Tom Kite
Tom Kite | |||||||||||||||
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Personal information | |||||||||||||||
Full name | Thomas Oliver Kite Jr. | ||||||||||||||
Born | (1949-12-09) December 9, 1949 (age 74) McKinney, Texas | ||||||||||||||
Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||||||||||||||
Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st) | ||||||||||||||
Sporting nationality | United States | ||||||||||||||
Residence | Austin, Texas | ||||||||||||||
Career | |||||||||||||||
College | University of Texas | ||||||||||||||
Turned professional | 1972 | ||||||||||||||
Current tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions | ||||||||||||||
Former tour(s) | PGA Tour | ||||||||||||||
Professional wins | 37 | ||||||||||||||
Highest ranking | 5 (April 16, 1989)[1] | ||||||||||||||
Number of wins by tour | |||||||||||||||
PGA Tour | 19 | ||||||||||||||
European Tour | 3 | ||||||||||||||
PGA Tour of Australasia | 1 | ||||||||||||||
PGA Tour Champions | 10 | ||||||||||||||
Other | 5 | ||||||||||||||
Best results in major championships (wins: 1) | |||||||||||||||
Masters Tournament | 2nd/T2: 1983, 1986, 1997 | ||||||||||||||
PGA Championship | T4: 1981, 1988 | ||||||||||||||
U.S. Open | Won: 1992 | ||||||||||||||
The Open Championship | T2: 1978 | ||||||||||||||
Achievements and awards | |||||||||||||||
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Thomas Oliver Kite Jr. (born December 9, 1949) is an American professional golfer and golf course architect. He won the U.S. Open in 1992 and spent 175 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking between 1989 and 1994.[2]
Early life and amateur career
Kite was born in McKinney, Texas. He began playing golf at age six, and won his first tournament at age 11. Kite attended the University of Texas on a golf scholarship and was coached by Harvey Penick.
Professional career
In 1972, Kite turned professional and has been a consistent money winner ever since. Known for his innovation, he was the first to add a third wedge to his bag, one of the first players to use a sports psychologist, and one of the first to emphasize physical fitness for game improvement. He also underwent laser eye surgery, due to his partial blindness,[3] in a bid to improve his game late in his career.
He has 19 PGA Tour victories, including the 1992 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. He competed on seven Ryder Cup squads (1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1993) and served as the 1997 captain. Kite holds a unique record of making the cut for the first four U.S. Opens held at Pebble Beach: 1972, 1982, 1992, and 2000. Kite also shares the distinction (with Gene Littler) of playing in the most Masters Tournaments without a win.[4]
Kite was the first in Tour history to reach $6 million, $7 million, $8 million, and $9 million in career earnings. He was the Tour's leading money-winner in 1981 and 1989. In his prime, Kite had few peers with the short irons. In 1993, Johnny Miller referred to Kite as "the greatest short-iron player the game has seen."[5]
In 2005 he led the PGA Tour's Booz Allen Classic by one shot going into the final round at the age of 55. If he had been able to stay ahead he would have beaten Sam Snead's record as the oldest winner on the PGA Tour by three years, but he fell away to finish tied 13th, seven shots behind Sergio García.
Kite played the Champions Tour until 2020, claiming ten victories including one senior major, The Countrywide Tradition. At the 2012 U.S. Senior Open, Kite shot a front nine 28 (seven under par) in the first round. This was the lowest nine-hole score ever recorded in any USGA championship.[6][7] He finished the tournament tied for 12th.
In 1996, Kite had a cameo in The Simpsons episode "Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield", in which he gave Homer Simpson golf tips.[8]
Awards and honors
- In 1973, Kite was noted as the Golf Digest Rookie of the Year.
- In 1979, Kite was awarded the Bob Jones Award.
- in 1981, Kite was awarded the Golf Writers Association Player of the Year.
- Kite was the Vardon Trophy winner in 1981 and 1982.
- In 1989, he was named PGA of America Player of the Year.
- In 2004, Kite was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.[9]
Amateur wins
- 1972 NCAA Championship (individual; tie with Ben Crenshaw)
Professional wins (37)
PGA Tour wins (19)
Legend |
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Major championships (1) |
Players Championships (1) |
Tour Championships (1) |
Other PGA Tour (16) |
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
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1 | Jun 6, 1976 | IVB-Bicentennial Golf Classic | −7 (71-70-70-66=277) | Playoff | Terry Diehl |
2 | Sep 4, 1978 | B.C. Open | −17 (66-65-68-68=267) | 5 strokes | Mark Hayes |
3 | Mar 8, 1981 | American Motors Inverrary Classic | −14 (69-68-68-69=274) | 1 stroke | Jack Nicklaus |
4 | Mar 7, 1982 | Bay Hill Classic | −6 (69-70-70-69=278) | Playoff | Jack Nicklaus, Denis Watson |
5 | Feb 6, 1983 | Bing Crosby National Pro-Am | −12 (69-72-62-73=276) | 2 strokes | Rex Caldwell, Calvin Peete |
6 | Mar 11, 1984 | Doral-Eastern Open | −16 (68-69-70-65=272) | 2 strokes | Jack Nicklaus |
7 | Jun 24, 1984 | Georgia-Pacific Atlanta Golf Classic | −19 (69-67-66-67=269) | 5 strokes | Don Pooley |
8 | May 5, 1985 | MONY Tournament of Champions | −13 (64-72-70-69=275) | 6 strokes | Mark McCumber |
9 | Aug 3, 1986 | Western Open | −2 (70-75-73-68=286) | Playoff | Fred Couples, David Frost, Nick Price |
10 | Jun 7, 1987 | Kemper Open | −14 (64-69-68-69=270) | 7 strokes | Chris Perry, Howard Twitty |
11 | Mar 12, 1989 | Nestle Invitational (2) | −6 (68-72-67-71=278) | Playoff | Davis Love III |
12 | Mar 19, 1989 | The Players Championship | −9 (69-70-69-71=279) | 1 stroke | Chip Beck |
13 | Oct 29, 1989 | Nabisco Championship | −8 (69-65-74-68=276) | Playoff | Payne Stewart |
14 | Aug 5, 1990 | Federal Express St. Jude Classic | −15 (72-68-62-67=269) | Playoff | John Cook |
15 | Jan 6, 1991 | Infiniti Tournament of Champions (2) | −16 (68-67-68-69=272) | 1 stroke | Lanny Wadkins |
16 | May 10, 1992 | BellSouth Classic (2) | −16 (70-65-72-65=272) | 3 strokes | Jay Don Blake |
17 | Jun 21, 1992 | U.S. Open | −3 (71-72-70-72=285) | 2 strokes | Jeff Sluman |
18 | Feb 14, 1993 | Bob Hope Chrysler Classic | −35 (67-67-64-65-62=325) | 6 strokes | Rick Fehr |
19 | Feb 28, 1993 | Nissan Los Angeles Open | −7 (73-66-67=206)* | 3 strokes | Dave Barr, Fred Couples, Donnie Hammond, Payne Stewart |
*Note: The 1993 Nissan Los Angeles Open was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.
PGA Tour playoff record (6–4)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1976 | IVB-Bicentennial Golf Classic | Terry Diehl | Won with par on fifth extra hole |
2 | 1982 | Bob Hope Desert Classic | Ed Fiori | Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
3 | 1982 | Bay Hill Classic | Jack Nicklaus, Denis Watson | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
4 | 1986 | Western Open | Fred Couples, David Frost, Nick Price | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
5 | 1988 | Kemper Open | Morris Hatalsky | Lost to par on second extra hole |
6 | 1988 | Nabisco Championship | Curtis Strange | Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
7 | 1989 | Nestle Invitational | Davis Love III | Won with par on second extra hole |
8 | 1989 | Nabisco Championship | Payne Stewart | Won with par on second extra hole |
9 | 1990 | Federal Express St. Jude Classic | John Cook | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
10 | 1992 | Bob Hope Chrysler Classic | John Cook, Rick Fehr, Mark O'Meara, Gene Sauers | Cook won with eagle on fourth extra hole Fehr eliminated by birdie on second hole Kite and O'Meara eliminated by birdie on first hole |
European Tour wins (3)
Legend |
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Major championships (1) |
Other European Tour (2) |
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
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1 | Sep 7, 1980 | European Open Championship | −8 (71-67-71-75=284) | 1 stroke | Lon Hinkle, Leonard Thompson |
2 | Jun 21, 1992 | U.S. Open | −3 (71-72-70-72=285) | 2 strokes | Jeff Sluman |
3 | Oct 13, 1996 | Oki Pro-Am | −15 (71-68-64-70=273) | 1 stroke | Ángel Cabrera |
New Zealand Golf Circuit wins (1)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Nov 17, 1974 | City of Auckland Classic | −16 (66-67-68-67=268) | 7 strokes | Stewart Ginn |
Other wins (5)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Dec 6, 1981 | JCPenney Mixed Team Classic (with Beth Daniel) | −18 (69-67-64-70=270) | 2 strokes | Vance Heafner and Cathy Morse |
2 | Nov 8, 1987 | Kirin Cup Individual Trophy | −16 (68-69-66-69=272) | 1 stroke | Payne Stewart |
3 | Aug 25, 1992 | Fred Meyer Challenge (with Billy Andrade) | −16 (64-64=128) | 2 strokes | Steve Pate and Corey Pavin |
4 | Nov 22, 1992 | Franklin Funds Shark Shootout (with Davis Love III) | −25 (65-69-59=191) | 1 stroke | Billy Ray Brown and Nick Price, Fred Couples and Raymond Floyd, Hale Irwin and Bruce Lietzke |
5 | Nov 17, 1996 | Franklin Templeton Shark Shootout (2) (with Jay Haas) | −29 (67-60-60=187) | 2 strokes | Hale Irwin and Lee Janzen, Craig Stadler and Lanny Wadkins |
Other playoff record (0–1)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1992 | PGA Grand Slam of Golf | Nick Price | Lost to par on first extra hole |
Champions Tour wins (10)
Legend |
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Champions Tour major championships (1) |
Other Champions Tour (9) |
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Apr 2, 2000 | The Countrywide Tradition | −8 (68-70-71-71=280) | Playoff | Larry Nelson, Tom Watson |
2 | Jun 11, 2000 | SBC Senior Open | −9 (71-68-68=207) | 2 strokes | Bruce Fleisher |
3 | Sep 30, 2001 | Gold Rush Classic | −22 (65-62-67=194) | 1 stroke | Allen Doyle |
4 | Jan 20, 2002 | MasterCard Championship | −17 (63-69-67=199) | 6 strokes | John Jacobs |
5 | Mar 3, 2002 | SBC Senior Classic | −4 (74-69-69=212) | Playoff | Tom Watson |
6 | Oct 13, 2002 | Napa Valley Championship | −12 (66-66-72=204) | 1 stroke | Bruce Fleisher, Fred Gibson |
7 | Aug 8, 2004 | 3M Championship | −13 (65-69-69=203) | 1 stroke | Craig Stadler |
8 | Mar 12, 2006 | AT&T Classic | −12 (70-64-70=204) | 5 strokes | Gil Morgan |
9 | Aug 20, 2006 | Boeing Greater Seattle Classic | −15 (71-64-66=201) | Playoff | Keith Fergus |
10 | Aug 24, 2008 | Boeing Classic (2) | −14 (69-67-66=202) | 2 strokes | Scott Simpson |
Champions Tour playoff record (3–2)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2000 | The Countrywide Tradition | Larry Nelson, Tom Watson | Won with birdie on sixth extra hole Nelson eliminated by par on second hole |
2 | 2002 | SBC Senior Classic | Tom Watson | Won with par on second extra hole |
3 | 2006 | Boeing Greater Seattle Classic | Keith Fergus | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
4 | 2007 | Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf | Jay Haas | Lost to par on first extra hole |
5 | 2008 | ACE Group Classic | Brad Bryant, Scott Hoch, Tom Jenkins | Hoch won with birdie on first extra hole |
Major championships
Wins (1)
Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1992 | U.S. Open | 1 shot deficit | −3 (71-72-70-72=285) | 2 strokes | Jeff Sluman |
Results timeline
Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T42 | T27 | T10 | T5 | T3 | T18 | 5 | |||
U.S. Open | CUT | T19 | T8 | CUT | CUT | T27 | T20 | CUT | ||
The Open Championship | T5 | T2 | T30 | |||||||
PGA Championship | T39 | T33 | T13 | T13 | CUT | T35 |
Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T6 | T5 | T5 | T2 | T6 | CUT | T2 | T24 | 44 | T18 |
U.S. Open | CUT | T20 | 29 | T20 | CUT | 13 | T35 | T46 | T36 | T9 |
The Open Championship | T27 | CUT | T29 | T22 | T8 | CUT | T72 | T20 | T19 | |
PGA Championship | T20 | T4 | T9 | T67 | T34 | T12 | T26 | T10 | T4 | T34 |
Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T14 | 56 | CUT | 4 | CUT | CUT | 2 | 38 | ||
U.S. Open | T56 | T37 | 1 | CUT | T33 | T67 | T82 | T68 | T43 | T60 |
The Open Championship | CUT | T44 | T19 | T14 | T8 | T58 | T27 | T10 | T38 | |
PGA Championship | T40 | T52 | T21 | T56 | T9 | T54 | CUT | 5 | CUT | CUT |
Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | CUT | ||||
U.S. Open | T32 | T5 | CUT | CUT | T57 |
The Open Championship | T70 | ||||
PGA Championship | T19 | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut (3rd round cut in 1982 Open Championship)
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Summary
Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 12 | 16 | 26 | 21 |
U.S. Open | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 33 | 24 |
The Open Championship | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 22 | 19 |
PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 28 | 23 |
Totals | 1 | 4 | 1 | 16 | 27 | 47 | 109 | 87 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 15 (1986 PGA – 1990 U.S. Open)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (four times)
The Players Championship
Wins (1)
Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1989 | The Players Championship | 1 shot deficit | −9 (69-70-69-71=279) | 1 stroke | Chip Beck |
Results timeline
Tournament | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Players Championship | T19 | T40 | T17 | CUT | T28 | T9 |
Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Players Championship | T31 | T27 | T27 | T51 | T64 | T4 | T9 | T11 | 1 |
Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Players Championship | T5 | CUT | T35 | CUT | T9 | T43 | CUT | CUT | T25 | T77 |
Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
---|---|---|---|
The Players Championship | T66 | T44 | T36 |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Senior major championships
Wins (1)
Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runners-up |
---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | The Countrywide Tradition | −8 (66-71-71-72=280) | Playoff | Larry Nelson, Tom Watson |
Results timeline
Results not in chronological order before 2021.
Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Tradition | 1 | T24 | T7 | T2 | T4 | T36 | T4 | T4 | T18 | T11 |
Senior PGA Championship | T2 | T23 | T15 | T10 | T121 | T10 | T40 | T7 | T13 | T14 |
U.S. Senior Open | 3 | 15 | 3 | T12 | T3 | T37 | T55 | T22 | T12 | CUT |
Senior Players Championship | 6 | T10 | T10 | T2 | T7 | T39 | T9 | T25 | T21 | T47 |
Senior British Open Championship | – | – | – | 4 | T2 | CUT | T10 | T10 | T16 | T8 |
Tournament | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Tradition | T54 | 15 | T47 | T60 | T59 | 72 | T69 | T68 | 72 | WD |
Senior PGA Championship | T29 | CUT | CUT | T28 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | |
U.S. Senior Open | T8 | T29 | T12 | T44 | T14 | CUT | CUT | WD | ||
Senior Players Championship | T16 | T17 | 52 | T27 | 79 | WD | 74 | 76 | ||
Senior British Open Championship | T49 | T24 | T14 |
Tournament | 2020 | 2021 |
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The Tradition | NT | 78 |
Senior PGA Championship | NT | CUT |
Senior Players Championship | ||
U.S. Senior Open | NT | |
Senior British Open Championship | NT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic
Note: The Senior British Open was not a Champions Tour major until 2003.
U.S. national team appearances
Amateur
- Eisenhower Trophy: 1970 (winners)
- Walker Cup: 1971
Professional
- Ryder Cup: 1979 (winners), 1981 (winners), 1983 (winners), 1985, 1987, 1989 (tie), 1993 (winners), 1997 (captain)
- World Cup: 1984, 1985
- Four Tours World Championship: 1987 (winners), 1989 (winners)
- Dunhill Cup: 1989 (winners), 1990, 1992, 1994
- Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (representing Champions Tour): 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006
- UBS Cup: 2002 (winners), 2004 (winners)
See also
- 1972 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
- List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins
- List of golfers with most Champions Tour wins
References
- ^ "Week 15 1989 Ending 16 Apr 1989" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
- ^ "69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking". Official World Golf Ranking. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
- ^ "Surgery has opened up a whole new world to Kite". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on October 10, 2011.
- ^ "Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of the Master's". MSNBC. Associated Press. April 3, 2009. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012.
- ^ "Short-iron specialist Kite surges past the $8m mark". The Herald. March 1, 1993. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
- ^ Kupelian, Vartan (July 12, 2012). "Kite rewrites USGA record books with front-nine 28". PGA Tour. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
- ^ "2012 USGA Media Guide: USGA Superlatives" (PDF). USGA. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
- ^ Sens, Josh (May 1, 2018). "Get in the … D'oh! The 7 best golf scenes from The Simpsons". Golf.com. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ "Which players will reach the HOF?". ESPN. April 18, 2007.
External links
- Tom Kite at the PGA Tour official site
- Tom Kite at the European Tour official site
- Tom Kite at the Official World Golf Ranking official site
- Tom Kite at golf.about.com at the Wayback Machine (archived September 19, 2005)
- Tom Kite Design
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- 1895 Horace Rawlins
- 1896 James Foulis
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- 1967 Jack Nicklaus
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- 1970‡ Tony Jacklin
- 1971 Lee Trevino†
- 1972 Jack Nicklaus
- 1973 Johnny Miller
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- 1975 Lou Graham†
- 1976 Jerry Pate
- 1977 Hubert Green
- 1978 Andy North
- 1979 Hale Irwin
- 1980 Jack Nicklaus
- 1981 David Graham
- 1982 Tom Watson
- 1983 Larry Nelson
- 1984 Fuzzy Zoeller†
- 1985 Andy North
- 1986 Raymond Floyd
- 1987 Scott Simpson
- 1988 Curtis Strange†
- 1989 Curtis Strange
- 1990 Hale Irwin†
- 1991 Payne Stewart†
- 1992 Tom Kite
- 1993 Lee Janzen
- 1994 Ernie Els†
- 1995 Corey Pavin
- 1996 Steve Jones
- 1997 Ernie Els
- 1998 Lee Janzen
- 1999 Payne Stewart
- 2000‡ Tiger Woods
- 2001 Retief Goosen†
- 2002‡ Tiger Woods
- 2003 Jim Furyk
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- 2005 Michael Campbell
- 2006 Geoff Ogilvy
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- 2008 Tiger Woods†
- 2009 Lucas Glover
- 2010 Graeme McDowell
- 2011‡ Rory McIlroy
- 2012 Webb Simpson
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- 2014‡ Martin Kaymer
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- 2022 Matt Fitzpatrick
- 2023 Wyndham Clark