Tom Purtzer
Professional golfer

Tom Purtzer

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Professional golfer
Gender:
Male
Places:
United States of America
Is:
AthleteGolfer
Work field:
Sports
Birth:
5 December 1951(Des Moines)
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Introduction Professional wins (15) Results in major championships U.S. national team appearances
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Biography

Introduction

Thomas Warren Purtzer (born December 5, 1951) is an American professional golfer who has won tournaments on both the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.
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 and turned pro. He followed in the footsteps of his older brother, Paul, who also played golf for Arizona State and played on the PGA Tour in the 1970s and early 1980s.
Purtzer is often described in golf literature as having the "sweetest swing in golf". He won five tournaments on the PGA Tour in three different decades, and has thus far 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 British Open.
Purtzer is a close friend of Major League Baseball Hall-of-Famer Robin Yount and country music star Vince Gill. He enjoys sports, music and auto racing in his spare time. Purtzer and his brother Paul operate Purtzer Performance Golf School and Academy in Phoenix, Arizona. He 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 United States Lanny Wadkins
2 Jan 22, 1984 Phoenix Open −16 (68-67-68-65=268) 1 stroke United States Corey Pavin
3 Oct 9, 1988 Gatlin Brothers-Southwest Golf Classic −19 (64-72-69-64=269) Playoff United States Mark Brooks
4 May 26, 1991 Southwestern Bell Colonial −13 (70-66-67-64=267) 3 strokes United States David Edwards, United States Scott Hoch,
United States Bob Lohr
5 Aug 25, 1991 NEC World Series of Golf −1 (72-69-67-71=279) Playoff United States Jim Gallagher, Jr., United States Davis Love III

PGA Tour playoff record (2–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 1988 Gatlin Brothers-Southwest Golf Classic United States Mark Brooks Won with par on first extra hole
2 1991 NEC World Series of Golf United States Jim Gallagher, Jr., United States Davis Love III Won with par on second extra hole

Japan Golf Tour wins (1)

  • 1979 ABC Japan vs USA Golf Matches

Other wins (4)

  • 1981 Jerry Ford Invitational
  • 1986 JCPenney Classic (with Juli Inkster)
  • 1991 Shark Shootout Benefiting RMCC (with Lanny Wadkins)
  • 1993 Fred Meyer Challenge (with Steve Elkington)

Champions Tour wins (4)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of victory Runner(s)-up
1 May 16, 2003 SBC Classic −9 (67-68=135) 1 stroke United States Gil Morgan
2 Mar 21, 2004 Toshiba Senior Classic −15 (60-71-67=198) 1 stroke United States Morris Hatalsky
3 Aug 7, 2005 3M Championship −15 (63-69-69=201) 1 stroke United States Lonnie Nielsen, United States Craig Stadler
4 Mar 18, 2007 AT&T Champions Classic −10 (69-69-68=206) Playoff United States Loren Roberts

Champions Tour playoff record (1–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 2005 Bank of America Championship Republic of Ireland Mark McNulty, United States Don Pooley McNulty won with birdie on second extra hole
2 2007 AT&T Champions Classic United States Loren Roberts Won with birdie on fourth extra hole

Other senior wins (1)

  • 2005 Australian PGA Seniors

Results in major championships

Tournament 1976 1977 1978 1979
Masters Tournament DNP CUT T37 DNP
U.S. Open T44 4 T24 8
The Open Championship DNP DNP DNP DNP
PGA Championship DNP CUT T54 CUT
Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Masters Tournament 32 DNP DNP DNP T25 CUT DNP DNP DNP T24
U.S. Open CUT CUT CUT DNP T16 DNP DNP T68 DNP DNP
The Open Championship DNP DNP T4 CUT DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
PGA Championship CUT T19 T16 CUT CUT DNP CUT T47 CUT T53
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997
Masters Tournament T45 DNP T61 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
U.S. Open DNP T37 T33 DNP DNP DNP T32 DNP
The Open Championship DNP DNP T22 T70 DNP DNP DNP T62
PGA Championship T31 T32 T21 DNP DNP DNP CUT DNP

DNP = Did not play
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 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)

U.S. national team appearances

  • Four Tours World Championship: 1991