Scott Verplank

Scott Verplank
Personal information
Full name Scott Rachal Verplank
Born (1964-07-09) July 9, 1964
Dallas, Texas
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight 165 lb (75 kg; 11.8 st)
Nationality  United States
Residence Edmond, Oklahoma
Spouse Kim Verplank
Children Scottie, Hannah, Emma, Heidi Ann
Career
College Oklahoma State University
Turned professional 1986
Current tour(s) Champions Tour
Former tour(s) PGA Tour
Professional wins 7
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour 5
Other 2
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament T8: 2003
U.S. Open T7: 2007
The Open Championship T7: 2004
PGA Championship T4: 2011
Achievements and awards
PGA Tour Comeback
Player of the Year		 1998
Ben Hogan Award 2002
NCAA Silver
Anniversary Award		 2011

Scott Rachal Verplank (born July 9, 1964) is an American professional golfer, who has played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.

Early years and amateur career

Verplank was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He was a leading member of the W.T. White High School Golf Team and a regular at Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas. While attending Oklahoma State University, he won the 1985 Western Open, becoming the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since Doug Sanders won the 1956 Canadian Open. While at Oklahoma State, Verplank was a member of the 1983 NCAA Championship team finishing T3 alongside teammates Tommy Moore, Willie Wood, Andy Dillard, and Philip Walton. He went on later to win the 1984 U.S. Amateur at the Oak Tree Golf Club, and in 1986, win the NCAA individual title.

Professional career

Verplank graduated and turned professional in 1986. He earned five wins on the PGA Tour, and two Ryder Cup appearances, in 2002 and 2006. He has diabetes and was awarded the 2002 Ben Hogan Award, given by the Golf Writers Association of America to an individual who has continued to be active in golf despite a physical handicap or serious illness. Verplank uses an insulin pump during play.[1] He has featured in the top 20 of the Official World Golf Rankings, going as high as 11th in 2001.

He hit a hole-in-one on the 14th hole during a singles match against Pádraig Harrington at the 2006 Ryder Cup. The shot did not impact the overall result, however, as Europe had already won the trophy. Nonetheless, he was the first American player to achieve a hole-in-one during the Ryder Cup. His Ryder Cup record is 4 wins and 1 loss.

Verplank's most recent win was the 2007 EDS Byron Nelson Championship, in which he defeated Luke Donald by one stroke. Verplank called the EDS Byron Nelson Championship "a fifth major", and also mentioned that "Byron was with me today" (the 2007 tournament was the first held after Nelson's death). His best finish in a major championship was a T-4 at the 2011 PGA Championship.

In December 2010, Verplank was named a 2011 winner of the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, given annually to six former NCAA student-athletes for distinguished career accomplishment on the 25th anniversary of their college graduation.[2]

Verplank competed in the 2011 Arnold Palmer Invitational finishing T38 and then the following week at the Shell Houston Open in which Verplank finished T2 behind Phil Mickelson. Verplank had held a joint 54-hole lead with Mickelson and even held the lead on his own at a number of stages during the final round, however his lack of competitive golf proved costly throughout the final few holes and he was unable to close out the victory. This was his best finish on tour in 18 months since finishing T2 at the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2009. Verplank has amassed over $27 million in career earnings.

Verplank played the 2013 season on a Major Medical Extension after hip and wrist injuries in 2012. He started the 2014 season in a similar fashion, but was not able to satisfy the medical exemption and used his career money list exemption for the remainder of the season. Verplank turned 50 in July 2014 and made his Champions Tour debut at the U.S. Senior Open.

Amateur wins (7)

Professional wins (7)

PGA Tour wins (5)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of victoryRunner(s)-up
1 Aug 4, 1985 Western Open* −9 (68-68-69-74=279) Playoff United States Jim Thorpe
2 Jul 31, 1988 Buick Open −20 (66-66-70-66=268) 2 strokes United States Doug Tewell
3 Aug 27, 2000 Reno-Tahoe Open −13 (69-68-71-67=275) Playoff France Jean van de Velde
4 Sep 9, 2001 Bell Canadian Open −14 (70-63-66-67=266) 3 strokes United States Joey Sindelar, United States Bob Estes
5 Apr 29, 2007 EDS Byron Nelson Championship −13 (67-68-66-66=267) 1 stroke England Luke Donald

PGA Tour playoff record (2–4)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1. 1985 Western Open Jim Thorpe Won with par on second extra hole
2. 1998 Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic Trevor Dodds Lost to par on first extra hole
3. 2000 Reno-Tahoe Open Jean van de Velde Won with birdie on fourth extra hole
4. 2001 Verizon Byron Nelson Classic Robert Damron Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole
5. 2004 Ford Championship at Doral Craig Parry Lost to eagle on first extra hole
6 2010 Travelers Championship Corey Pavin, Bubba Watson Watson won with par on second extra hole
Pavin eliminated with par on first hole

Other wins (2)

Results in major championships

Tournament 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Masters Tournament CUT CUT CUT CUT
U.S. Open T34 LA T15 CUT
The Open Championship CUT CUT
PGA Championship CUT CUT
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Masters Tournament CUT
U.S. Open T61 T18 T21 T49 T17
The Open Championship T15
PGA Championship T31 CUT T54 T34
Tournament 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Masters Tournament CUT 43 T8 29 T20 T16 T30 CUT
U.S. Open T46 T22 CUT T10 T40 CUT CUT T7 T29
The Open Championship CUT T30 T37 CUT T7 T23 T31 T57 T58
PGA Championship CUT T7 CUT CUT T62 T34 CUT T9 CUT CUT
Tournament 2010 2011 2012
Masters Tournament T18 T54
U.S. Open T47
The Open Championship T76
PGA Championship CUT T4 WD
  Top 10
  Did not play

LA = Low amateur
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" = tied

Summary

Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 0 0 0 0 1 4 15 8
U.S. Open 0 0 0 0 2 7 18 14
The Open Championship 0 0 0 0 1 3 13 9
PGA Championship 0 0 0 1 3 3 19 8
Totals 0 0 0 1 7 17 65 39

Results in World Golf Championship events

Tournament1999200020012002200320042005200620072008
Accenture Match Play Championship R32 DNP R32 R32 R64 R64 R64 R32 R64 R64
CA Championship DNP T48 NT1 T15 T51 T54 T62 T38 DNP T40
Bridgestone Invitational DNP DNP T17 T58 T46 T19 T51 T59 T9 T20
Tournament20092010
Accenture Match Play Championship DNP R64
CA Championship DNP T30
Bridgestone Invitational T51 T39
HSBC Champions DNP DNP

1Cancelled due to September 11, 2001 attacks
DNP = Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
NT = No tournament
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

Professional

See also

References

  1. ↑ "European Tour biography". PGA European Tour. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  2. ↑ "NCAA Names Silver Anniversary Winners" (Press release). NCAA. December 1, 2010. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
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