Scott Verplank

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

Scott Verplank
Personal information
Full nameScott Rachal Verplank
Born (1964-07-09) July 9, 1964
Dallas, Texas
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight165 lb (75 kg; 11.8 st)
Nationality United States
ResidenceEdmond, Oklahoma
SpouseKim Verplank
Children1 son, 3 daughters
Career
CollegeOklahoma State University
Turned professional1986
Current tour(s)PGA Tour Champions
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins6
Highest ranking11 (October 21, 2001)[1]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour5
Other1
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT8: 2003
PGA ChampionshipT4: 2011
U.S. OpenT7: 2007
The Open ChampionshipT7: 2004
Achievements and awards
PGA Tour Comeback
Player of the Year		1998
Ben Hogan Award2002
NCAA Silver
Anniversary Award		2011

Early years and amateur career

Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Verplank was a leading member of the W.T. White High School golf team and a regular at Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas. He graduated from high school in 1982 and attended Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. At OSU, he 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.

Prior to his senior year at Oklahoma State, Verplank won the Western Open outside Chicago in August 1985; it was the first victory by an amateur on the PGA Tour in 29 years (Doug Sanders, 1956 Canadian Open).[2][3] He defeated Jim Thorpe on the second extra hole of a playoff for the win at Butler National Golf Club in Oak Brook, Illinois.[2][3]

Professional career

Verplank graduated and turned professional in 1986, using his two-year exemption on the PGA Tour; his first event as a pro was the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in June, his sixth tour event that year.[4] He earned five wins on the PGA Tour, and two Ryder Cup appearances, in 2002 and 2006. Verplank has type 1 diabetes and uses an insulin pump during play.[5] He 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.[5] Verplank has been featured in the top 20 of the Official World Golf Rankings, reaching as high as eleventh in 2001.

He hit a hole-in-one in the Ryder Cup, on the 14th hole during a singles match against Pádraig Harrington in 2006. The shot did not impact the overall result, however, as Europe had already won the trophy. Nonetheless, he was the first American player to card an ace during the Ryder Cup; his overall record in the competition 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. As a Dallas native, 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 tie for fourth at the PGA Championship in 2011.

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.[6]

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 at Oak Tree National, near his residence in Edmond, Oklahoma.

Amateur wins (7)

Professional wins (6)

PGA Tour wins (5)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
1 Aug 4, 1985 Western Open
(as an amateur)		 68-68-69-74=279 −9 Playoff Jim Thorpe
2 Jul 31, 1988 Buick Open 66-66-70-66=268 −20 2 strokes Doug Tewell
3 Aug 27, 2000 Reno–Tahoe Open 69-68-71-67=275 −13 Playoff Jean van de Velde
4 Sep 9, 2001 Bell Canadian Open 70-63-66-67=266 −14 3 strokes Joey Sindelar, Bob Estes
5 Apr 29, 2007 EDS Byron Nelson Championship 67-68-66-66=267 −13 1 stroke 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 (1)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory		Runners-up
1 Nov 22, 1998 World Cup of Golf Individual Trophy 70-72-74-63=279 −9 1 stroke Nick Faldo, Costantino Rocca

Other playoff record (0–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentsResult
1 2006 Merrill Lynch Shootout
(with Justin Leonard)		 Jerry Kelly and Rod Pampling Lost to bogey on first extra hole

Results in major championships
Tournament 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Masters Tournament CUT CUT CUT CUT
U.S. Open T34LA 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
TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament000014158
U.S. Open0000271814
The Open Championship000013139
PGA Championship000133198
Totals00017176539
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 5 (2004 Masters – 2005 Masters)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (2003 Masters – 2003 U.S. Open)

Results in The Players Championship
Tournament 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
The Players Championship CUT CUT CUT CUT WD T11 T32
Tournament 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
The Players Championship T20 T44 T28 T8 T26 T2 CUT T44 CUT T49 T13 T54 WD
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Results in World Golf Championships
Tournament199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010
Match Play R32 R32 R32 R64 R64 R64 R32 R64 R64 R64
Championship T48 NT1 T15 T51 T54 T62 T38 T40 T30
Invitational T17 T58 T46 T19 T51 T59 T9 T20 T51 T39
Champions

1Cancelled due to 9/11

  Top 10
  Did not play

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
NT = No tournament
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

Professional

See also

References
  1. "Week 42 2001 Ending 21 Oct 2001" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  2. "Thorpe is not only victim of Verplank". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. August 5, 1985. p. C1.
  3. "Amateur outduels pro for title". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). UPI. August 5, 1985. p. D2.
  4. "Verplank opens with Open". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. June 12, 1986. p. 4F.
  5. "European Tour biography". PGA European Tour. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  6. "NCAA Names Silver Anniversary Winners" (Press release). NCAA. December 1, 2010. Archived from the original on December 5, 2010. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
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