Frank Conner (golfer)

Frank Conner (born January 11, 1946) is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour, and Champions Tour. He was also an accomplished amateur tennis player. He, Ellsworth Vines and G. H. "Pete" Bostwick Jr. are the only men to play in the U.S. Open in both tennis and golf.[1][2]

Frank Conner
Personal information
Born (1946-01-11) January 11, 1946
Vienna, Austria
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight195 lb (88 kg; 13.9 st)
Nationality United States
ResidenceSan Antonio, Texas
Career
CollegeTrinity University
Turned professional1971
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins7
Number of wins by tour
Korn Ferry Tour2
Other5
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentCUT: 1982
PGA ChampionshipT23: 1979
U.S. OpenT6: 1981
The Open ChampionshipCUT: 1971

Life and career

Conner was born in Vienna, Austria,[1] where his father was stationed with the U.S. Army.[3] He competed in the U.S. Open in tennis in 1965, 1966, and 1967.[2] He attended Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, graduating in 1970 with a degree in Business Administration.[1] While at Trinity he was an All-American in tennis in 1968.[1] He was elected to Trinity's Hall of Fame in 2001.[1][4]

Conner gave up playing tennis and turned to golf, turning professional in 1971.[2] He failed four times at qualifying school before finally getting his tour card and joining the PGA Tour in 1975.[2] He played on the PGA Tour from 1975 to 1989 and again in 1992. He finished second four times: in 1979 to Hubert Green at the First NBC New Orleans Open, in 1981 to Dave Barr in a five-man playoff at the Quad Cities Open, in 1982 to Tom Watson in a playoff at the Sea Pines Heritage, and in 1984 to George Archer at the Bank of Boston Classic. He won the 1988 Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic which was played opposite the Masters Tournament - it was an official money event but not an official win on the PGA Tour. His best finish in a major championship was a T-6 at the 1981 U.S. Open.

Conner played on the Ben Hogan Tour (now Nationwide Tour) from 1990–91 and 1993-95. He won twice in 1991 at the Ben Hogan Knoxville Open and the Ben Hogan Tulsa Open and finished fifth on the money list to regain his PGA Tour card.

After turning 50 in 1996, Conner played on the Senior PGA Tour (now Champions Tour) from 1996 to 2002. His best finishes on this tour were a pair of second places: at the 1997 The Transamerica and the 1998 Kroger Senior Classic in a five-man playoff.

Professional wins (7)

Ben Hogan Tour wins (2)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
1 May 19, 1991 Ben Hogan Knoxville Open −15 (63-68-67=198) 1 stroke Perry Arthur, Paul Goydos
2 Aug 11, 1991 Ben Hogan Tulsa Open −6 (75-68-67=210) Playoff Tom Lehman

Ben Hogan Tour playoff record (1–0)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 1991 Ben Hogan Tulsa Open Tom Lehman Won with birdie on second extra hole

Other wins (5)

Playoff record

PGA Tour playoff record (0–2)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1981 Quad Cities Open Dave Barr, Woody Blackburn,
Dan Halldorson, Victor Regalado		 Barr won with par on eighth extra hole
Conner, Halldorson and Regalado eliminated with birdie on first hole
2 1982 Sea Pines Heritage Classic Tom Watson Lost to par on third extra hole

Results in major championships
Tournament 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open CUT T58 T48
The Open Championship CUT
PGA Championship T23
Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987
Masters Tournament CUT
U.S. Open CUT T6 CUT T50 T46 T59 CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship CUT WD CUT T40
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" = tied

See also

References
  1. Trinity University Hall of Fame profile
  2. 2004 U.S. Senior Open profile
  3. "Conner has Philadelphia golf lead". Eugene Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. Associated Press. August 3, 1980. p. 4B. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
  4. Trinity University's Hall of Fame
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