Introduction
Rodger Miles Davis (born 18 May 1951) is an Australian professional golfer.
Davis was born in Sydney. He turned professional in 1974 and spent his regular career playing mainly on the PGA Tour of Australasia and the European Tour. He won the PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit in 1990 and 1991. He made the top ten of the European Tour Order of Merit four times in the late 1980s and early 1990s. His seven European Tour wins included two of Europe's most prestigious tournaments; the British PGA Championship, which he won in 1986 at Wentworth Club, and the season ending Volvo Masters, which he claimed in 1991. His best finish on the PGA Tour was a tie for fifth at the 1986 NEC World Series of Golf.
Davis was ranked in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for 29 weeks between 1987 and 1992. In the 1987 Open Championship, Davis shot a first round of 64 at Muirfield to lead the tournament by three strokes after the opening round. He finished the championship in a tie for 2nd place with American Paul Azinger, a stroke behind the champion Nick Faldo. The 1987 Open Championship is Davis's best finish in a major championship.
Davis represented Australia in team competitions several times, and was a member of his country's winning three-man team at the 1986 Alfred Dunhill Cup.
As a senior, he played mainly on the U.S.-based Champions Tour (2001–05), where he won once, the 2003 Toshiba Senior Classic. He played on the European Seniors Tour in 2011 and 2012.
Amateur wins (1)
this list may be incomplete
- 1973 Lake Macquarie Amateur
Professional wins (30)
European Tour wins (7)
| Legend |
| Whyte & Mackay PGA Championships (1) |
| Other European Tour (6) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 Jul 1981 | State Express Classic | −5 (70-68-74-71=283) | 2 strokes | Greg Norman |
| 2 | 26 May 1986 | Whyte & Mackay PGA Championship | −7 (70-72-71-68=281) | Playoff | Des Smyth |
| 3 | 12 Jun 1988 | Wang Four Stars National Pro-Celebrity | −13 (69-63-71-72=275) | 1 stroke | José María Cañizares, Eamonn Darcy |
| 4 | 29 Apr 1990 | Peugeot Spanish Open | −11 (74-69-68-66=277) | 1 stroke | Nick Faldo, Peter Fowler, Bernhard Langer |
| 5 | 17 Jun 1990 | Wang Four Stars | −17 (67-72-65-67=271) | Playoff | Michael Clayton, Bill Malley, Mark McNulty |
| 6 | 27 Oct 1991 | Volvo Masters | −4 (68-73-68-71=280) | 1 stroke | Nick Faldo |
| 7 | 2 May 1993 | Air France Cannes Open | −13 (68-64-69-70=271) | Playoff | Mark McNulty |
European Tour playoff record (3–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1986 | Whyte & Mackay PGA Championship | Des Smyth | Won with bogey on third extra hole |
| 2 | 1986 | German Open | Bernhard Langer | Lost to birdie on fifth extra hole |
| 3 | 1990 | Wang Four Stars | Michael Clayton, Bill Malley, Mark McNulty |
Won with birdie on seventh extra hole Malley and McNulty eliminated by par on first hole |
| 4 | 1991 | Mercedes German Masters | Bernhard Langer | Lost to par on first extra hole |
| 5 | 1993 | Air France Cannes Open | Mark McNulty | Won with par on first extra hole |
PGA Tour of Australasia wins (14)
| Legend |
| Australian Opens (1) |
| Other PGA Tour of Australasia (13) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 Aug 1977 | Nedland Masters | −11 (69-69-67-72=277) | 2 strokes | Allen Cooper |
| 2 | 9 Oct 1977 | McCallum's South Coast Open | −13 (67-66-69-69=271) | 4 strokes | Terry Gale |
| 3 | 18 Feb 1979 | Victorian Open | +3 (75-73-70-73=291) | Playoff | Geoff Parslow, Gary Player |
| 4 | 10 Nov 1985 | Victorian PGA Championship | −18 (68-66-69-67=270) | 7 strokes | Ossie Moore |
| 5 | 16 Nov 1986 | National Panasonic Australian Open | −10 (67-71-72-68=278) | 1 stroke | Ian Baker-Finch, Graham Marsh, Bob Shearer |
| 6 | 30 Nov 1986 | Air New Zealand Shell Open | −13 (63-65-67-72=267) | 3 strokes | Bob Shearer, Curtis Strange |
| 7 | 7 Dec 1986 | Nissan-Mobil New Zealand Open | −18 (67-62-65-68=262) | 8 strokes | Bob Shearer |
| 8 | 4 Dec 1988 | Bicentennial Classic | −17 (68-67-68-68=271) | Playoff | Fred Couples |
| 9 | 19 Nov 1989 | Ford New South Wales Open | −15 (71-65-71-70=277) | 9 strokes | Bradley Hughes |
| 10 | 14 Jan 1990 | Daikyo Palm Meadows Cup | −17 (64-67-71-69=271) | Playoff | Curtis Strange |
| 11 | 20 Jan 1991 | SxL Sanctuary Cove Classic | −10 (70-70-67-71=278) | 1 stroke | Frank Nobilo |
| 12 | 10 Mar 1991 | AMP New Zealand Open | −11 (67-66-73-67=273) | 2 strokes | Frank Nobilo |
| 13 | 12 Jan 1992 | SxL Sanctuary Cove Classic | −5 (72-67-67-77=283) | 2 strokes | Grant Waite |
| 14 | 13 Dec 1992 | Coolum Classic | −17 (68-70-68-65=271) | 7 strokes | Michael Clayton |
PGA Tour of Australasia playoff record (3–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1979 | Victorian Open | Geoff Parslow, Gary Player | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 2 | 1980 | Australian Masters | Gene Littler | Lost to bogey on first extra hole |
| 3 | 1988 | Bicentennial Classic | Fred Couples | Won with par on second extra hole |
| 4 | 1990 | Daikyo Palm Meadows Cup | Curtis Strange | Won with eagle on second extra hole |
Other Australasian wins (5)
- 1977 Rosebud Invitational
- 1978 South Australia Open, Nedlands Masters, West Australia Open, Mandurah Open
Other wins (1)
- 1998 Mauritius Open
Champions Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 Mar 2003 | Toshiba Senior Classic | −16 (65-64-68=213) | 4 strokes | Larry Nelson |
Other senior wins (2)
- 2009 Handa Australian Senior Open
- 2015 Australian Senior PGA Championship
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |||
| U.S. Open | |||
| The Open Championship | T52 | T52 | 5 |
| PGA Championship |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 29 | |||||||||
| U.S. Open | T36 | T47 | ||||||||
| The Open Championship | T38 | T39 | CUT | T26 | CUT | CUT | T2 | T20 | CUT | |
| PGA Championship | CUT | T52 |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 63 | ||||||||
| U.S. Open | T46 | CUT | |||||||
| The Open Championship | CUT | T12 | CUT | T24 | CUT | T33 | T44 | ||
| PGA Championship | CUT | CUT |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 19 | 12 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Totals | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 29 | 18 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 5 (1977 Open Championship – 1981 Open Championship)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (twice)
Team appearances
- World Cup (representing Australia): 1985, 1987, 1991, 1993
- Dunhill Cup (representing Australia): 1986 (winners), 1987, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993
- Four Tours World Championship (representing Australasia): 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990 (winners), 1991
- UBS Cup (representing the Rest of the World): 2002, 2003 (tie), 2004