Justin Leonard
Justin Leonard | |||
---|---|---|---|
Leonard in 2008 | |||
Personal information | |||
Full name | Justin Charles Garrett Leonard | ||
Born | (1972-06-15) June 15, 1972 (age 52) Dallas, Texas, U.S. | ||
Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st) | ||
Sporting nationality | United States | ||
Residence | Aspen, Colorado, U.S. | ||
Spouse | Amanda | ||
Children | 4 | ||
Career | |||
College | University of Texas | ||
Turned professional | 1994 | ||
Current tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions | ||
Former tour(s) | PGA Tour | ||
Professional wins | 13 | ||
Highest ranking | 6 (May 10, 1998)[1] | ||
Number of wins by tour | |||
PGA Tour | 12 | ||
European Tour | 1 | ||
Other | 1 | ||
Best results in major championships (wins: 1) | |||
Masters Tournament | T7: 1997 | ||
PGA Championship | 2nd/T2: 1997, 2004 | ||
U.S. Open | T12: 2002 | ||
The Open Championship | Won: 1997 | ||
Achievements and awards | |||
|
Justin Charles Garrett Leonard (born June 15, 1972) is an American professional golfer. He has twelve career wins on the PGA Tour, including one major, the 1997 Open Championship.
Early life
Leonard was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He graduated from Lake Highlands High School in 1990.
Amateur career
Leonard attended the University of Texas in Austin. With the Longhorns he won 4-straight Southwest Conference Championships (1991-1994) and went to 4 straight NCAA Championships, with the team finishing in 2nd place in 1994. He won 10 individual events in college, including the individual NCAA champion in 1994 and the Southwest Conference Championship a record 4 times (1991-1994). He won the 1992 U.S. Amateur. He made the All-Southwest Conference team every year he was in college and was a three-time 1st team All-American (1992, 1993, 1994) - and a 2nd team All-American in 1991> He won the Haskins Award and Jack Nicklaus Award in 1994 as the most outstanding collegiate golfer. [2] That same year, he became only the fourth player to go directly from college to the PGA Tour without going through Q School, following Gary Hallberg, Scott Verplank, and Phil Mickelson.
Professional career
Leonard's wins on the PGA Tour included one of golf's four majors, the 1997 Open Championship, as well as the 1998 Players Championship. He ranked in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for 24 weeks in 1998 and 1999.[3] Leonard also had opportunities to win other major championships, notably at the 1999 Open Championship and the 2004 PGA Championship; in both instances he fell into a playoff with a bogey on the 72nd hole.
At the 1997 PGA Championship, Leonard was tied with Davis Love III for the 54-hole lead. Love shot a final round 66 to win by five shots over Leonard, who finished solo second. Leonard was ahead by three shots at the 54-hole mark of the 2002 PGA Championship before shooting a final round 77 and finishing tied for fourth.
Leonard qualified for the United States Ryder Cup team in 1997, 1999, and 2008. In the 1999 event, Leonard made a 45-foot (14 m) putt for birdie on the 17th hole to complete a remarkable comeback by the U.S. team on the final day. The victory was somewhat marred by the celebration following Leonard's putt, when other U.S. players, their wives, and a few fans ran onto the green even though Leonard's opponent, José María Olazábal, still had an opportunity to match Leonard on the hole.
In 2015, Leonard moved to Aspen, Colorado, which is not conducive to the year-round practice of golf and began to transition to a career as a golf announcer.[4] After using his career money list exemption for the 2015–16 season and failing to make the FedEx Cup, Leonard played the 2016–17 season with past champion status. He played in only 16 tournaments that year, his best finish being a tie for 16th at the Northern Trust Open. In 2017, he played in only one tournament, the Texas Open, where he finished in 58th.[4]
He returned to the PGA for one event in 2022, competing in the Byron Nelson where he failed to make the cut. It was his last event before turning 50 and qualifying for the PGA Tour Champions.[5]
Later career
In June 2023, during a PGA Tour Champions event, Leonard carded a course record score of 62 in the first round of the American Family Insurance Championship at University Ridge Golf Course in Madison, Wisconsin.[6]
Leonard joined Golf Channel in 2015 as an analyst for Golf Central "Live From" and PGA Tour live tournament coverage. In 2020, he assumed an elevated role on Golf Central "Live From" as an analyst on the program's primetime shows.[7]
Amateur wins
- 1992 Western Amateur, Southern Amateur, U.S. Amateur
- 1993 Western Amateur, Southern Amateur
- 1994 NCAA Division I Championship
Professional wins (13)
PGA Tour wins (12)
Legend |
---|
Major championships (1) |
Players Championships (1) |
Other PGA Tour (10) |
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Aug 4, 1996 | Buick Open | 65-64-69-68=266 | −22 | 5 strokes | Chip Beck |
2 | Jun 8, 1997 | Kemper Open | 69-69-69-67=274 | −10 | 1 stroke | Mark Wiebe |
3 | Jul 20, 1997 | The Open Championship | 69-66-72-65=272 | −12 | 3 strokes | Darren Clarke, Jesper Parnevik |
4 | Mar 29, 1998 | The Players Championship | 72-69-70-67=278 | −10 | 2 strokes | Glen Day, Tom Lehman |
5 | Sep 24, 2000 | Westin Texas Open | 64-68-65-64=261 | −19 | 5 strokes | Mark Wiebe |
6 | Sep 30, 2001 | Texas Open (2) | 65-64-68-69=266 | −18 | 2 strokes | J. J. Henry, Matt Kuchar |
7 | Apr 21, 2002 | WorldCom Classic - The Heritage of Golf | 67-64-66-73=270 | −14 | 1 stroke | Heath Slocum |
8 | Mar 16, 2003 | The Honda Classic | 63-70-64-67=264 | −24 | 1 stroke | Chad Campbell, Davis Love III |
9 | Jan 30, 2005 | Bob Hope Chrysler Classic | 66-67-68-64-67=332 | −28 | 3 strokes | Tim Clark, Joe Ogilvie |
10 | May 29, 2005 | FedEx St. Jude Classic | 62-65-66-73=266 | −14 | 1 stroke | David Toms |
11 | Oct 7, 2007 | Valero Texas Open (3) | 65-67-64-65=261 | −19 | Playoff | Jesper Parnevik |
12 | Jun 8, 2008 | Stanford St. Jude Championship (2) | 68-73-67-68=276 | −4 | Playoff | Robert Allenby, Trevor Immelman |
PGA Tour playoff record (2–5)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1996 | Phoenix Open | Phil Mickelson | Lost to birdie on third extra hole |
2 | 1999 | The Open Championship | Paul Lawrie, Jean van de Velde | Lawrie won four-hole aggregate playoff; Lawrie: E (5-4-3-3=15), Leonard: +3 (5-4-4-5=18), van de Velde: +3 (6-4-3-5=18) |
3 | 2002 | Bell Canadian Open | Neal Lancaster, John Rollins | Rollins won with birdie on first extra hole |
4 | 2004 | PGA Championship | Chris DiMarco, Vijay Singh | Singh won three-hole aggregate playoff; Singh: −1 (3-3-4=10), DiMarco: x (4-3-x=x), Leonard: x (4-3-x=x) |
5 | 2007 | Valero Texas Open | Jesper Parnevik | Won with birdie on third extra hole |
6 | 2008 | Stanford St. Jude Championship | Robert Allenby, Trevor Immelman | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
7 | 2009 | Children's Miracle Network Classic | Stephen Ames, George McNeill | Ames won with par on second extra hole Leonard eliminated by par on first hole |
Other wins (1)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jul 11, 2000 | CVS Charity Classic (with Davis Love III) | 60-66=126 | −16 | 3 strokes | Steve Elkington and Craig Stadler |
Other playoff record (0–1)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2006 | Merrill Lynch Shootout (with Scott Verplank) | Jerry Kelly and Rod Pampling | Lost to bogey on first extra hole |
Playoff record
PGA Tour Champions playoff record (0–1)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2023 | PURE Insurance Championship | Thongchai Jaidee | Lost to par on fourth extra hole |
Major championships
Wins (1)
Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runners-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1997 | The Open Championship | 5 shot deficit | −12 (69-66-72-65=272) | 3 strokes | Darren Clarke, Jesper Parnevik |
Results timeline
Tournament | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | CUT | T27 | T7 | T8 | T18 | ||
U.S. Open | T68LA | T50 | T36 | T40 | T15 | ||
The Open Championship | CUT | T58 | CUT | 1 | T57 | T2 | |
PGA Championship | T8 | T5 | 2 | CUT | CUT |
Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T28 | T27 | T20 | CUT | T35 | T13 | T39 | T20 | CUT | |
U.S. Open | T16 | CUT | T12 | T20 | CUT | T23 | CUT | CUT | T36 | CUT |
The Open Championship | T41 | CUT | T14 | CUT | T16 | T52 | CUT | T16 | T8 | |
PGA Championship | T41 | T10 | T4 | CUT | T2 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T58 | T67 |
Tournament | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | CUT | ||||||
U.S. Open | T14 | 59 | |||||
The Open Championship | CUT | CUT | CUT | T13 | CUT | CUT | CUT |
PGA Championship | T39 |
LA = Low Amateur
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 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 11 |
U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 17 | 12 |
The Open Championship | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 22 | 11 |
PGA Championship | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 16 | 10 |
Totals | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 24 | 70 | 44 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 8 (1996 PGA – 1998 Open Championship)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1997 Open Championship – 1998 Masters)
The Players Championship
Wins (1)
Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runners-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1998 | The Players Championship | 3 shot lead | −10 (72-69-70-67=278) | 2 strokes | Glen Day, Tom Lehman |
Results timeline
Tournament | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Players Championship | T34 | T65 | T37 | 1 | T23 | T22 | CUT | T44 | T21 | T42 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | T32 | T52 | T57 | T70 | T55 | T38 | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Results in World Golf Championships
Tournament | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Match Play | R32 | R32 | R16 | R64 | R32 | R64 | R64 | R64 | 4 | QF | R64 | |
Championship | T11 | T25 | NT1 | T11 | T28 | T46 | T34 | T9 | ||||
Invitational | 20 | T2 | T28 | T23 | T50 | T19 | T31 | T9 | T20 | 44 | T22 | |
Champions |
1Cancelled due to 9/11
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
NT = No Tournament
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.
U.S. national team appearances
Amateur
- Eisenhower Trophy: 1992
- Walker Cup: 1993 (winners)
Professional
- Presidents Cup: 1996 (winners), 1998, 2003 (tie), 2005 (winners), 2009 (winners)
- Ryder Cup: 1997, 1999 (winners), 2008 (winners)
- Dunhill Cup: 1997
- World Cup: 1997, 2003
- Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (representing PGA Tour): 1998, 1999
References
- ^ "Week 19 1998 Ending 10 May 1998" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
- ^ http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/tex/sports/m-golf/auto_pdf/2011-12/misc_non_event/11-12-mgf-factbook.pdf Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking" (PDF). OWGR. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
- ^ a b "Ryder Cup hero and British Open champ Justin Leonard left the course to find his peak". golf.com. July 12, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
- ^ "AT&T Byron Nelson". Retrieved June 23, 2022.
- ^ Bartholomew, Colten (June 10, 2023). "Why a long break from golf helped Justin Leonard set an AmFam Championship record". Wisconsin State Journal.
- ^ "NBC Justin Leonard Bio". Retrieved June 23, 2022.
External links
- Justin Leonard at the PGA Tour official site
- Justin Leonard at the Official World Golf Ranking official site
- v
- t
- e
- 1860 Willie Park Sr.
- 1861 Tom Morris Sr.
- 1862 Tom Morris Sr.
- 1863 Willie Park Sr.
- 1864 Tom Morris Sr.
- 1865 Andrew Strath
- 1866 Willie Park Sr.
- 1867 Tom Morris Sr.
- 1868 Tom Morris Jr.
- 1869 Tom Morris Jr.
- 1870 Tom Morris Jr.
- 1872 Tom Morris Jr.
- 1873 Tom Kidd
- 1874 Mungo Park
- 1875 Willie Park Sr.
- 1876 Bob Martin†
- 1877 Jamie Anderson
- 1878 Jamie Anderson
- 1879 Jamie Anderson
- 1880 Bob Ferguson
- 1881 Bob Ferguson
- 1882 Bob Ferguson
- 1883 Willie Fernie†
- 1884 Jack Simpson
- 1885 Bob Martin
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- 1888 Jack Burns
- 1889 Willie Park Jr.†
- 1890 John Ball#
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- 1892 Harold Hilton#
- 1893 William Auchterlonie
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- 1897 Harold Hilton#
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- 1912‡ Edward Ray
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- 1926 Bobby Jones#
- 1927‡ Bobby Jones#
- 1928 Walter Hagen
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- 1930 Bobby Jones#
- 1931 Tommy Armour
- 1932‡ Gene Sarazen
- 1933 Denny Shute†
- 1934‡ Henry Cotton
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- 1938 Reg Whitcombe
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- 1971 Lee Trevino
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- 1973‡ Tom Weiskopf
- 1974 Gary Player
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- 1976 Johnny Miller
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- 1989 Mark Calcavecchia†
- 1990 Nick Faldo
- 1991 Ian Baker-Finch
- 1992 Nick Faldo
- 1993 Greg Norman
- 1994 Nick Price
- 1995 John Daly†
- 1996 Tom Lehman
- 1997 Justin Leonard
- 1998 Mark O'Meara†
- 1999 Paul Lawrie†
- 2000 Tiger Woods
- 2001 David Duval
- 2002 Ernie Els†
- 2003 Ben Curtis
- 2004 Todd Hamilton†
- 2005‡ Tiger Woods
- 2006 Tiger Woods
- 2007 Pádraig Harrington†
- 2008 Pádraig Harrington
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- 2010 Louis Oosthuizen
- 2011 Darren Clarke
- 2012 Ernie Els
- 2013 Phil Mickelson
- 2014‡ Rory McIlroy
- 2015 Zach Johnson†
- 2016 Henrik Stenson
- 2017 Jordan Spieth
- 2018 Francesco Molinari
- 2019 Shane Lowry
- 2021 Collin Morikawa
- 2022 Cameron Smith
- 2023 Brian Harman
1871 No championship; 1915–1919 cancelled due to World War I; 1940–1945 cancelled due to World War II; 2020 cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic