Most of us know by now that no amateur has ever won the Masters. Ken Venturi’s second place finish to Jack Burke Jr. in 1956 was the closest any non-pro has come to winning since the inaugural edition in 1934 at Augusta National.
But have amateurs won any events on the two major professional tours in North America and in Europe?
The answer is yes, of course. At least seven players have done it on the PGA Tour, and three on the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour).
The most well-known example in the United States was Phil Mickelson‘s victory in 1991 in Tucson when he won the Northern Telecom Open, an event that is no longer played on the PGA Tour. He was just 20 years old, a junior on the Arizona State University golf team, when he made the drive down to play in the event at the TPC at Starpass. It came with plenty of drama at the end. And who will forget Mickelson, wearing his collar up and donning the conquistador hat trophy after his victory?
Mickelson had a one-shot lead in the final round but a triple-bogey eight on the 14th turned that into a three-stroke deficit. Mickelson, however, rallied with birdies on two of the final three holes (helped by a double-bogey from Tom Purtzer on the 18th) to win by a single stroke over Bob Tway and Purtzer.
“I’m having a lot of fun,” Mickelson said during the week. “There’s really no money at stake for me, just pride. I feel like I’m ready, but I’m scared because I never been here before.”
Mickelson would win the event two more times as a professional, in 1995 and 1996.
Shane Lowry – Irish Open 2009
(Image credit: Getty Images)
More recently, on the other side of the pond, Shane Lowry won the 2009 Irish Open as an amateur at Baltray. In dreadful conditions, Lowry emerged victorious over Robert Rock on the the third playoff hole. Lowry, 22 at the time, missed a four-footer on the last that would have clinched it for him, but with some encouragement from fellow Irishman Rory McIlroy, he tapped in for par on the third playoff hole to emerge victorious over Rock, who could only manage a bogey.
“I can’t describe how I feel,” Lowry, who would win The Open 10 years later at Royal Portrush, said at the time. “I had an invite to play here and just wanted to make the cut. But after I shot 62 Friday, I felt I could win.”
Here, then, are some other notable amateurs who won professional tour events:
Dr. Cary Middlecoff (1945 North-South Open)
A dentist in the Army at the time, Middlecoff took leave to compete in…
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