PROFILE
ONE PUTT AT A TIME
Born in Kansas City, Missouri
Started playing golf at age five with his dad who was a scratch golfer
Age 12: quit baseball to focus on golf during the summer—played in local KC junior golf events
Tom always looked up to Tom Watson as an inspiration
All-Conference wrestler in high school for two years
Senior year would wake up at 5:30 to hit balls before school every morning
Dad was a barber
Worked at a steakhouse as a bus-boy, cook, and waiter starting at age 14 until 22
THE COLLEGE YEARS
UCLA Alum
Played on the UCLA Men’s Golf Team '78 - '81
PAC-10 Player of the Year '81
2 time All-American at UCLA
Graduated in 1982 with a degree in Economics
Turned Progolfer shortly after graduation
PROGOLFER QUICK FACTS
Tom enjoyed one of his best seasons in 2008. He won more than $2 million, recording six Top 10 finishes, including a runner-up result at the Fed Ex St. Jude Classic.
- In 1999, he won his first tournament, the Buick Open, by firing a final round 65 to win by one shot over Tom Lehman.
- In 1998, he finished second in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro Am, tied for 11th at the Greater Vancouver Open and placed 16th at the Sprint International.
- In 2001, he won over $1.3 million, including a victory at The International.
- In 2004 he won more than $1.4 million and finished among the Top 10 five times.
- In 2005, he recorded his fourth million dollar season by winning more than $1.3 million in prize money. In 2008, his 26th on TOUR, he recorded five Top 10 results and won more than $1.1 million.
- In 2009, he tied for third at the final event of the PGA Tour season — the Children’s Miracle Network — and earned his TOUR card in addition to winning his inaugural start in the PGA Tour Champions SAS Championships.
In Summary, Tom has finished in the top ten more than 47 times on both PGA TOUR’s, victories include the 1999 Buick Open and the 2001 INTERNATIONAL Presented by Qwest. His best finish in a major is T-13 at the 1989 US Open. On the PGA Tour Champions Tour in 2009, he won his first event, the SAS Championship. He became just the 15th player to win a Champions Tour event in his debut.
Other victories on The PGA Tour Champions Tour:
- 2013 3M Championships
- 2014 Principal Charity Classic
- 2014 Charles Schwab Cup Championships
Tom is the only player who has earned exempt status on the PGA Tour top 125 and PGA Tour Champions Tour top 30 in the same year (2012).