Raymond Floyd

Raymond Floyd
Personal information
Full name Raymond Loran Floyd
Nickname Ray
Born (1942-09-04) September 4, 1942
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st)
Nationality  United States
Residence Palm Beach, Florida
Spouse Maria Fraietta Floyd[1][2][3]
(m. 1973–2012, her death)
Children 2 sons, 1 daughter
Career
College University of North Carolina (one semester)[2]
Turned professional 1961
Retired 2010[4]
Former tour(s) PGA Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins 65
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour 22 (tied 27th all time)
Japan Golf Tour 1
PGA Tour Champions 14 (tied 15th all time)
Other 11 (regular)
17 (senior)
Best results in major championships
(wins: 4)
Masters Tournament Won 1976
U.S. Open Won 1986
The Open Championship T2: 1978
PGA Championship Won: 1969, 1982
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame 1989 (member page)
Vardon Trophy 1983
Byron Nelson Award 1983

Raymond Loran "Ray" Floyd (born September 4, 1942) is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments on both the PGA Tour and Senior PGA Tour, including four majors and three senior majors. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1989.

Early years

Born at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Floyd was raised in Fayetteville. His father L.B. had a 21-year career in the U.S. Army, much of it at Fort Bragg as the golf pro at its enlisted men's course. He also owned a nearby driving range where Raymond and younger sister Marlene, a future LPGA tour pro, honed their games. From an early age, Floyd could play equally well left-handed, and used his skills to enhance his allowance, winning money from soldiers on the course, as well as civilians in nearby towns.[2]

Floyd graduated from Fayetteville High School in 1960. Skilled in golf and baseball, he had an offer to pitch in the Cleveland Indians organization, but chose to attend the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, but only stayed for a semester.[2]

Professional career

After leaving college, Floyd turned professional in 1961, and quickly established himself on the PGA Tour. His first victory came two years later at age 20 in March 1963 in Florida, winning $3,500 at the St. Petersburg Open Invitational,[5] the first of his 22 wins on the PGA Tour, including four major championships.

Floyd won his first major title six years later at the PGA Championship in 1969,[6] and the second came in 1976 at The Masters, by an eight-stroke margin and was won wire-to-wire.[7] He won his second PGA Championship in 1982, after shooting a brilliant opening round of 63 in sweltering hot conditions at Southern Hills Country Club.[8] Floyd's round of 63 was the lowest round in a major championship until 2017.[9] Floyd finished 1982 ranked second in Mark McCormack's world golf rankings, behind only Tom Watson who had won two majors that season; had those rankings been calculated over just two seasons, on a par with the system in place at the end of 2012, Floyd would have been ranked world number one in 1982, as he had earned more points from all events in total than Watson in both 1981 and 1982.

Floyd's fourth and final major title came at the U.S. Open in 1986 at Shinnecock Hills.[10] After three rounds, he was tied for fifth place, three shots behind leader Greg Norman,[11] who held the 54-hole lead at all four majors in 1986. Norman faltered on Sunday with a 75 (+5), but Floyd shot 66 to win by two strokes and became the then-oldest U.S. Open champion by a few months at 43 years and nine months.[10][12] (The record was Ted Ray's since 1920, and is now held by Hale Irwin, a champion at age 45 in 1990.)[13]

The one major title that eluded Floyd, which prevented him from completing the career grand slam, was The Open Championship. His best result was in 1978 at St Andrews; he tied for second place, behind three-time winner Jack Nicklaus.

Floyd came very close to winning a second Green Jacket at the 1990 Masters, where he lost in a playoff to Nick Faldo.[14] On the second playoff hole, Floyd pulled a 7-iron shot into the pond left of the 11th green.[15] Afterward, he said, "This is the most devastating thing that's ever happened to me in my career. I've had a lot of losses, but nothing like this."[16][17]

In 1992, Floyd again finished runner-up at The Masters, two strokes behind the winner Fred Couples. Floyd's final win on the PGA Tour came at the Doral-Ryder Open in 1992 at age 49, making him one of the oldest players to win a PGA Tour event. The Doral-Ryder Open victory also gave him the distinction of winning PGA Tour events in four decades, joining Sam Snead as the only other player to achieve that feat. Floyd also won on the Senior PGA Tour (now PGA Tour Champions) later that season, making him the first player to win on both tours in the same year.

At the end of 1992, Floyd was ranked 14th on the Official World Golf Ranking at the age of 50, one of the highest positions ever attained by a player of that age. Floyd's successful run continued on the Senior Tour, with 14 wins between 1992 and 2000, including four senior majors and two Senior Tour Championships.

In addition to Floyd's victories on the PGA and Champions Tours, he won at least 24 additional tournaments around the world, taking his total victory tally to at least 60 events. While active, Floyd was considered by most golf experts to be the best at chipping the golf ball. He holed many shots from just off the green, the most famous may have been at the Doral-Eastern Open in 1980, where his successful birdie chip on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff defeated Jack Nicklaus.[18][19]

On his decision to continue playing professional golf on the Senior Tour, Floyd spoke with Golf Digest and mused aloud: "Why do I enjoy golf after 31 years, going out there and doing things that are necessary to be competitive—having practice, having to work, having to dedicate yourself? I guess it comes down to the competition. My personality...I'm not going to play if I'm not competitive."[20]

Floyd won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average on the PGA Tour in 1983 and played for the U.S. on eight Ryder Cup teams (1969, 1975, 1977, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1991, and 1993).

Floyd was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1989. He captained the U.S. Ryder Cup team at The Belfry in England in 1989. At a gala dinner held before the start of the matches, Floyd famously introduced his American side as "The 12 greatest players in the world."[21][22] This irritated European player Nick Faldo of England, who later said that he felt Floyd's comment was inappropriate.[23]

Floyd was an assistant Ryder Cup captain in 2008. On the eve of the Masters in 2010, Floyd announced his retirement from competitive golf.[4] He was the honoree at Nicklaus' Memorial Tournament in 2013.[24]

Professional wins (65)

PGA Tour wins (22)

Legend
Major championships (4)
Players Championships (1)
Other PGA Tour (17)
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin
of victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 Mar 17, 1963 St. Petersburg Open Invitational 67-71-67-69=274 −14 1 stroke United States Dave Marr
2 Jun 27, 1965 St. Paul Open Invitational 66-70-65-69=270 −14 4 strokes United States Tommy Aaron, United States Gene Littler
3 Mar 23, 1969 Greater Jacksonville Open 68-71-68-71=278 −10 Playoff United States Gardner Dickinson
4 Jul 27, 1969 American Golf Classic 67-68-68-65=268 −12 4 strokes United States Bobby Nichols
5 Aug 17, 1969 PGA Championship 69-66-67-74=276 −8 1 stroke South Africa Gary Player
6 Jun 8, 1975 Kemper Open 65-71-73-69=278 −10 3 strokes United States John Mahaffey, South Africa Gary Player
7 Apr 11, 1976 Masters Tournament 65-66-70-70=271 −17 8 strokes United States Ben Crenshaw
8 Sep 12, 1976 World Open Golf Championship 69-67-67-71=274 −10 Playoff United States Jerry McGee
9 May 8, 1977 Byron Nelson Golf Classic 69-70-68-69=276 −8 2 strokes United States Ben Crenshaw
10 Jul 17, 1977 Pleasant Valley Classic 67-68-67-69=271 −12 1 stroke United States Jack Nicklaus
11 Apr 8, 1979 Greater Greensboro Open 73-71-71-67=282 −6 1 stroke United States George Burns, South Africa Gary Player
12 Mar 16, 1980 Doral-Eastern Open 74-69-70-66=279 −9 Playoff United States Jack Nicklaus
13 Mar 15, 1981 Doral-Eastern Open 66-68-71-68=273 −15 1 stroke United States Keith Fergus, Australia David Graham
14 Mar 23, 1981 Tournament Players Championship 72-74-71-68=285 −3 Playoff United States Barry Jaeckel, United States Curtis Strange
15 Jun 14, 1981 Manufacturers Hanover
Westchester Classic		 70-68-68-69=275 −9 2 strokes United States Bobby Clampett, United States Gibby Gilbert
United States Craig Stadler
16 May 30, 1982 Memorial Tournament 74-69-67-71=281 −7 2 strokes United States Peter Jacobsen, United States Wayne Levi
United States Roger Maltbie, United States Gil Morgan
17 Jun 13, 1982 Danny Thomas Memphis Classic 67-68-67-69=271 −17 6 strokes United States Mike Holland
18 Aug 8, 1982 PGA Championship 63-69-68-72=272 −8 3 strokes United States Lanny Wadkins
19 Apr 28, 1985 Houston Open 69-70-69-69=277 −11 1 stroke South Africa David Frost, United States Bob Lohr
20 Jun 15, 1986 U.S. Open 75-68-70-66=279 −1 2 strokes United States Chip Beck, United States Lanny Wadkins
21 Oct 19, 1986 Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic 68-66-70-71=275 −13 Playoff United States Lon Hinkle, United States Mike Sullivan
22 Mar 8, 1992 Doral-Ryder Open 67-67-67-70=271 −17 2 strokes United States Keith Clearwater, United States Fred Couples

PGA Tour playoff record (5–10)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1969 Greater Jacksonville Open United States Gardner Dickinson Won with birdie on first extra hole
2 1971 Bob Hope Desert Classic United States Arnold Palmer Lost to birdie on second extra hole
3 1973 Bing Crosby Pro-Am United States Orville Moody, United States Jack Nicklaus Nicklaus won with birdie on first extra hole
4 1974 American Golf Classic United States Gay Brewer, United States Jim Colbert
United States Forrest Fezler		 Colbert won with par on second extra hole
Brewer, Fezler eliminated with par on first hole
5 1975 Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational United States Bobby Nichols, United States J.C. Snead Snead won with birdie on fourth extra hole
Nichols eliminated with par on first hole
6 1976 World Open Golf Championship United States Jerry McGee Won with birdie on first extra hole
7 1980 Doral-Eastern Open United States Jack Nicklaus Won with birdie on second extra hole
8 1981 Wickes-Andy Williams San Diego Open United States Tom Jenkins, United States Bruce Lietzke Lietzke won with birdie on second extra hole
Jenkins eliminated with par on first hole
9 1981 Tournament Players Championship United States Barry Jaeckel, United States Curtis Strange Won with par on first extra hole
10 1982 Georgia-Pacific Atlanta Golf Classic United States Keith Fergus Lost to birdie on first extra hole
11 1982 World Series of Golf United States Craig Stadler Lost to par on fourth extra hole
12 1985 Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic United States George Burns, United States Roger Maltbie Maltbie won with birdie on fourth extra hole
13 1986 Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic United States Lon Hinkle, United States Mike Sullivan Won with par on first extra hole
14 1990 Masters Tournament England Nick Faldo Lost to par on second extra hole
15 1992 GTE Byron Nelson Classic United States Billy Ray Brown, United States Ben Crenshaw
United States Bruce Lietzke		 Brown won with birdie on first extra hole

Major championships shown in bold.

Japan Golf Tour wins (1)

Other wins (11)

Champions Tour wins (14)

No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin
of victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 Sep 20, 1992 GTE North Classic 66-67-66=199 −17 2 strokes United States Mike Hill
2 Oct 25, 1992 Ralphs Senior Classic 68-65-62=195 −21 3 strokes Japan Isao Aoki
3 Dec 13, 1992 Senior Tour Championship 65-67-65=197 −19 5 strokes United States George Archer, United States Dale Douglass
4 Mar 21, 1993 Gulfstream Aerospace Invitational 65-65-64=194 −22 5 strokes United States George Archer
5 Aug 1, 1993 Northville Long Island Classic 73-70-65=208 −8 2 strokes United States Bob Betley, New Zealand Bob Charles, South Africa Harold Henning,
United States Bruce Lehnhard, United States Walt Zembriski
6 Apr 3, 1994 The Tradition 65-70-68-68=271 −17 Playoff United States Dale Douglass
7 May 1, 1994 Las Vegas Senior Classic 68-70-65=203 −13 3 strokes United States Tom Wargo
8 May 22, 1994 NFL Golf Classic 68-66-64=198 −10 1 stroke United States Bob Murphy, South Africa Gary Player
9 Nov 13, 1994 Golf Magazine Senior Tour Championship 67-73-67-66=273 −15 Playoff United States Jim Albus
10 Apr 16, 1995 PGA Seniors' Championship 70-70-67-70=277 −11 5 strokes United States John Paul Cain, United States Larry Gilbert, United States Lee Trevino
11 Aug 13, 1995 Burnet Senior Classic 68-65-68=201 −15 1 stroke Australia Graham Marsh
12 Nov 5, 1995 Emerald Coast Classic 69-66=135 −7 Playoff United States Tom Wargo
13 Jul 14, 1996 Ford Senior Players Championship 71-66-65-73=275 −14 2 strokes United States Hale Irwin
14 Jul 16, 2000 Ford Senior Players Championship 71-67-69-66=273 −15 1 stroke United States Larry Nelson, United States Dana Quigley

Champions Tour playoff record (3–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 1994 The Tradition United States Dale Douglass Won with birdie on first extra hole
2 1994 Golf Magazine Senior Tour Championship United States Jim Albus Won with birdie on fifth extra hole
3 1995 Royal Caribbean Classic United States J. C. Snead Lost to par on first extra hole
4 1995 Emerald Coast Classic United States Tom Wargo Won with birdie on third extra hole

Senior majors are shown in bold.

Other senior wins (17)

Major championships

Wins (4)

YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner(s)-up
1969 PGA Championship 5 shot lead −8 (69-66-67-74=276) 1 stroke South Africa Gary Player
1976 Masters Tournament 8 shot lead −17 (65-66-70-70=271) 8 strokes United States Ben Crenshaw
1982 PGA Championship (2) 5 shot lead −8 (63-69-68-72=272) 3 strokes United States Lanny Wadkins
1986 U.S. Open 3 shot deficit −1 (75-68-70-66=279) 2 strokes United States Chip Beck, United States Lanny Wadkins

Results timeline

Tournament 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
Masters Tournament DNP DNP CUT T8 CUT T7 T36
U.S. Open DNP T14 T6 WD T38 DNP T13
The Open Championship DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T34
PGA Championship T57 DNP T17 T18 T20 T41 1
Tournament 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
Masters Tournament CUT T13 CUT 54 T22 T30 1 T8 T16 T17
U.S. Open T22 8 CUT 16 T15 T12 13 T47 T12 CUT
The Open Championship CUT DNP DNP DNP DNP T23 4 8 T2 T36
PGA Championship T8 CUT T4 T35 T11 T10 T2 T40 T50 T62
Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Masters Tournament T17 T8 T7 T4 T15 T2 CUT CUT T11 T38
U.S. Open T47 T37 T49 T13 T52 T23 1 T43 T17 T26
The Open Championship DNP T3 T15 T14 CUT DNP T16 T17 CUT T42
PGA Championship T17 T19 1 T20 T13 CUT CUT T14 T9 T46
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Masters Tournament 2 T17 2 T11 T10 T17 T25 CUT CUT T38
U.S. Open CUT T8 T44 T7 DNP T36 DNP DNP DNP DNP
The Open Championship T39 CUT T12 T34 DNP T58 DNP DNP DNP DNP
PGA Championship T49 T7 T48 CUT T61 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
Tournament 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Masters Tournament CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT
U.S. Open DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
The Open Championship DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
PGA Championship DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP

DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.

Summary

Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 1 3 0 5 11 22 45 27
U.S. Open 1 0 0 1 5 16 31 26
The Open Championship 0 1 1 3 4 10 20 16
PGA Championship 2 1 0 4 8 17 31 27
Totals 4 5 1 13 28 65 127 96

Champions Tour major championships

Wins (4)

YearChampionshipWinning scoreMarginRunner(s)-up
1994 The Tradition −17 (65-70-68-68=271) Playoff1 United States Dale Douglass
1995 PGA Seniors' Championship −11 (70-70-67-70=277) 5 strokes United States John Paul Cain, United States Larry Gilbert, United States Lee Trevino
1996 Ford Senior Players Championship −13 (71-66-65-73=275) 2 strokes United States Hale Irwin
2000 Ford Senior Players Championship (2) −15 (71-67-69-66=273) 1 stroke United States Larry Nelson, United States Dana Quigley

1Floyd birdied the first extra hole.[25]

U.S. national team appearances

Professional

See also

References

  1. ↑ Mell, Randall (December 14, 2012). "Floyd coping after loss of wife Maria". Golf Channel. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Newman, Bruce (April 13, 1992). "Up From the Ashes". Sports Illustrated. p. 68.
  3. ↑ Richman, Milton (April 12, 1976). "The 'old' Ray Floyd...like cold potatoes". Beaver County Times. UPI. p. C-1.
  4. 1 2 "Four-time major winner Floyd calls it a career". Majorschampionships.com. February 13, 2009. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Touring pro Floyd scores first victory". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. March 18, 1963. p. 3, sec. 3.
  6. ↑ Jenkins, Dan (August 25, 1969). "Golf gets a look at the real world". Sports Illustrated. p. 24.
  7. ↑ Jenkins, Dan (April 16, 1977). "It was Ray all the way". Sports Illustrated. p. 18.
  8. ↑ Jenkins, Dan (August 16, 1982). "He Beat The Heat By Catching Fire". Sports Illustrated. p. 26.
  9. ↑ "Lowest Round in a Mens Golf Major - Best 18 Hole Score in Major Championship". About.com. April 10, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  10. 1 2 Hanley, Reid (June 16, 1986). "Floyd ends Open drought". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, sec. 3.
  11. ↑ Hanley, Reid (June 15, 1986). "Open's all open". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, sec. 4.
  12. ↑ Reilly, Rick (June 23, 1986). "Guts, grit and grandeur". Sports Illustrated. p. 18.
  13. ↑ "Time Capsule: Hale Irwin Becomes Oldest U.S. Open Winner". ThePostGame. May 25, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  14. ↑ Rubenstein, Lorne (March 15, 2013). "Ray Floyd talks life, the game and Maria". Golf Canada. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
  15. ↑ Reilly, Rick (April 16, 1990). "True Brit". Sports Illustrated. p. 18.
  16. ↑ "Faldo's Masterful rally tops Floyd". Milwaukee Sentinel. April 9, 1990. p. 1, part 2.
  17. ↑ Parascenzo, Marino (April 9, 1990). "Faldo captures Masters again". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 21.
  18. ↑ Verdi, Bob (March 17, 1980). "Nicklaus bid foiled by Floyd in Doral". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, sec. 5.
  19. ↑ "Nicklaus' Doral Bid Falls a Little Short". Ocala Star-Banner. (Florida). Associated Press. March 17, 1980. p. 3B.
  20. ↑ Apfelbaum, Jim, ed. (2007). The Gigantic Book of Golf Quotations. Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60239-014-0.
  21. ↑ Verdi, Bob (September 23, 1989). "Star-spangled spirit on the line". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, sec. 2.
  22. ↑ "1989 - Europe retain Cup". Sky Sports. August 28, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  23. ↑ Feinstein, John. "Chapter 1: The Only Time Your Legs Ever Shake". A Good Walked Spoiled: Days and Nights on the PGA Tour. World Golf. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  24. ↑ "Honorees: 2013 - Raymond Floyd". The Memorial Tournament. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
  25. ↑ "Floyd works overtime to win The Tradition". Reading Eagle. Reading, Pennsylvania. April 4, 1994. p. D4. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
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