Tom Purtzer
Template:Short description Template:Infobox golfer Thomas Warren Purtzer (born December 5, 1951) is an American professional golfer. Purtzer won a number of tournaments on both the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.
Early life and amateur career
Purtzer was born in Des Moines, Iowa. He attended Arizona State University in Tempe, where he was a member of the school's golf team. He graduated in 1973.
Professional career
In 1973, he turned pro. Purtzer is often described in golf literature as having the "sweetest swing in golf".[1] He won five tournaments on the PGA Tour in three different decades, and won four times on the Champions Tour. His best finishes in major championships were 4th at the 1977 U.S. Open and T4 at the 1982 Open Championship.[2]
Personal life
His brother, Paul Purtzer, was also a professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour. Purtzer and his brother operate Purtzer Performance Golf School and Academy in Phoenix, Arizona.
Purtzer lives in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Professional wins (15)
PGA Tour wins (5)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feb 20, 1977 | Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open | −11 (68-67-66-72=273) | 1 stroke | Template:Flagicon Lanny Wadkins |
| 2 | Jan 22, 1984 | Phoenix Open | −16 (68-67-68-65=268) | 1 stroke | Template:Flagicon Corey Pavin |
| 3 | Oct 9, 1988 | Gatlin Brothers-Southwest Golf Classic | −19 (64-72-69-64=269) | Playoff | Template:Flagicon Mark Brooks |
| 4 | May 26, 1991 | Southwestern Bell Colonial | −13 (70-66-67-64=267) | 3 strokes | Template:Flagicon David Edwards, Template:Flagicon Scott Hoch, Template:Flagicon Bob Lohr |
| 5 | Aug 25, 1991 | NEC World Series of Golf | −1 (72-69-67-71=279) | Playoff | Template:Flagicon Jim Gallagher Jr., Template:Flagicon Davis Love III |
PGA Tour playoff record (2–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1988 | Gatlin Brothers-Southwest Golf Classic | Template:Flagicon Mark Brooks | Won with par on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1991 | NEC World Series of Golf | Template:Flagicon Jim Gallagher Jr., Template:Flagicon Davis Love III | Won with par on second extra hole |
PGA of Japan Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 11, 1979 | ABC Japan vs USA Golf Matches | −12 (69-67-68-72=276) | 10 strokes | Template:Flagicon Bill Rogers |
Other wins (4)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 7, 1981 | Jerry Ford Invitational | −10 (69-63=132) | 1 stroke | Template:Flagicon John Cook, Template:Flagicon Craig Stadler, Template:Flagicon Curtis Strange |
| 2 | Dec 7, 1986 | JCPenney Classic (with Template:Flagicon Juli Inkster) |
−23 (61-69-66-69=265) | 2 strokes | Template:Flagicon Mike Hulbert and Template:Flagicon Val Skinner |
| 3 | Nov 24, 1991 | Shark Shootout (with Template:Flagicon Lanny Wadkins) |
−27 (61-65-63=189) | 4 strokes | Template:Flagicon Jack Nicklaus and Template:Flagicon Greg Norman |
| 4 | Aug 24, 1993 | Fred Meyer Challenge (with Template:Flagicon Steve Elkington) |
−16 (63-63=128) | 1 stroke | Template:Flagicon Fred Couples and Template:Flagicon Davis Love III, Template:Flagicon Brad Faxon and Template:Flagicon Rick Fehr, Template:Flagicon Jim Gallagher Jr. and Template:Flagicon Bruce Lietzke |
Other playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1985 | Chrysler Team Championship (with Template:Flagicon Jim Colbert) |
Template:Flagicon Charlie Bolling and Template:Flagicon Brad Fabel, Template:Flagicon Raymond Floyd and Template:Flagicon Hal Sutton, Template:Flagicon John Fought and Template:Flagicon Pat McGowan, Template:Flagicon Gary Hallberg and Template:Flagicon Scott Hoch |
Floyd/Sutton won with birdie on first extra hole |
Champions Tour wins (4)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar 16, 2003 | SBC Classic | −9 (67-68=135)* | 1 stroke | Template:Flagicon Gil Morgan |
| 2 | Mar 21, 2004 | Toshiba Senior Classic | −15 (60-71-67=198) | 1 stroke | Template:Flagicon Morris Hatalsky |
| 3 | Aug 7, 2005 | 3M Championship | −15 (63-69-69=201) | 1 stroke | Template:Flagicon Lonnie Nielsen, Template:Flagicon Craig Stadler |
| 4 | Mar 18, 2007 | AT&T Champions Classic | −10 (69-69-68=206) | Playoff | Template:Flagicon Loren Roberts |
*Note: The 2003 SBC Classic was shortened to 36 holes due to rain.
Champions Tour playoff record (1–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2005 | Bank of America Championship | Template:Flagicon Mark McNulty, Template:Flagicon Don Pooley | McNulty won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 2 | 2007 | AT&T Champions Classic | Template:Flagicon Loren Roberts | Won with birdie on fourth extra hole |
Other senior wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apr 9, 2005 | Titanium Enterprises Australian PGA Seniors Championship | −10 (67-68-71=206)* | 5 strokes | Template:Flagicon John Chillas |
*Note: The 2005 Titanium Enterprises Australian PGA Seniors Championship was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | T37 | ||
| U.S. Open | T44 | 4 | T24 | 8 |
| The Open Championship | ||||
| PGA Championship | CUT | T54 | CUT |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 32 | T25 | CUT | T24 | ||||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | CUT | T16 | T68 | |||||
| The Open Championship | T4 | CUT | ||||||||
| PGA Championship | CUT | T19 | T16 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T47 | CUT | T53 |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T45 | T61 | ||||||
| U.S. Open | T37 | T33 | T32 | |||||
| The Open Championship | T22 | T70 | T62 | |||||
| PGA Championship | T31 | T32 | T21 | CUT |
<templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" />
<templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" />
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 9 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 8 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 41 | 27 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 12 (1989 Masters – 1996 Open Championship)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (three times)
Results in The Players Championship
| Tournament | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | T59 | CUT | CUT |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | CUT | T19 | CUT | T19 | T41 | T40 | T48 | T9 | T45 | T55 |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | T3 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | T62 | T24 | CUT | CUT |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 |
|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | CUT | CUT |
<templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" />
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
U.S. national team appearances
See also
References
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