Introduction
Kirk Alan Triplett (born March 29, 1962) is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour, and PGA Tour Champions.
Early years
Born in Moses Lake, Washington, Triplett grew up in on the Palouse in Pullman and graduated from Pullman High School in 1980. He accepted a golf scholarship to the University of Nevada in Reno and earned a degree in civil engineering. He became a golf professional in 1985 and played on tours in Australia, Asia, and Canada. He played in the U.S. Open in 1986 and 1987, but missed the cuts.
PGA Tour
In his fourth attempt, Triplett earned his PGA Tour card in December 1989 at the qualifying tournament near Houston, and was a rookie in 1990. He won three events during his career: the Nissan Open in 2000, the Reno-Tahoe Open in 2003, and the Chrysler Classic of Tucson in 2006. He was also a runner-up five times: Houston Open (1992), Buick Invitational (1995), John Deere Classic (2000), Michelob Championship at Kingsmill (2001), and Bay Hill Invitational (2003).
A member of the Presidents Cup team in 2000, Triplett claimed three wins and halved in singles as the U.S. won 21½–10½. He has been featured in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking.
Nationwide Tour
In 2009, Triplett finished outside the top 150 on the money list and lost his PGA Tour playing card. On the Nationwide Tour in 2011, he won the News Sentinel Open at age 49 to become that tour's oldest winner ever.
PGA Tour Champions
Eligible to play on the Champions Tour in 2012 after March 29, Triplett won in his eighth attempt on July 9, at the Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach. He entered the final round four strokes behind, but shot a final round 66 to surge through the pack and prevail by two strokes over Mark McNulty. The win made him the sixth player to win on all the PGA Tour sponsored tours (PGA Tour, Web.com Tour, and Champions Tour). He successfully defended the title in 2013 for his second Champions Tour win.
Triplett shot a tournament record 9-under-par at the Principal Charity Classic at West Glen Oaks Country Club in Des Moines, Iowa. Through June 2016, he has five wins on the PGA Tour Champions.
Triplett is also part owner of a hole in one insurance company called Hole In One International in conjunction with President/CEO Mark Gilmartin.
Professional wins (14)
PGA Tour wins (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feb 20, 2000 | Nissan Open | 67-70-68-67=272 | −12 | 1 stroke |  Jesper Parnevik |
| 2 | Aug 24, 2003 | Reno-Tahoe Open | 67-68-73-63=271 | −17 | 3 strokes |  Tim Herron |
| 3 | Feb 26, 2006 | Chrysler Classic of Tucson | 68-71-64-63=266 | −22 | 1 stroke | Jerry Kelly |
PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2000 | John Deere Classic | Michael Clark II | Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole |
Nationwide Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 28, 2011 | News Sentinel Open | 67-64-68-68=267 | −21 | 2 strokes | Marco Dawson |
Other wins (5)
- 1988 Alberta Open (Canada), Sierra Nevada Open, Ft. McMurray Classic
- 1991 California State Open
- 1996 Merrill Lynch Pebble Beach Invitational
Champions Tour wins (5)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 8, 2012 | Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach | 70-70-66=206 | −10 | 2 strokes |  Mark McNulty |
| 2 | Sep 29, 2013 | Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach | 67-70-68=205 | −11 | 2 strokes | Dan Forsman, Doug Garwood |
| 3 | Feb 16, 2014 | ACE Group Classic | 67-67-66=200 | −16 | 1 stroke | Olin Browne,  Bernhard Langer, Duffy Waldorf |
| 4 | Oct 12, 2014 | SAS Championship | 70-63-69=202 | −14 | 3 strokes | Tom Lehman |
| 5 | Jun 26, 2016 | American Family Insurance Championship | 68-66-65=199 | −17 | 2 strokes | Bart Bryant, Mike Goodes |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | T33 | CUT | 66 | T52 | T23 | DNP | T40 | DNP | CUT | CUT |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | CUT | DNP | CUT | DNP | T15 | T13 | CUT | T13 | CUT | T49 |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | T6 | T40 | CUT | T6 | T17 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | 56 | T7 | CUT | T28 | T20 | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | T60 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | T69 | T10 | T29 | WD | CUT | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP | CUT |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP |
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 4 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 9 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 7 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 40 | 21 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (2000 U.S. Open – 2001 PGA)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (2001 Masters – 2001 PGA)
Results in senior major championships
Results are not in chronological order prior to 2016.
| Tournament | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Tradition | T33 | T10 | DNP | T41 | T3 |
| Senior PGA Championship | T19 | T6 | DNP | T13 | T7 |
| Senior Players Championship | T6 | T60 | T22 | 2 | T7 |
| Senior British Open Championship | T15 | DNP | T8 | T25 | DNP |
| U.S. Senior Open | T22 | T9 | 8 | T57 | WD |
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10.
U.S. national team appearances
Professional
- Presidents Cup: 2000 (winners)