Fulton Allem
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Fulton Peter Allem (born September 15, 1957) is a South African professional golfer.
Allem was born in Kroonstad, Orange Free State, South Africa, the middle child of five children and the grandson of a Lebanese hawker, Allem had a privileged upbringing. His family had the largest corn farm in the southern hemisphere and the only privately owned grain silos in South Africa, by the time he came into the world. Allem started playing golf at the age of 7 with encouragement from his father. Gary Player also had a large influence on his early career.
Allem did not attend college and turned pro in 1976. He spent the early part of his career playing mostly in South Africa. He won 11 times on the Sunshine Tour between 1985 and 1991. A second-place finish in the 1987 NEC World Series of Golf convinced him to join the PGA Tour. Allem's first win on the PGA Tour was at the 1991 Independent Insurance Agent Open (now known as the Shell Houston Open).
In 1993, he won twice on the PGA Tour and finished ninth on the money list. He won the Southwestern Bell Colonial and NEC World Series of Golf that year, two of the Tour's most prestigious non-majors .
Since his big year in 1993, Allem has been plagued by a host of medical ailments. First it was plantar fasciatis in his right foot, then his left. In 1994, he suffered a herniated disc in his lower back. In 1998, he developed pericarditis, a potentially fatal inflammation of the sack surrounding the heart. In 2003, the were problems with vertebrae in his cervical spine. These conditions have limited his playing time and adversely affected his play.[1]
Today, he lives in Central Florida with his wife and daughters. He is sometimes known by the nickname "Fulty", particularly by the other South African players. His youngest brother is the celebrated interior designer Charles Allem of Charles Allem Interior design based in New York, who is currently working on the new W hotel project in Las Vegas.
[edit] Professional wins
PGA Tour
Sunshine Tour
- 1986 Minolta Match Play Championship, Palaborwa Classic, South African PGA Championship
- 1987 Palaborwa Classic, South African PGA Championship
- 1988 Palaborwa Classic
- 1989 Minolta Match Play Championship
- 1990 Lexington PGA Championship, Twee Jongezellen Masters, Goodyear Classic
- 1991 ICL International
Other
- 1985 Million Dollar Challenge (South Africa - unofficial money event)
- 1988 Million Dollar Challenge (South Africa - unofficial money event)
