Stephen Dodd
| Stephen Dodd | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Stephen Dodd |
| Born | 15 July 1966 Cardiff, Wales |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 187 lb (85 kg; 13.4 st) |
| Sporting nationality |  Wales |
| Residence | Barry, Wales |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1990 |
| Former tour(s) | European Tour Challenge Tour |
| Professional wins | 8 |
| Highest ranking | 56 (22 May 2005)[1] |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| European Tour | 3 |
| Challenge Tour | 1 |
| Other | 4 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | CUT: 1990 |
| PGA Championship | CUT: 2005, 2006 |
| U.S. Open | DNP |
| The Open Championship | CUT: 1989, 2005, 2006 |
Stephen Dodd (born 15 July 1966) is a Welsh professional golfer who after a relatively moderate career, unexpectedly won two events on the European Tour in the 2005 season at the age of 38.
Dodd was born in Cardiff. He had a successful amateur career highlighted by victory in The Amateur Championship at Royal Birkdale in 1989, which qualified him to play in The Open Championship that year and the U.S. Masters the following year. He was named Welsh sports personality of the year in 1989. He turned professional in 1990.
Dodd spent the early years of his professional career on Europe's second tier Challenge Tour. In 1992 he won the Bank Austria Open on that tour, but his results were generally patchy. He first gained his place on the main European Tour in 1995, but found himself returning to qualifying school every year until 2001, when he finally broke into the top 100 on the Order of Merit to automatically retain his playing status. He then steadily improved, having new personal best seasons in 2003 and 2004, finishing 80th and 58th respectively on the money list.
The 2005 season marked a sudden improvement in Dodd's fortunes. He won the first tournament he entered that season, the Volvo China Open (actually played in late 2004), which was one of several events co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the Asian Tour.[2] A few weeks later he picked up a new biggest paycheck of his career by coming tied second in the higher profile Dubai Desert Classic. He went on to win the Nissan Irish Open in May,[3] and in November he won the WGC-World Cup for Wales in partnership with Bradley Dredge. He finished the season ranked a career high 17th on the Order of Merit.
In 2006 Dodd won the Smurfit European Open, granting him a five year exemption on the European Tour.[4] He finished the season ranked 29th on the Order of Merit. Since then his form has dropped, and in 2008 he made just 4 cuts as he slipped to 245th on the end of season money list.
Personal life
Dodd resides in Barry, Wales with his wife Allison and their son Liam.
Amateur wins (3)
- 1989 The Amateur Championship, Welsh Amateur Championship, Welsh Amateur Open Stroke Play Championship
Professional wins (8)
European Tour wins (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 Nov 2004 (2005 season) |
Volvo China Open | –12 (68-70-70-68=276) | 3 strokes |  Thomas Bjørn
|
| 2 | 22 May 2005 | Nissan Irish Open | –9 (69-70-72-68=279) | Playoff |  David Howell
|
| 3 | 9 Jul 2006 | Smurfit Kappa European Open | –9 (67-69-73-70=279) | 2 strokes |  José Manuel Lara, Anthony Wall
|
European Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2005 | Nissan Irish Open | David Howell
|
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
Challenge Tour wins (1)
- 1992 Bank Austria Open
Other wins (4)
- 1995 Welsh Professional Championship
- 2001 Welsh Professional Championship
- 2007 Ryder Cup Wales Welsh Open PGA Championship
- 2011 Welsh National PGA Championship
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | CUT |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | CUT |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Team appearances
Amateur
- Walker Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1989 (winners)
Professional
- Seve Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 2005 (winners)
- World Cup (representing Wales): 2005 (winners), 2006, 2007, 2009
References
- ^ "Week 21 2005 Ending 22 May 2005" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ "Dodd claims first tour victory". BBC Sport. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
- ^ "Dodd wins Irish Open in play-off". BBC Sport. 22 May 2005. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
- ^ "Dodd claims European Open victory". BBC Sport. 9 July 2006. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
External links
- Stephen Dodd at the European Tour official site
- Stephen Dodd at the Official World Golf Ranking official site