won the Western Open outside Chicago in August 1985; it was the first victory by an amateur on the PGA Tour in 29 years (Doug Sanders, 1956 Canadian Open).^[2]^[3] He defeated Jim Thorpe on the second extra hole of a playoff for the win at Butler National Golf Club in Oak Brook, Illinois.^[2]^[3]

Professional career

Verplank graduated and turned professional in 1986, using his two-year exemption on the PGA Tour; his first event as a pro was the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in June, his sixth tour event that year.^[4] He earned five wins on the PGA Tour, and two Ryder Cup appearances, in 2002 and 2006. Verplank has type 1 diabetes and uses an insulin pump during play.^[5] He was awarded the 2002 Ben Hogan Award, given by the Golf Writers Association of America to an individual who has continued to be active in golf despite a physical handicap or serious illness.^[5] Verplank has been featured in the top 20 of the Official World Golf Rankings, reaching as high as eleventh in 2001.

He hit a hole-in-one in the Ryder Cup, on the 14th hole during a singles match against Pádraig Harrington in 2006. The shot did not impact the overall result, however, as Europe had already won the trophy. Nonetheless, he was the first American player to card an ace during the Ryder Cup; his overall record in the competition is 4 wins and 1 loss.

Verplank's most recent win was the 2007 EDS Byron Nelson Championship, in which he defeated Luke Donald by one stroke. As a Dallas native, Verplank called the EDS Byron Nelson Championship "a fifth major," and also mentioned that "Byron was with me today" (the 2007 tournament was the first held after Nelson's death). His best finish in a major championship was a tie for fourth at the PGA Championship in 2011.

In December 2010, Verplank was named a 2011 winner of the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, given annually to six former NCAA student-athletes for distinguished career accomplishment on the 25th anniversary of their college graduation.^[6]

Verplank competed in the 2011 Arnold Palmer Invitational finishing T38 and then the following week at the Shell Houston Open in which Verplank finished T2 behind Phil Mickelson. Verplank had held a joint 54-hole lead with Mickelson and even held the lead on his own at a number of stages during the final round, however his lack of competitive golf proved costly throughout the final few holes and he was unable to close out the victory. This was his best finish on tour in 18 months since finishing T2 at the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2009. Verplank has amassed over $27 million in career earnings.

Verplank played the 2013 season on a Major Medical Extension after hip and wrist injuries in 2012. He started the 2014 season in a similar fashion, but was not able to satisfy the medical exemption and used his career money list exemption for the remainder of the season. Verplank turned 50 in July 2014 and made his Champions Tour debut at the U.S. Senior Open at Oak Tree National, near his residence in Edmond, Oklahoma.

Amateur wins (7)

1983 Porter Cup
1984 U.S. Amateur, Sunnehanna Amateur
1985 Western Amateur, Sunnehanna Amateur, Porter Cup
1986 NCAA individual title

Professional wins (7)

PGA Tour wins (5)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Aug 4, 1985	Western Open*	68-68-69-74=279	−9	Playoff	Jim Thorpe
2	Jul 31, 1988	Buick Open	66-66-70-66=268	−20	2 strokes	Doug Tewell
3	Aug 27, 2000	Reno-Tahoe Open	69-68-71-67=275	−13	Playoff	Jean van de Velde
4	Sep 9, 2001	Bell Canadian Open	70-63-66-67=266	−14	3 strokes	Joey Sindelar, Bob Estes
5	Apr 29, 2007	EDS Byron Nelson Championship	67-68-66-66=267	−13	1 stroke	Luke Donald

* Verplank won the Western Open as an amateur.

PGA Tour playoff record (2–4)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1985	Western Open	Jim Thorpe	Won with par on second extra hole
2	1998	Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic	Trevor Dodds	Lost to par on first extra hole
3	2000	Reno-Tahoe Open	Jean van de Velde	Won with birdie on fourth extra hole
4	2001	Verizon Byron Nelson Classic	Robert Damron	Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole
5	2004	Ford Championship at Doral	Craig Parry	Lost to eagle on first extra hole
6	2010	Travelers Championship	Corey Pavin, Bubba Watson	Watson won with par on second extra hole Pavin eliminated with par on first hole

Other wins (2)

1997 PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament
1998 World Cup of Golf - individual title (not a PGA Tour event)

Results in major championships

Tournament	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
Masters Tournament	CUT	CUT	CUT		CUT
U.S. Open	T34 LA	T15	CUT
The Open Championship		CUT		CUT
PGA Championship				CUT	CUT

Tournament	1990	1994	1995	1998	1999
Masters Tournament					CUT
U.S. Open	T61	T18	T21	T49	T17
The Open Championship					T15
PGA Championship	T31		CUT	T54	T34

Tournament	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Masters Tournament		CUT	43	T8	29	T20	T16	T30	CUT
U.S. Open	T46	T22	CUT	T10	T40	CUT	CUT	T7	T29
The Open Championship	CUT	T30	T37	CUT	T7	T23	T31	T57	T58
PGA Championship	CUT	T7	CUT	CUT	T62	T34	CUT	T9	CUT	CUT

Tournament	2010	2011	2012
Masters Tournament	T18		T54
U.S. Open	T47
The Open Championship	T76
PGA Championship	CUT	T4	WD

Top 10

Did not play

LA = Low amateur
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" = tied

Summary

Tournament	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	0	1	4	15	8
U.S. Open	0	2	7	18	14
The Open Championship	0	1	3	13	9
PGA Championship	1	3	3	19	8
Totals	1	7	17	65	39

Most consecutive cuts made – 5 (2004 Masters – 2005 Masters)
Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (2003 Masters – 2003 U.S. Open)

Results in World Golf Championship events

Tournament	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Accenture Match Play Championship	R32		R32	R32	R64	R64	R64	R32	R64	R64
CA Championship		T48	NT¹	T15	T51	T54	T62	T38		T40
Bridgestone Invitational			T17	T58	T46	T19	T51	T59	T9	T20

Tournament	2009	2010
Accenture Match Play Championship		R64
CA Championship		T30
Bridgestone Invitational	T51	T39
HSBC Champions

¹Cancelled due to September 11, 2001 attacks

Top 10

Did not play

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
NT = No tournament
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

Eisenhower Trophy: 1984
Walker Cup: 1985 (winners)

Professional

World Cup: 1998 (individual title), 2004
Ryder Cup: 2002, 2006
Presidents Cup: 2005 (winners), 2007 (winners)
Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (representing PGA Tour): 2006 (winners)

References

^ "Week 42 2001 Ending 21 Oct 2001" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
^ ^a ^b "Thorpe is not only victim of Verplank". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. August 5, 1985. p. C1.
^ ^a ^b "Amateur outduels pro for title". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). UPI. August 5, 1985. p. D2.
^ "Verplank opens with Open". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. June 12, 1986. p. 4F.
^ ^a ^b "European Tour biography". PGA European Tour. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
^ "NCAA Names Silver Anniversary Winners" (Press release). NCAA. December 1, 2010. Archived from the original on December 5, 2010. Retrieved April 4, 2011. {{cite press release}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

External links

Scott Verplank at the PGA Tour official site
Scott Verplank at the Official World Golf Ranking official site

[w200142-1] "Week 42 2001 Ending 21 Oct 2001" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved September 25, 2019.

[tinovov-2] "Thorpe is not only victim of Verplank". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. August 5, 1985. p. C1.

[amotdpft-3] "Amateur outduels pro for title". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). UPI. August 5, 1985. p. D2.

[vowopn-4] "Verplank opens with Open". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. June 12, 1986. p. 4F.

[etr-5] "European Tour biography". PGA European Tour. Retrieved October 22, 2013.

[6] "NCAA Names Silver Anniversary Winners" (Press release). NCAA. December 1, 2010. Archived from the original on December 5, 2010. Retrieved April 4, 2011. {{cite press release}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

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